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Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

by Mark Sensen

Mpumalanga - introduction
Mpumalanga - flag description
Coat of Arms of Mpumalanga
Local Flag descriptions

See also:

Mpumalanga - introduction

Mpumalanga is located in north-east South Africa, re-organized from the southeastern Transvaal. Its northwestern border with Northern Province is largely defined by the borders of the former bantustans of Bophuthatswana, KwaNdebele, Lebowa and Gazankulu. It borders KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, Northern Province, Mozambique and Swaziland.
Includes the former homelands of KwaNdebele and KaNgwane and part of Bophuthatswana and Lebowa.
Antonio Martins, 30 May 1999

Eastern Transvaal was last month renamed Mpumalanga (Where the sun rises).
Bruce Berry, 15 Sep 1995

Mpumalanga - flag description

The first of the new South African provinces to adopt a provincial flag is Mpumalanga (formerly Eastern Transvaal). According to the Government Gazette of 23 February 1996, the new provincial flag is descibed as follows:

A rectangular flag in the proportion of 2:3, divided horizontally from the hoist, 3/10 of the distance from the lower edge to where it intersects a diagonal line drawn from the lower hoist corner to the upper flag corner, it follows that line upto 3/10 the distance from the upper edge, from where it inclines horizontally to the fly, yellow above green; adjoining the central partition line, a blue upper and white lower stripe respectively, each 1/10 the width of the flag and in the upper hoist a red Barberton daisy, in diameter one half the width of the flag, its petals equidistant from the upper edge, hoist and blue stripe respectively, with a yellow heart, in diametre 1/10 the width of the flag.

In short - a red Barberton daisy in the canton on a yellow background, under which are two small blue and white stripes starting below the the daisy and then bending (inclining) diagonally upwards before straightening horizontally to the fly edge of the flag. The lower half of the fly side of the flag is green. The diagonal is meant to represent the escarpment which is the main topographical feature of the province. The Barberton daisy is indigenous to the area.
An illustration of the flag and new Arms of the province is shown in the SAVA Newsletter (April 1996).
Bruce Berry, 3 Jun 1996

Coat of Arms of Mpumalanga

image from this site, reported by JJ Andersson, 5 May 2002

ARMS: 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; the shield ensigned of a coronet comprising a circlet Or jewelled of lozenges Sable and heightened of four rays alternating with as many Barberton daisies, Or.
SUPPORTERS: Two kudu proper.
MOTTO: OMNIA LABOR VINCIT
Registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 25 March 1996.
JJ Andersson, 5 May 2002

Local Flag descriptions

Ermelo transitional local council (TLC) has a municipal flag registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 26 Jun 1998 which is described as:
A rectangular flag, proportion 2:3, divided horizontally into two equal bands of yellow and green; over the partition line nine lozenges conjoined per fess black and white, and charged on the yellow band, one third of the distance from the hoist, with a black phoenix rising from red flames.

Ermelo Town Council (previous flag) was registered on 3 Sep 1969 and described as:
Three horizontal stripes, green, white and red, the white charged with the shield of the Ermelo municipal arms (to wit: Per pale, dexter Or, a mining headgear Sable; sinister Vert, a sheep-shear and spade in saltire, handles upwards, Argent; on a chief Gules a phoenix on a nest enflamed, Or. Motto: STABILITER PROGREDIENS).

Piet Retief municipality has a municipal flag registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 6 Jan 1972 described as:
Palewise, red, white and green, the white charged with the shield from the municipal arms.

Evander municipality has a municipal flag registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 20 Jun 1980 with the following description:
A rectangular flag, proportion three by two tierced horizontally, red, checky yellow and green, and red, on each red stripe, a yellow star, from the hoist a triangle of yellow, extending one third of the length of the flag, charged with a red pick and shovel in saltire, handles downwards.

Machadadorp municipality has a municipal flag registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 12 Oct 1984 with the following description:
A rectangular flag, proportions three by two, consisting of three horizontal bands of equal width, blue, white and blue, on the white four pallets couped surmounted by two barrulets, all black; in the hoist, on a green trapezium fimbriated white, an ox-wagon also white.

Belfast Town Council has a municipal flag registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 27 Feb 1995 with the following description:
A regtangular flag per Scandinavian cross, with proportion 2:3, consisting of a hoist third in green and yellow, charged with two yellow ram's heads caboshed in pale and a red tower respectively, the fly in yellow and red, charged with a tower and two fir trees in fess, counterchanged, respectively.
Source: Data of the Bureau of Heraldry on registered heraldic representations.
Mark Sensen, 19 May 2002

Illustrations of the above flags, with the exceptions of Ermelo TLC and Belfast Town Council, can be seen in SAVA Journal 1/92 (ed).