Old flag still firmly in die-hards’ grasp
DEPUTY President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the apartheid-era South African flag to be relegated to history‚ but online platforms appear to present a lifeline for the defunct flag.
A variety of memorabilia containing the old flag can be bought from as little as R25.
The paraphernalia includes large and small versions of the flags‚ some referred to as “unused”.
Mugs and pins with the symbol are also available on retail sites like OLX and BidorBuy.
One BidorBuy seller has offered a “brand new” flag for R430.
“Brand new old South African flag. Condition is excellent . . . this flag has been in storage for many years and was never flown‚” the seller says.
Another person is selling a “huge” old SA flag for R3 900.
“Very nice‚ clean condition. This comes from a former prison guard at Glencoe prison [Natal] who took it down in 1994 [for obvious reasons]‚” the posting reads.
One person hopes to sell a large version of the flag for R6 500. The flag contains the signature of FW de Klerk‚ the posting says‚ and belonged to the seller’s grandfather.
Following this week’s Black Monday march against farm murders‚ some commentators have asked why some white South Africans have held onto the old flag more than 20 years into democracy.
Freedom Front Plus (FF+) member of parliament Pieter Groenewald argues that the flag is an integral part of South African history and that it is people’s constitutional right to associate with the flag.
Groenewald said the FF+ does not support the use of the old flag and the symbol is banned in all party activities.
He said he is aware that the old flag reminds many South Africans of the apartheid regime‚ adding that SA has other symbols that are a sad reminder of the past for other races.
“The Mkhonto weSizwe emblem is offensive to some people but yet we’ve seen certain individuals using it in public without any reprimand.
“It’s sad that some individuals are using symbolism to cause division and tension in the country‚” Groenewald said.
Human rights activist and managing director at Diversi-T‚ Terry Oakley-Smith‚ said the old flag should have been banned after 1994 and legal action taken against anyone found in possession of it.
Oakley-Smith said those who presently own this flag are still holding on to the ideals of the oppressive system.
“Oppression for a majority of black people. White people that don’t see anything wrong about apartheid are misguided by a sense of privilege their race has had over the years‚” Oakley-Smith said.
She said legal steps should be explored to remove the old flag completely.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane wrote on Twitter that the old flag was reminiscent of a brutal past and did not belong in the new South Africa.
PAC spokesman Kenneth Mokgatlhe said those who owned the old flag were a danger to society.
He said the legal system should tighten its grip on such individuals.