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The National FlagThe new National Flag of the Republic of South Africa, which was taken into use on 27 April 1994, replaces the previous National Flag which flew over South Africa from 31 May 1928 to 26 April 1994. The design and colours of the new National Flag are a synopsis of the principal elements of South Africa's flag history, from the earliest days to the present time.
The unique central design of the flag, which begins as a 'V' at
the flagpost and comes together in the centre of the flag, extending
further, as a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the fly,
can be seen as representing the convergence of diverse elements
in South African society, which then take the road ahead in unison.
This idea of convergence and unification links up with the motto
of the National Coat of Arms, !ke e:/xarra //ke, written in the
Khoisan language of the /Xam people, which means 'diverse people
unite'. The National Flag - Additional InformationColour specifications - South African Bureau of Standards - Textile colours:
Approximate Pantone equivalents GREEN - 3415 c Flying the National FlagThe following instructions which are the interest to the public at large, are contained in a government Notice published by the then Office of the State President on 26 April 1994.
National Coat of Arms
Arms: Or, representations of two San human figures of red ochre, statant respectant, the hands of the innermost arms clasped, with upper arm, inner wrist, waist and knee bands Argent, and a narrow border or red ochre; the shield ensigned of a spear and knobkierie in saltire, Sable. Thereabove a demi-secretary bird displayed Or, charged on the breast with a stylized representation of a protea flower with outer petals Vert, inner petals Or and seeded of nine triangles conjoined in three rows, the upper triangle Gules, the second row Vert, Or inverted and Vert, and the third row Vert, Or inverted, Sable, Or inverted and Vert. Above the head of the secretary bird an arc of seven rays facetted Or and Orange, the two outer rays conjoined to the elevated wings. Upon a riband Vert, the motto !KE E:/XARRA //KE in letters Argent. Issuant from the ends of the riband two pairs of elephant tusks curving inwards, the tips conjoined to the wings of the secretary bird, Or, therewithin and flanking the shields, two ears of wheat Brunatre. Further information on the South African National Coat of Arms South Africa's National AnthemNkosi Sikelel' iAfrika was composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a teacher at a Methodist mission school in Johannesburg. It was one of many songs he composed, and he was apparently a keen singer who composed the songs for his pupils. The words of the first stanza were originally written in Xhosa as a hymn. Seven additional Xhosa stanzas were later added by Samuel Mqhayi, a poet. Most of Sontonga's songs were sad, witnessing the suffering of African people in Johannesburg, but they were popular and after his death in 1904 choirs used to borrow them from his wife. Solomon Plaatje, one of South Africa's greatest writers and a founding member of the ANC, was the first to have the song recorded. This was in London in 1923. A Sesotho version was published in 1942 by Moses Mphahlele. The Rev J L Dube's Ohlange Zulu Choir popularized Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika at concerts in Johannesburg, and it became a popular church hymn that was also adopted as the anthem at political meetings. For decades Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika was regarded as the national anthem of South Afrika by the oppressed and it was always sung as an act of defiance against the apartheid regime. A proclamation issued by the State President on 20 April 1994 stipulated that both Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika and Die Stem (the Call of South Africa) would be the national anthems of South Africa. In 1996 a shortened, combined version of the two anthems was released as the new National Anthem. There are no standard versions or translations of Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika so the words vary from place to place and from occasion to occasion. Generally the first stanza is sung in Xhosa or Zulu, followed by the Sesotho version. Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika and Die Stem/The Call of South Africa)Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, Uit die blou van onse hemel, Sounds the call to come together, South African Flora and FaunaSouth Africa’s present national flora and fauna emblems, all of which seem to have evolved spontaneously, are the Giant or King Protea, the Yellowwood, the Blue Crane, the Springbok, and the Galjoen. National flower - KING PROTEA - Protea cynaroides
The early collectors referred to the artichoke-like flower heads of the King Protea. This resemblance gave rise to the specific name ‘cynaroides’, meaning ‘like cynara’ (the globe artichoke). The name hardly does justice to the magnificent heads of this protea, which are the largest in the genus. Several variations in colour and shape of leaves occur in nature, the most beautiful being the form with pale silvery-pink flower bracts. In 1962, a commission was set up to make recommendations on a national floral emblem for South Africa. Protea cynaroides was recommended, and this choice was supported by the South African Association of Botanists, but it was only in 1975 that it was officially announced that this protea had been chosen as South Africa’s national floral emblem. National Tree - REAL YELLOWWOOD - Podocarpus latifolius
