What Is the Meaning of the South African Flag Colors?

Current Flag History and Design

Designed by Fred Brownell, a former South African state herald---head of the bureau charged with registering arms, badges, certificates, flags and seals---its colors and shapes denote principle components of South Africa's historical flags.

Vertically, from the hoist side, the South African flag appears as a green "Y" lying on its side. The "V" in the top of the "Y" is a black isosceles triangle with a gold border between it and the green "Y." Above the stem of the "Y" is red with a white border between. Below the stem is blue with a white border between.

The original flag of the African National Congress, the current ruling party, contains black, yellow and green stripes. Black and gold on green were incorporated into South African flags of the 19th century and are prominent features in the liberation movement flag of the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC). The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)'s logo colors are gold, green, black and red. These colors, then, may broadly reflect the country's black population.

Red, white and blue may reflect flags of the British and Dutch, who ruled South Africa during the colonial era. European settlers of Dutch, Flemish, French, Scandinavian and Germanic descent are known as Afrikaners or Boers, and are a distinct ethnic group from South Africans of British heritage. These colors featured prominently on the South African National Flag from 1928 to 1994, including the British Union Jack and the red, white and blue stripes of both the Dutch (horizontal) and French (vertical) flags, and are widely considered reflective of the white population.

No established designations give specific meaning to each color. Rather, the colors represent a synopsis of South African flag history. While they may connote different meanings to various people groups, the official government stance is that universal symbolism not be attached to any of the colors.

The black V design from the staff side points toward unity of diverse segments of South African society: racial, ethnic and socio-economic. The green Y indicates roads converging toward a harmonious future, combining the best of the past with a common future. According to the official South African government website, its theme is convergence and unity, which ties it to the previous South African coat of arms motto "Unity is Strength."

While not completely distinctive in design---there are others similarly styled flags---the South African flag is distinctive in color use. The CIA World Factbook reports that it is the world's only national flag composed of six colors that does not also contain a seal or brocade.