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In 1991, I was tending bar at an establishment frequented by military men of the old South African Defence Force (SADF). This was a time of sweeping change in the country and as a young man, just out of school preparing for adulthood in a country that was no longer a pariah, excited me.
The unbanning of the ANC, the release of Nelson Mandela, and the promise of a return to international sport, among many other changes, meant hope for the country. Hope for young people such as me, and hope for so many others, who never had it.
On this night, two officers – one a huge captain, at least two metres tall – and the other a short, stocky lieutenant, were in discussion about the future of the country.
I didn’t understand it then, but as permanent force members of the SADF, they were probably frightened of what the future held.
At this stage in the discourse of the country, there were reports of changing the name from South Africa to Azania and changing the flag. As we know now, the name never changed but the flag did. And it was the hot topic of discussion at the bar that night.
The short officer was red and fuming. In Afrikaans, he declared that “the day that this country becomes Azania, and the day they change the flag, is the day I fight until the bitter end”. It was quite extreme stuff.
The response of the hulking captain, who I can only presume, was raised in a similarly conservative community as the lieutenant, has always stayed with me.
“Ag, f**k man, it’s just a f***ing name, and it’s just some colours on a piece of material, it’s not worth dying over,” was his comeback in Afrikaans. It silenced the puce lieutenant as he mulled this idea.
And that’s the thing with nationalistic symbols – some are willing to die for them, and some see them as nothing more than an abstract idea, not worth getting too worked up over, one way or the other.
Riled up
Which brings me to the DA’s “flag burning” advert this week. It’s got the country talking – mostly by those riled up about it, while many have also defended it.
I’ve always been wary of nationalistic symbols because they can be manipulated by self-serving politicians for power in strategic moments. A bit like the DA just did.
But as a sports journalist, and as someone who was afforded a career covering local and international sport because of the changes this country went through after its painful history, my association with the SA flag is intertwined with success and triumph.
Wing Cheslin Kolbe proudly draped the South Africa flag over his shoulders during celebrations after the Boks won RWC 2023 in Paris. (Photo: Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
Cheslin Kolbe and Bongi Mbonambi draped in the South Africa flag, doing a lap of honour at the Stade de France after the Boks won Rugby World Cup 2023, is an abiding image of the tournament.
Images of Josia Thugwane, Chad le Clos, Roland, Ryk, Darian and Lyndon, and Tatjana Schoenmaker (now Smith) and Natalie du Toit, among others, standing proudly under the flag after winning Olympic or Paralympic gold medals never fail to move me.
Josia Thugwane (R) flies the SA flag high after winning the Marathon at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. (Photo: Mike Powell /Allsport)
TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 23: Flag bearers Phumelela Luphumlo Mbande and Chad Le Clos of Team South Africa lead their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Siya Kolisi cheers fans who came to catch a glimpse of the Springboks during the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour in Johannesburg on 2 November 2023. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
Siya Kolisi holding the trophy at O.R. Tambo International Airport in October 2023. The Springboks beat New Zealand in the final winning their 4th Rugby World Cup. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
Pretoria, SOUTH AFRICA – NOVEMBER 02: Siya Kolisi during the Rugby World Cup 2023 Springbok Trophy Tour in on November 02, 2023 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)
Literally hundreds of moments of sporting excellence accompanied by the rainbow flag over the past 30 years have epitomised the best of the country.
“Burning” that emblem is, to my mind, not the best way to get a point across about state failure, because I associate and attach success and unity to the sight of the flag, rather than hate and corruption.
The collapse of South Africa’s parastatals, the freefalling economy, the rising crime and the increasing sense of desperation and hopelessness of so many are symptoms of a failing state.
But the flag, especially in a sporting context, presents the exact opposite image. It’s a symbol of courage, determination, skill and good old South African grit.
Unites us
Many of us might not be proud of what’s happened and is happening in the country, but the flag is the thing that unites us. It certainly does not divide us.
When national teams play, the stadiums are awash with the colours of the rainbow nation.
That doesn’t mean people are oblivious to the problems in the country, because they aren’t. But we are all united in this struggle of being South African under one flag. It binds us.
With the help of animation technology, symbolically “burning” the flag just sits uncomfortably.
Much is failing in the country and the DA, or any other political party should point it out and strive to be better. The DA does a good job in the Western Cape, even an excellent job by comparison with the rest of the country.
But the Western Cape also happens to be a part of the country that falls under the flag they “burned” for dramatic and shock effect.
The flag is the one thing that evokes positive images of South Africa, mostly, but not exclusively linked to the excellence of sporting success in a country that routinely punches above its weight on fields and arenas globally.
The flag might “only” be an emblem, but in 30 years, it’s been a symbol of far more good news in the country, than bad. That, to me, is the point that was missed. DM
