Last modified: 2005-07-02 by bruce berry
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by Antonio Martins, 2 Mar 1999
In South Africa there is a political movement (or party) called the "Afrikaner Volksfront" (Popular Front), which aims to set up an independent Boer state. They use a flag very similar to the Transvaal "Vierkleur", but the red stripe is replaced with an orange one. This flag is called "Vryheidsvlag" (freedom flag).
The "Volksrepubliek
Werkgroep" (People's republic working group) made a proposal for a constitution of
this imagined state. In article 19.16.3 it is written:
Today's freedom flag (green and orange, white, blue) must be used
by the Afrikaner.
I was have also been asked who used
the flag with "a yellow, maybe orange, stripe"?
So it seems that there
are two flags: an older one with a yellow and a newer one with an orange
stripe. Or maybe the orange is because of the former South African national flag?
Carsten Linke, 13 June 1996
As far as I am aware this is new, although the design has been popular
amongst independent-minded Afrikaners for a good while now. The "Vryheidsvlag"
mentioned has been registered with the SA Bureau of Heraldry by the Afrikaner
Volksfront as indicated in SAVA Newsletter 14/95 of December 1995.
Bruce Berry, 14 Jun 1996
Transvaal flag (or Vierkleur) is used by the Afrikaner Volksfront
(Afrikaner People's Movement, AVF) as their
Vryheidsflag (Freedom's
flag), with an orange stripe replacing the red one.
Filip Van Laenen, 3 Oct 1996
The "vierkleur" (four colour) design has also been adopted by the Boerestaatparty
- another Afrikaner organisation seeking an independent "volkstaat" - with
the vertical stripe in green and the horizontal stripes, black, white and
blue.
Bruce Berry, 14 June 1996
The vierkleur in different coloured variations seems to be indeed
a very popular symbol of Boer movements. There are not many national
flags of this type in the world - I can think only that of the United Arab
Emirates.
Carsten Linke, 14 June 1996
Last night on ABCTV news there was a report on a new attempt by South
African Boers to set up their own homeland (they're seeking $20m from the
UK - as compensation for the Boer War - to fund the project). A flag was
briefly shown - I only caught a glimpse - a red, white and blue horizontal
tricolour; with a vertical green stripe occupying the hoist.
David Cohen, 17 Oct 1997
I'm not a 100% sure, but I believe you might have the proportions of the Vierkleur and the Vryheidsvlag wrong. Although many people like to give the vertical bar the same widt