Last modified: 2006-08-12 by bruce berry
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image by Antonio Martins, 22 Jun 2000, after image sent by Bruce Berry, 04 May 2000
See also:With the re-organisation of local government in South Africa following the implementation of the Local Government Transition Act of 1993 and the amalgamation of previously racially segregated local government areas, the Johannesburg City Council was dissolved in December 1994 and the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council established. The new local authority adopted new symbols to replace those used by the former Johannesburg City Council.
The new arms of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council were registered
with the Bureau of Heraldry on 16 May 1997 and are described as:
ARMS:
Vert, a fret couped Or, the mascle voided Gules, between in chief and base
respectively four shield thongs Argent; behind the shield a spine erect
Or, plumed Sable.
SUPPORTERS: Two young lions Or, armed and langued Gules, each gorged of a beaded collar dancetty throughout Gules
and Azure, the triangles fimbriated Or.
SPECIAL COMPARTMENT: A ground, the
flanks Azure and the centre Sable, separated from one another by means
of narrow piles inverted, Argent.
MOTTO: UNITY IN DEVELOPMENT.
The new municipal flag of Greater Johannesburg comprises five vertical
stripes of blue, white, green, white and red. The new Metropolitan
Arms are displayed in the centre of the flag on the green panel in the
centre of a stylised yellow triangle on a white disc on a black background.
It is interesting to note the prominent use of the new South African national
colours in the flag that was taken into use during June 1997 (shown in
SAVA Newsletter 19/97).
Bruce Berry, 10 Apr 2000
image by Martin Grieve, 08 Apr 2005
The original flag design for Johannesburg consisted of the shield from the city arms with the gold stamps and bar but this design was not acceptable to the Heraldry Council. The shield of the Johannesburg arms was originally granted under Letters Patent from the College of Arms (London) in October 1907 and the full achievement in June 1939. The arms were registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry in November 1966 and are described as:The rejection of the original flag design was on the grounds that the lower part of the arms, i.e. the gold scroll and motto, were placed on the gold stripe of the flag while the upper part, i.e. the preponderantly green shield would have been upon the green stripe. Under these circumstances there would have been little colour contrast and such a flag "fails in its purpose". On the recommendation of the Heraldry Council a heraldic banner of the municipal arms was adopted as the flag for the city and later registered with the Bureau of Heraldry in January 1969.
On 27 October 1970 the Mayor of Johannesburg unveiled this new flag
for the city. The flag comprised a green field through the centre
of which was a horizontal gold stripe, above which were two gold stamps
and one gold stamp below, taken from the shield of the arms (as shown in
SAVA Journal 1/92).
Bruce Berry, 10 Apr 2000