Minister Nathi Mthethwa on passing on of South African post-democracy flag designer, Mr Fred Brownell
12 May 2019
Minister Nathi Mthethwa is distraught to learn of the passing of a true South African hero whose name is etched in the history of post-democratic South Africa- Mr Fred Brownell. Mr Brownell passed away at age 79 at his home in Pretoria in Gauteng on Friday night. The name of “Fred Brownell” is one that is synonymous with the journey taken by this fledgling democracy in the role he played in designing and producing the flag of post-democratic South Africa.
In February 1990, Fred Brownell, then the “State Herald” of the Republic of South Africa (now known as the “Bureau of Heraldry” of the Department of Arts and Culture), was lending his expert input to the about-to-be new nation of Namibia with the design of its national symbols. The Rivonia Trialists and South African political prisoners had been freed from Robben Island over the preceding months, and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela freed that month. South Africa’s liberation movements were also unbanned that month, and Mr Brownell detected that freedom was imminent for his own country too. It was then, that history recalls, Mr Brownell started mulling what the new flag of South Africa - once it attained its own liberation and democracy status- would look like. It is said that for three years thereafter, Mr Brownell sought a theme for a new South African flag. He selected and de-selected half the colours in the kaleidoscope and wrestled with one design after another.
Historians recall how in February 1994 the negotiators of what was then the “Transitional Executive Council” (TEC) finally mulled his flag design. At the time, the members of the TEC knew when the flag was going to fly: 27 April. However, they did not know what flag would fly. A technical committee was appointed with Mr Fred Brownell as Convenor. It had a simple brief, to “find a flag, within a week”. The committee met in Cape Town on the 28th of February 1994. The feeling then was that with the new flag… “…unity, interlinking or convergence should be the theme”. Input came from several quarters.
The TEC meeting was held Pretoria. Mr Brownell arrived to the meeting early and gave the flag, a full-size version, to Mr Roelf Meyer, the then government’s chief negotiator. Mr Meyer gave the design to his then African National Congress (ANC) counterpart (and now President of the Republic of South Africa), Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, and asked Mr Brownell to wait around in case there were any questions.