The coat of arms of South Africa between 1910 and 2000 was granted to the Union of South Africa by King George V and later amended by the British College of Arms. It contained representation of the four provinces within the Union. The coat of arms was later retained by the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

for a period until the end of apartheid in 1994. The 1910 coat of arms was replaced in 2000 by a more Africanised coat of arms of South Africa.

Description

The coat of arms featured a shield quartered. In each quarter was a symbol of the four provinces of South Africa. An ox wagon representing Transvaal Province, a woman with an anchor representing Cape Province, two wildebeests representing

Natal Province The Province of Natal (), commonly called Natal, was a province of South Africa from May 1910 until May 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. During this period rural areas inhabited by the black African population of Natal were organized into ...

and an orange tree representing the

Orange Free State Province The Province of the Orange Free State ( af, Provinsie Oranje-Vrystaat), commonly referred to as the Orange Free State ( af, Oranje-Vrystaat), Free State ( af, Vrystaat) or by its abbreviation OFS, was one of the four provinces of South Africa from ...

. The crest of the arms featured a lion holding four bound sticks. The

supporter In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. However, unlike the coro ...

s were a springbok and a

gemsbok The gemsbok or South African oryx (''Oryx gazella'') is a large antelope in the genus ''Oryx''. It is native to the extremely dry, arid regions of Southern Africa; notably, the Kalahari Desert. Some authorities formerly classified the East Afric ...

. Below the arms was the Latin motto, '' Ex Unitate Vires'' (translated as "Union Is Strength" but from 1961, translated as "Unity Is Strength"). The blazon (formal description of the arms in heraldic terms) is: "''Quarterly per fesse wavy First Quarter Gules a female figure representing Hope resting the dexter arm upon a rock and supporting with the sinister hand an Anchor Argent Second Quarter Or two Wildebeesten in full course at random both proper Third Quarter Or upon an island an Orange tree Vert fructed proper Fourth Quarter Vert a Trek Waggon Argent And for the Crest On a Wreath of the Colours A Lion passant guardant Gules supporting with the dexter paw four staves erect alternately Argent and Azure and branded Or And for the Supporters, On the dexter side A Spring Buck and on the sinister side An Oryx (Gemsbuck) both proper together with the motto EX UNITATE VIRES''."

History

Coat of arms of South Africa (1930–1932)

When Cape Colony, Transvaal Colony, Natal Colony, and the Orange River Colony joined together as the Union of South Africa, it was determined that as a dominion within the British Empire, South Africa should have its own symbol. In 1910, King George V issued a

royal warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

for a coat of arms for the Union of South Africa. The arms were then used to create the

South Africa Red Ensign The South African Red Ensign was used as the unofficial flag of the Union of South Africa between 1910 and 1928. The flag was a red ensign defaced with the Coat of arms of South Africa on a white disc. Creation When the Union of South Af ...

used unofficially as the national flag of South Africa until 1928, when the Oranje, Blanje, Blou was adopted. However, the South Africa Red Ensign continued to be used at sea as the

merchant ensign A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag ...

until 1951. In 1930, the London-based artist Kruger Gray designed an embellished version of the arms, which was officially adopted by the College of Arms in 1932. In 1961, following the declaration of the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act made no reference to changing the coat of arms, and therefore the 1910 grant was retained. The 1910 version used until 1930 continued to be used in some rank insignia of the South African Defence Force and its successor organisation the South African National Defence Force until 2002. The 1930 version was used on the insignia of the South African Police until the 1990s. During the apartheid era, a facsimile of the coat of arms was featured prominently on the back of the R20 denomination of the South African rand.

Replacement

Following the end of apartheid in the 1990s, the new Constitution of South Africa stated that the state coat of arms would remain the same despite the flag and national anthem changing. Nevertheless the arms were still viewed as outdated as they had been created by the white British and

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

minorities without input from the black majority. In 1999, the

Department of Arts and Culture The Department of Arts and Culture was until 2019 a department of the South African government. It was responsible for promoting, supporting, developing and protecting the arts, culture and heritage of South Africa. The heritage sites, museums and ...

held a contest to design a new coat of arms. In 2000, the coat of arms was replaced on Freedom Day. Despite the replacement, the old coat of arms was still used for some official purposes after 2000, such as on some military rank insignia until 2002 and on South African passports (which were still issued with the old coat of arms on the cover) until 2007. This was attributed to the government's desire to use up old stocks of passports before issuing ones with the new design.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat of arms of South Africa (1910-2000) Coats of arms with anchors Coats of arms with antelope Coats of arms with cattle Coats of arms with lions Coats of arms with trees South Africa National symbols of South Africa South African heraldry