The South African flag was adopted on April 27 1994 when majority rule was established in the country.
The "Rainbow Flag" is the only flag in the world with six colors and was designed by Frederick Gordon Brownell, the former South African State Herald, who also designed the flag of Namibia in 1990.
The "Y-shape" of the flag can be interpreted as the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity." There is no agreed interpretation as to the colors of the flag, though they do represent a synopsis of the country’s flag history. The blue, red and white colors were present in the flags of the Boer Republics, while the black, yellow and green appeared in the African National Congress (ANC) flag. Black and white could be said to symbolize the two peoples in South Africa, red the freedom struggle, green the fertility of the land, yellow the mineral wealth of the country and blue the African sky.
The six colors of the flag are chilli red, blue, green, white, black and yellow. The current South African flag replaced the old Prinsevlag flag, which had been adopted in 1928. The Prinsevlag had in turn replaced the British Red Ensign which was used between 1910-1928.
Flags of Competing Teams at World Cup 2026