South Africa’s 2:3 flag joins a black hoist triangle, a green horizontal Y, gold and white edgings, a chilli-red upper field, and a blue lower field.
Specification
Schedule 1 of the Constitution defines a rectangular flag one and a half times as long as it is wide. A green Y-shaped band begins at the upper and lower hoist corners and converges toward the center before continuing horizontally to the fly.
Display colors
HEX #007749 / asset screen valueHEX #E03C31 / asset screen valueHEX #001489 / asset screen valueHEX #FFB81C / asset screen valueConstruction notes
The green band is one fifth of the flag’s width and is edged in white against the red and blue fields. Its hoist arms are edged in gold against the black triangle. Each edging is one fifteenth of the flag’s width; the red and blue fields each occupy one third. Six separate fills are therefore structurally necessary even before any color values are chosen.
Historical record
State Herald Frederick Brownell designed the flag during South Africa’s transition to democracy. It was first used on 27 April 1994 and was retained in Schedule 1 of the 1996 Constitution.
Source trail
South African Government: Constitution, Schedule 1—National Flag ↗