Converging Colors: Frederick Brownell and the Flag That United a Nation
In the tapestry of South Africa's turbulent history, few symbols shine as brightly as its post-apartheid national flag—a vibrant convergence of green, red, blue, black, and gold that flutters as a beacon of unity and reconciliation. At the heart of this iconic design stands Frederick Gordon Brownell, the unassuming state herald whose hurried sketches in 1994 captured the essence of a nation's rebirth. Known affectionately as the "Father of the Flag," Brownell's creation not only flew over Nelson Mandela's inauguration but also became a global emblem of hope amid division. Though he passed away on May 10, 2019, at age 79 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his legacy endures in every flutter of the flag, reminding South Africans of their shared journey from apartheid's shadows to democracy's dawn.
Photograph of Fred Brownell by Flagmanbruce [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
From Humble Beginnings to Scholarly Pursuits
Frederick Brownell entered the world on March 8, 1940, in the dusty town of Bethlehem in South Africa's Orange Free State province—a region steeped in Boer heritage and rural simplicity. The son of a modest family, young Fred showed an early affinity for history and symbolism, influences that would later define his career. He matriculated from the prestigious St. Andrew's School in Bloemfontein in 1957, where the disciplined environment honed his attention to detail.
Military service followed, with voluntary stints at the Air Force Gymnasium alongside the 1 Motorboat Squadron for air-sea rescue operations—a brief but formative brush with national duty. Brownell then pursued higher education at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History and Social Anthropology in 1961. His passion for the past deepened through further studies at the University of South Africa (UNISA), where he obtained an Honours degree in history in 1965 and a Master of Arts with distinction in 1977 for his thesis on British immigration to South Africa post-World War II. Decades later, in 2015, he capped his academic journey with a PhD from the University of Pretoria, his dissertation a poignant reflection titled "Convergence and Unification: The National Flag of South Africa (1994) in Historical Perspective."
On a personal note, Brownell met his wife, Christine de Villiers, at Rhodes University. The couple married on September 29, 1962, in Pretoria and welcomed three daughters, including Claire, whose sharp insight would one day shape a national symbol. Their life together blended intellectual pursuits with quiet family joys, eventually leading to retirement in the serene Newlands Park community southeast of Pretoria.
A Career Forged in Symbols and Service
Brownell's professional path began far from the world of flags and heraldry. In 1962, he joined South Africa's Department of Immigration as an Administrative Officer, a role that took him abroad as Assistant Attaché and Consul at the South African Embassy in London from 1965 to 1969. There, amid the swinging '60s, he navigated diplomatic circles while deepening his fascination with cultural identities—a theme that echoed in his later work.
By 1977, a pivotal shift occurred when he entered the Department of National Education (later Arts, Culture, Science and Technology) as Assistant State Herald in the Bureau of Heraldry. Rising to State Herald in 1982, he held the position until his retirement in 2002, becoming a custodian of South Africa's visual heritage. Over two decades, Brownell designed countless coats of arms, badges, and flags for the newly formed provincial governments post-1994, while authoring influential works on military colors and vexillology—the scholarly study of flags. His publications, including the multi-volume "South African Military Colours – 1664 to 26 April 1994," cemented his status as a leading expert.
But it was his international contributions that truly elevated him. In 1990, as Namibia emerged from South African rule toward independence, Brownell crafted its national flag and coat of arms—a blue, white, red, and green banner symbolizing the sky, peace, the Namib Desert, and lush lands. This made him one of the rare figures to design flags for two nations, a feat he accomplished with the same meticulous care that defined his ethos.
The Frantic Birth of a Unifying Banner
The call that changed history came on a quiet Saturday night in late February 1994. With South Africa's first democratic elections looming on April 27, the old apartheid-era flag—its orange, white, and blue stripes a relic of division—had to be replaced. Over 7,000 public submissions flooded in, but none captured the spirit of unity demanded by the Transitional Executive Council. Desperate, officials turned to Brownell, then 54, with an impossible deadline: a new design in one week.
“It scared the living daylights out of me,” Brownell later recalled. Yet inspiration had struck months earlier, in August 1993, at an international flag conference in Zurich. Doodling on the back of a program during a dull speech, he sketched a three-pronged shape reminiscent of Anglican chasubles from his churchgoing youth. “My mind started wandering. And then it struck me—aren’t we looking for convergence and unification?” he said. The design evoked diverse streams merging into one, mirroring Mandela’s vision of a rainbow nation.
Back home, Brownell refined it: two green prongs (for the land) flanked a black triangle (representing Black South Africans), topped by a red horizontal band (for the blood of struggle, in a “chilli red” hue evoking coral trees and Zulu women’s hats) and a blue one below (for the sky and oceans). A golden Y-shaped pall connected them, drawing from ANC colors while avoiding colonial reds and whites. His daughter Claire, spotting a flaw in an early version, urged, “Dad, use your brain! People will stand that on its head and turn it into the nuclear peace sign. The middle leg must go.” Her tweak perfected the converging arms.
Presenting five options to President F.W. de Klerk’s cabinet, Brownell’s eyes noted their fixation on his creation. Cyril Ramaphosa, consulting Mandela via fax (hand-colored with stationery pencils), secured approval. On March 15, 1994, the design was unanimously adopted, proclaimed official on April 20—just seven days before the vote.
Production was chaos: South Africa could make only 5,000 flags weekly, but 100,000 were needed. Brownell coordinated frantic efforts, enlisting Dutch factories and even Japanese fabric imports. “Lots of us were going frantic,” he admitted, as manufacturers “screamed high and low.”
Symbolism That Binds a Divided Past
At its core, the flag is a heraldic “pall”—a Y-shape symbolizing convergence, with colors honoring the nation's mosaic: black for the people, green for the earth, gold for its mineral wealth, red for sacrifice, and blue for the seas and skies. Free of old imperial echoes, it stands neutral yet inclusive, a visual manifesto for reconciliation.
A Lasting Legacy Honored in Life and Death
Brownell’s flag debuted triumphantly at Mandela’s May 10, 1994, inauguration over Pretoria’s Union Buildings, where it waved amid cheers for a new era. Public embrace grew swiftly; as Brownell noted in 2014, “The level of acceptance exceeded my wildest expectations.” Every South African, he observed, “recognizes colors they hold dear.”
Honors followed: the Order for Meritorious Service from Mandela in 2000, the Southern Cross Medal & Bar, and dual Vexillon Awards in 1995 and 2015—the only recipient to win twice. Post-retirement, he lectured and wrote, ever the quiet patriot.
When pancreatic cancer struck in early 2019, Brownell faced it with grace, dying peacefully at home surrounded by family. Tributes poured in, from the Nelson Mandela Foundation praising his “consummate professionalism” to vexillologists worldwide mourning a giant. As South Africa marks the flag’s 30th anniversary in 2024, Brownell’s words resonate: “I feel happy to have contributed in some small way.”
In a land once torn by flags of exclusion, Frederick Brownell’s creation endures as a bridge—proof that one man’s vision, born of urgency and unity, can color a nation’s soul forever.
Written for Katapila Kakkun — celebrating South Africa’s legacy through design, culture, and vision.