Name Oranje, Blanje, Blou Adopted 1928 | Proportion 2:3 | |
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Design Fesses with central badge | ||
The flag of South Africa between 1928 and 1994 was the flag of the Union of South Africa and its successor state, the Republic of South Africa. It was also used in South-West Africa (now Namibia) when the territory was under South African rule. Based on the Dutch Prince's Flag, it contained the flag of the United Kingdom, the flag of the Orange Free State and the flag of the South African Republic in the centre. It was nicknamed Oranje, Blanje, Blou (Afrikaans: 'orange, white, blue'). It was adopted in 1928 by an act of Parliament from the first Afrikaner majority government and was replaced by the current flag of South Africa in 1994 with the commencement of the republic's transitional constitution and end of apartheid. The flag has been a centre of controversy, with some people viewing it as a symbol of history and Afrikaner heritage while others view it as a symbol of apartheid and of white supremacy.
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Adoption
Before 1928 the only flag that had official status in the Union of South Africa was the United Kingdom's Union Jack as South Africa was part of the British Empire. The South Africa Red Ensign was used as an unofficial flag. In 1925, discussion rose about creating a new flag for South Africa as many descendants of Boers found the Union Jack unacceptable after the Boer War. In 1926 the Balfour Declaration granted South Africa Dominon status and a new flag was to be used to represent them. British settlers wanted the Union Jack in the new flag as part of the British Empire while the Afrikaners did not. A compromise was reached whereby the new flag would consist of the Prince's Flag as this was the first flag raised on South Africa and a badge of the Union Jack in the centre with the flags of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. The Union Jack was mirrored in the new flag with the hoist on the right so that it did not take precedence over the others.
In 1927, the Afrikaner majority Parliament of South Africa passed the Union Nationality & Flag Act, which stated that the Union Jack and the new Flag of the Union of South Africa were to have equal status as the flag of South Africa. The act came into force in 1928 when both flags were raised over the Houses of Parliament, Cape Town and the Union Buildings in Pretoria This dual status was ended in 1957 with the passing of the Flags Amendment Act which declared that the Oranje, Blanje, Blou would be the sole flag of South Africa with the act also declaring that Die Stem van Suid-Afrika would be the country's sole anthem and dropping God Save the Queen.
When South Africa became a republic in 1961, the flag remained the same. The Afrikaner voting majority disliked the flag retaining the Union Jack in the centre. Repeated calls were made for it to be removed or for a new flag but no action was taken by the ruling National Party until 1968. B. J. Vorster convened a commission in that year to create a new flag in time for the 10th anniversary of South Africa's declaration of independence in 1971, but no changes were eventually made. The flag was treated with respect by Afrikaners with daily flag salutes in schools. It was also used as part of celebrations of the inauguration of the State President.
Opposition
Gradually, the "Oranje, Blanje, Blou" became associated with the apartheid regime. Movements like the Black Sash and Umkhonto we Sizwe started protesting against it with their own symbols. Often the flag of South Africa would be removed from public display and replaced with the banned ANC flag. The flag would also be the subject of public burnings during anti-apartheid protests.
After 1989, F. W. de Klerk was elected president and immediately unbanned the African National Congress (ANC) and released their leader Nelson Mandela from prison. De Klerk instigated negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa with Mandela's ANC. One of the ANC's demands was that the flag gradually decrease in usage in South African life and that a new flag be created, as black South Africans associated the current one with apartheid and Afrikaner nationalism.
The negotiations led to the South African apartheid referendum, 1992 where voters approved the ending of apartheid. The referendum decision resulted in the International Rugby Board allowing the South Africa national rugby union team to play test matches again. The ANC agreed to endorse the team on the provision that the flag not be used. During the return test, the Conservative Party handed out numerous flags to the majority white crowd as a symbol of defiance against the ANC. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the South African team performed under a specially designed flag for the National Olympic Committee of South Africa, although white South African spectators at the games waved the then national flag, despite attempts by officials to stop them.
In 1994 the State Herald of South Africa, Fred Brownell, was approached to design a new national flag for South Africa to replace the "Oranje, Blanje, Blou" in time for the first elections after apartheid. He designed the new flag of South Africa with a combination of the "Oranje, Blanje, Blou" and the colours of the ANC flag. The new flag design was approved personally by both de Klerk and Mandela before being unanimously approved by the Transitional Executive Council on 15 March 1994. De Klerk made the public proclamation of the replacement of the old flag on 20 April, seven days before the 1994 South African general election on 27 April 1994.
Post 1994
Following its official retirement as the flag of South Africa, the Oranje, Blanje, Blou was adopted by some white South Africans as being a symbol of Afrikaner heritage and history. Many South Africans still view it as a symbol of apartheid, and therefore strongly discouraged its use. Despite the negative associations, it was never banned by the Government of South Africa post-1994 and the right to display it in South Africa is protected under Chapter Two of the Constitution of South Africa as an expression of free speech. In the 21st century, usage of the "Oranje, Blanje, Blou" experienced a revival of display as a symbol by white supremacists worldwide. A particular awareness of this followed the shooting at a Charleston, South Carolina black church in 2015, as the suspect Dylann Roof had previously been pictured wearing a jacket with the "Oranje, Blanje, Blou" and the flag of Rhodesia on it. This association with apartheid and racism often led to calls for the flags that were used in a historical context, to be removed from display. An example of this is Cooma, Australia, where it is flown to commemorate South African workers in the Snowy Mountains Scheme alongside the Canadian Red Ensign and other flags from 1956 when the scheme was created.
The flag has also been used as a symbol of protest post-1994. In 2005, a statue of King Makhado was vandalised in Louis Trichardt with the colours of the flag as a protest against a proposal to change the name of the town to Makhado. Some South Africans in the 21st century started to fly the flag as a protest against a perceived failure of the ANC to make progress in governing South Africa as a democracy.
At Cape Town's Castle of Good Hope, the flag was flown from the castle alongside the Union Jack, flag of the Netherlands and the current flag of South Africa to display the powers that ruled South Africa through history. In 1994 it was agreed that they would remain on the castle parapet as historical reference. In 2012 following complaints from the ANC member of parliament Nomfunelo Mabedla, all the flags were removed from the parapet apart from the current flag of South Africa and the removed flags were placed in the castle's museum.