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South Africa

by christopher vance

See also:

South African Government of National Unity

Origin and colors of the new flag

The strips are orange and blue, the same of the previous flag. The added colors are the same of African National Congress's flag, which is composed of three equal horizontal strips: black, green and yellow. Therefore I argue the new flag is the merge of the two flags.

Apart from strips' colors (orange and blue instead of red and green), the color of the second fimbration (green instead of black) and the absence of a coat in the triangle, the new african flag is very similar to Vanuatu's one.
giuseppe bottasini

C-SPAN (Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network), reporting on the election in South Africa, showed the "interim" flag which will be used for the next five years; the new parliament will choose a permanent flag. In English blazon, it is:

Tierced in pairle couchy sable, gules and azure, a pairle couchy vert fimbriated or to dexter and argent to chief and base.

I think the interim flag for South Africa was said to be composed of the colors of flags of past administrations. Which is as plausible as anything, since it includes *all* the heraldic tinctures.
anton sherwood

According to the SAVA Newsletter, SN 8/94, 21 March 1994, the colors are:

Colour		CKS colour number
Green		42c (Sprectrum green)
Black		401c (Blue/black)
White		701c (National Flag white)
Gold		724c (Gold/yellow)
Red		750c (Chilli red)
Blue		762c (National Flag blue)

jon radel

The NY Times reports the color specifications as "Blue Black", "Gold Yellow", "Spectrum Green:, "Chili Red", "National Flag White" and "National Flag Blue". One wonders if the last is the same as "Old Glory Blue". The arms of the republic have not been changed, and continue to reflect the four defunct provinces.
will linden

South Africa's current flag - designed for the "interim" period - should remain the country's national flag under the final constitution which comes into force in 1999, the Constituional Assembly (charged with writing the final constitution) recommended on 28 September 1995.
bruce berry 2-OCT-1995

South Africans call this the "rainbow nation" based on the multi racial, multi ethnic and multi cultural composition of the country, hence many refer to the new flag as the "rainbow" flag.... I spend a considerable amount of time explaining that the gay movement already uses this phrase for their flag and that we should think of another term when refering to our national flag!!!

bruce berry 09-MAY-1996

Nickname for the flag

Here are some suggestions about a "nickname" for the flag:

Considering what South Africa has gone through, and what the flag looks like, I suggest: Black and Blue and Red all over. nathan bliss
I personally like the Southern Pall. Or maybe the "Southern Crane"? (Legend has it that the letter "Y" derives from a Greek who saw a flight of cranes in that formation...) dipesh navsaria
I've heard the flag described - very unflatteringly - as the Technicolour Y-fronts.... Hmmm... how about the Unity Flag, or something similar? james dignan
The "Southern Union" would be good, if it didn't sound so much like a wire service or a train line. How about "The Southern Unity"? Gives it a good, poetic quality. steve kramer
"Jack Boven", or maybe "Oranje Union"? "The Flying Y"? Three Cheers for the "Red, White, And Blue, And Black, And Yellow, And Green" "Rainbow Salad" "The Southern Pall"? "The Green Pall"? "The Flying Pall"? ("Pall" being the heraldic term for the "Y" shape on a coat-of-arms - maybe even "The Union Pall"?) nick artimovich

Zulu

In a TV reportage there was a group of Zulu; they waved their symbol: a black and white shield. It has the same shape of the shield in Kwazulu's flag (Kwazulu was another homeland in South Africa) and it looked like the Emasotsha's shield in Swaziland's flag.
giuseppe bottasini