In 1994, the Republic of South Africa was reconstituted as a democratic state, commonly referred to as "the new South Africa", and the ten "homelands" and the four provinces were reorganised into nine new provinces. Between 1994 and 2004, the official symbols of the "old" SA were scrapped and replaced by new ones which reflect the new era.

Republic of South Africa
Although the republic was re-divided into nine provinces, the 1910 national arms which alluded to the four original provinces continued to be used until 2000.

The new arms (BoH 2000) emphasise the country's African heritage, rather than the colonial past, the shield being derived from a San ("Bushman") rock painting: 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, within a narrow bordure of red ochre. A crossed assegai (spear) and knobkierie (war club) are placed above the shield to represent authority, and above them is the "crest" of a demi-secretary bird charged with a stylised protea flower and ensigned of sun rays. Instead of supporters, the shield is flanked by ears of wheat and elephant tusks.

Provinces
Each of the nine provincial governments has adopted its own arms. All have supporters and special compartments, and instead of helmets and crests they are ensigned of coronets or other symbols.

The arms of the Eastern Cape (BoH 1996) display the aloe which is widely used as a symbol of this coastal region: Argent, between flanches Gules, in base bars gemelles wavy Azure and in chief a tree-aloe issuant Vert with three racemes Gules. Flanches are fairly rare in South African arms.

The arms of the Free State (formerly Orange Free State) avoid the Boer and British imperial symbolism of the province's earlier arms: Per chevron inverted Or and Vert, the head of an Orange River lily with three blossoms and four buds slipped proper, and a chief dancetty the peaks terminating in merlons Azure (BoH 1999).

Those of Gauteng (BoH 1996) allude to the province's mining industries: Azure, a pick erect Or accompanied on either side by four shield thongs in pale Argent. The thongs which form part of an African oxhide shield are here used as charges.

The "star of Natal", the snow-capped Drakensberg mountains, the provincial flower, and dovetails to symbolise the interlinking and interdependence of the people all appear in the arms of KwaZulu-Natal (BoH 2004): Argent, a fess dancetty Vert, in base within a bordure dovetailed of the last a Strelitzia flower proper; on a chief dancetty Azure filleted of the first, a mullet Argent.

Limpopo, formerly Northern Province, has the simplest arms (BoH 1997): Or, a baobab tree and a chief wavy Vert. The baobab holds a special place in African culture. The wavy line represents the Limpopo River which forms South Africa's northern border. Green was the colour of the old Transvaal province, of which Limpopo was part until 1994.

Green also appears in the arms of Mpumalanga, formerly Eastern Transvaal, which represent the terrain sloping from the Lowveld to the Highveld: Per bend sinister inclined in the flanks per fess Or and Vert, surmounting the partition a bend sinister per bend sinister, all similarly inclined, Azure and Argent, in dexter chief a Barberton daisy gules seeded Or (BoH 1996).

The North West Province arms (BoH 1999) include the colours of Bophuthatswana, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Transvaal, all of which contributed territory to make up the new province: Per saltire Gules and Azure, a saltire quadrate Vert fimbriated Argent charged in the centre with a representation of a calabash water container within a leather thong cradle Or.

Presumably the lozenge in the Northern Cape's arms (BoH 1997) symbolise diamond-mining, and the wavy bars represent the Orange River: Per fess Gules and Azure, a lozenge Argent charged with a thorn tree proper, in base two barrulets wavy counterchanged and in chief two daisies Or.

The arms of the Western Cape (BoH 1998) are: Argent, on a pile embowed inverted throughout Azure, a Khoi clay pot with a conical base and two horizontally pierced lugs Or, between in chief dexter an anchor Gules and sinister a bunch of grapes slipped and leaved proper. Blue and white are the traditional Western Cape colours, the anchor symbolises Hope, grapes represent agriculture and winemaking, and the clay pot honours the original inhabitants, the Khoisan.

References/Sources/Links

South African Heraldry Website © Arthur Radburn