Arms of the Presidents of South Africa
Posted: 20 Sep 2012, 13:16
Well; we hear about Royal heraldry all the time; but what about the heads of state of countries that are not monarchies?
A perusal over the database of the South African Bureau of Heraldry shows that the first Presidents of South Africa-Swart, Fouche, Diedrichs, Vorster, and Viljoen did not register arms with the Bureau.
However President Botha registered arms with the Bureau of Heraldry, namely; Argent a Seventeenth Century three master Sailing Ship, pennants flotant Gules, the masthead pennant tierc ed Orange, White and Blue, the Mainsail charged with a Maltese Cross Or, a Chief Nowy Gably Azure. The crest was: On a grassy Mount Or, in front of a Ship's wheel Gules, a Sword erect Or, hil ted and pomelled Azure. The motto was: WAAGMOED EN GELOOF.
His successor, President de Klerk, registered these arms with the Bureau: Azure a Fess the upper ed edge per chevron embowed and the lower edge embowed Or issuant from the peak a Protea Flower also Or, seeded and leaved Argent, in base a Hugenot Cross of the last. The crest was: On a mount Gules, in front of the Upper part of a Ship's Wheel Azure, a Quill erect with a demi-fleur ce,de lys issuant Argent, penned Gules. The motto is: SOLI DEO GLORIA.
President Mandela; whilst not as far as I know having registered arms with the Bureau, adopted arms upon being made a Knight of the Swedish Order of the Seraphim, namely: tierced per pall sable, azure and Gules, a pall Vert fimbriated in chief Or and dexter and sinister Argent. That is, the Flag of South Africa borne on a shield. He has adopted as a motto: !KE XARRA KE; the same as the Republic of South Africa itself, and also uses these arms as a Knight of the Danish Order of the Elephant.
As far as I can tell, no subsequent Presidents have registered or adopted arms, which I must say is a pity IMHO.
A perusal over the database of the South African Bureau of Heraldry shows that the first Presidents of South Africa-Swart, Fouche, Diedrichs, Vorster, and Viljoen did not register arms with the Bureau.
However President Botha registered arms with the Bureau of Heraldry, namely; Argent a Seventeenth Century three master Sailing Ship, pennants flotant Gules, the masthead pennant tierc ed Orange, White and Blue, the Mainsail charged with a Maltese Cross Or, a Chief Nowy Gably Azure. The crest was: On a grassy Mount Or, in front of a Ship's wheel Gules, a Sword erect Or, hil ted and pomelled Azure. The motto was: WAAGMOED EN GELOOF.
His successor, President de Klerk, registered these arms with the Bureau: Azure a Fess the upper ed edge per chevron embowed and the lower edge embowed Or issuant from the peak a Protea Flower also Or, seeded and leaved Argent, in base a Hugenot Cross of the last. The crest was: On a mount Gules, in front of the Upper part of a Ship's Wheel Azure, a Quill erect with a demi-fleur ce,de lys issuant Argent, penned Gules. The motto is: SOLI DEO GLORIA.
President Mandela; whilst not as far as I know having registered arms with the Bureau, adopted arms upon being made a Knight of the Swedish Order of the Seraphim, namely: tierced per pall sable, azure and Gules, a pall Vert fimbriated in chief Or and dexter and sinister Argent. That is, the Flag of South Africa borne on a shield. He has adopted as a motto: !KE XARRA KE; the same as the Republic of South Africa itself, and also uses these arms as a Knight of the Danish Order of the Elephant.
As far as I can tell, no subsequent Presidents have registered or adopted arms, which I must say is a pity IMHO.