Put out more flags…

CHRIS BENNETT borrows the title of an Evelyn Waugh novel for his thoughts for this week.

THERE is a carnival air about the South Coast these days; and come to that I imagine the same could be said for most parts of the country as we prepare for the fun and festivities.

One of the joys of having the world’s most striking, and maybe even most beautiful, flag is that a host of them makes a glorious sight. The other day I was sitting in Beach Bobbies Restaurant in Port Edward. It has arguably the finest view of all restaurants on the South Coast, and the food is good too.

The car park was full of vehicles from all over Kwa-Zulu Natal, and many from the Free State and the Cape. Oh, and yes, I noticed one or two from Gauteng. Some were wearing flags behind their ears (poking out of rear windows in other words) and some had them festooned from aerials. It made for a wonderful sight, one that many youngsters will remember all their lives.

The South African flag, you will remember, was released on 27 April 1994. It was designed by the then State Herald, Frederick Brownell. Originally designated an interim ensign it was so well received that it became our permanent standard, and what a handsome standard it is.

For those of you interested in that sort of thing here is the official description of the South African flag:

Rectangular flag in the proportion of two in the width to three in the length: per pall from the hoist, the upper band red (chilli) and the lower band blue, with a black triangle at the hoist; over the partition lines a green pall one fifth the width of the flag, fimbriated white against the red (chilli) and blue, and gold against the black triangle at the hoist; the width of the pall and its fimbriations is one third the width of the flag.

The football grounds during the tournament, starting tomorrow in Johannesburg at the astonishing Calabash, will undoubtedly be a symphony of colour. Given that the opening ceremony will attract viewers from across the planet there should be no doubt about what the South African flag looks like.

On a historical note, it is interesting that the flag’s relic was officially known as Die Prinsevlag, or The Prince’s Flag. A compromise was reached that resulted in the adoption of a separate flag for the Union in late 1927, and the design was first hoisted on 31 May 1928.

The design was based on the so-called Van Riebeeck flag or Prinsevlag which was originally the Dutch flag, and consisted of orange, white, and blue horizontal stripes. A version of this flag was used as the flag of the Dutch East India Company at the Cape (with the VOC logo in the centre) from 1652 until 1795.

The South African addition to the design was three smaller flags centred in the white stripe. The smaller flags were the Union Jack towards the hoist, the flag of the Orange Free State hanging vertically in the middle and the Transvaal Vierkleur towards the fly.

Flag waving has begun.

Sources: Wikipedia; Brittanica Online.