The species is very widespread and its distribution extends from Table Mountain along the southern and eastern Cape coastal regions through the kloofs of the Drakensberg to the Soutpansberg and Blouberg Mountains of the Northern Province. It also occurs in tropical east and west Africa as far as Tanzania and Cameroon. In forests, they can grow up to 40 metres in height with the base of the trunk sometimes up to 3 metres in diameter. In contrast, trees that grow in unsheltered places like mountain-slopes, are often short, bushy and gnarled. The bark of the real yellowwood is khaki-coloured to grey when it is old, deeply split and peels off in strips. The crown is relatively small in relation to its height and is often covered with grey lichen. Male and female cones resemble pine cones and are white, light green or pink. The female cone has a fleshy podocarpium on which the seed, which takes on the shape and colour of a cherry, develops. National bird - BLUE CRANE - Anthropoides paradisia
The plumage of the Blue Crane is almost entirely pale blue-grey, only the main wing feathers being blue-black; the crown of the head is white, the bill pinkish or ochre and the long legs greyish. What appear to be long tail streamers are in fact elongated wing feathers (the tertial feathers) which trail gracefully to the ground when the bird is standing. Males and females are identical in appearance except that the male has a slightly longer bill. The Blue Crane has a loud, nasal trumpeting call ‘krraaaarrrk’ which carries far. The Blue Crane frequents open grassveld or karoo-like plains with low, scrubby bushes, often in moist situations, and also lays its two eggs on the ground. It feeds on vegetation including seeds, insects and small reptiles. National Animal - SPRINGBOK - Antidorcas marsupialisThis graceful gazelle, once found in great numbers in South Africa, has since at least 1906 been considered to be South Africa’s national animal.
Springbok live in groups and move in small herds in winter often aggregating in larger herds in summer. Springbok breed throughout the year and do not have a fixed breeding time. Lambs are thus born throughout the year. They eat both grass and shrubs and can survive without drinking water because they obtain sufficient water from the succulent leaves they select. They will also dig up succulent roots. Springbok are have a shoulder height of approximately 75 cm, an average mass of 40 kg and a gestation period of 6 months. National Fish - GALJOEN - Coricinus capensisThe galjoen is found only along the South African coast. It keeps to mostly shallow water, is often found in rough surf and sometimes right next to the shore and is known to every angler. Near rocks, the colour of the galjoen is almost completely black, while in sandy areas the colour is silver-bronze. It is also known in KwaZulu-Natal as blackfish or black bream. The record size is over 55 cm and 7 kg, however the average is much smaller. The galjoen is a game fighter. The diet of the galjoen consists mainly of red bait (ascidians), small mussels and barnacles. The scales are very firmly attached. The fins are well-developed with prominent spines National OrdersNational Orders are the highest awards that a country, through its President, bestows on its citizens and eminent foreign nationals and are bestowed twice yearly. During 2005, two Indonesian citizens were honored posthumously with this honor. In April 2005 the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo, GOLD was bestowed posthumously to Ahmed Sukarno (1901-1970) for his exceptional contribution to the struggle against colonialism and the founding of the non-aligned movement In September 2005 the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo, GOLD was bestowed posthumously to Sheikh Yusuf (1626-1699).
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The
chili red (red/orange), white and blue date back to the earliest
times of the country's flag history; while the green, black and
gold first made their appearance in South African national flags
during the 19th century. All six colours featured strongly in more
recent South African flags. As far as the colours of the new flag
are concerned, it should be borne in mind that individual colours,
or colour combinations can have widely differing meanings for different
people. For this reason, no universal symbolism should be attached
to any of these colours. They may be interpreted freely. 
In
accordance with South African Government Notice Number 425 dated
28 April 2000, the Bureau of Heraldry hereby gives notice in terms
of section 5(a) of the Heraldry Act, 1962 (Act No. 18 of 1962),
of the registration of the new national coat of arms of the Republic
of South Africa.
The
Giant King Protea is one of the most widespread of the Cape proteas,
occurring in many places in the south-western and southern parts
of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, from the Cedarberg to
just east of Grahamstown.
For
various reasons Podocarpus latifolius was a natural choice as the
national tree of South Africa. The Yellowwood Family is ancient
and was represented in this part of Africa more than 100 million
years ago. The species was the most important source of timber of
the early settlers at the Cape. Yellowwood was used for building,
furniture, wagons and in later years, railway sleepers. The pale
yellow timber is still considered to be one of the loveliest of
our indigenous furniture woods. 
This
large and elegant crane, standing about one metre in height, occurs
only in southern Africa (that is to say south of the Zambezi and
Cunene Rivers) and in the Etosha Pan region of Namibia where they
are usually found in flocks which mayat times number several hundred
individuals. 
Characteristic
of this species is the "pronk" (jumping display) which
gave rise to the common name. Both sexes have horns but those of
the ram are thicker and coarser than the ewes. It is a species adapted
to arid regions and plains and therefore found in the Free State,
the North West and Northern Province and throughout the Karoo to
the west coast.