Last modified: 2005-02-06 by bruce berry
Keywords: south africa | homeland | transkei |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
Transkei is quite a large territory in easternmost Cape Province
(today's Eastern Cape), with a larger main part
protuding slightly into Natal and bordering Lesotho,
Natal and KwaZulu, and two smaller enclaves -- one in Natal, bordering
KwaZulu, and another in the Cape Province, bordering Lesotho and Orange
Free State.
Antonio Martins, 30 May 1999
The Great Kei River formed the eastern boundary of the Cape Province, north of which was the traditional territory of the Xhosa tribe. The United Transkeian Territories General Council was established in 1930 and was succeeded by a territorial authority in 1956. Transkei was the first homeland to achieve internal self-government in 1963 and followed by full "independence" on 26 October 1976.
Transkei's Coat of Arms can be seen on Mike
Oettle's pages. (ed.)
The adoption of this flag was not without opposition and The Flag
Bulletin,
XV, 5, September/October 1976, gives an interesting account of the debate.
For the independence ceremonies held on 26 October 1976, special flags
in the national colours were hoisted. These had the Transkei Arms in the
centre of a plain field - in white on green and orche bunting and in green
on white bunting. These did not replace the flag in any way. Transkei was
re-incorporated into South Africa on 27 April 1994 and is now part of the
Eastern Cape province. Since then the flag is no longer in official use.
Bruce Berry, 1 December 1998
I noticed that you wrote "no longer in official use" (while other
homeland flags are simply no more in use). Is it just for a change, or
do you mean that the flag still has some kind of representativity? I had
a feeling that Transkei was more individualized and "real" than most other
homelands (especially after former dictator Kaiser Matanzima, if I remember
his name correctly, turned his back to South African officials after a
disagreement on boundary matters...).
Than Tam Le, 1 December 1998