By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has ordered a formal investigation into the alleged unauthorised use of South Africa’s Coat of Arms by the Somali Association of South Africa.
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The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture said on Monday that the association appeared to have incorporated the Coat of Arms, or a reproduction of it, into its organisational logo and branding materials.
McKenzie said the use, manufacture or reproduction of a state heraldic representation without the written authority of the State Herald was prohibited under South Africa’s heraldry laws.
“The South African Coat of Arms is one of our country’s most sacred national symbols,” McKenzie said.
“It embodies the sovereignty, heritage, and constitutional values of our democracy. Its use is strictly governed by the Heraldry Act 18 of 1962.”
South Africa’s Coat of Arms was launched on Freedom Day, 27 April 2000, reflecting government’s aim to highlight the country’s democratic change and a new sense of patriotism.
The motto on the Coat of Arms is written as !ke e: /xarra //ke, in the Khoisan language of the /Xam people, and literally means diverse people unite.
“It addresses each individual effort to harness the unity between thought and action. On a collective scale it calls for the nation to unite in a common sense of belonging and national pride – unity in diversity,” the department said.
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McKenzie said that he had formally referred the matter to the State Herald of the Bureau of Heraldry, Thembinkosi Mabaso, with instructions to conduct a formal investigation into whether the logo and branding materials of the Somali Association of South Africa constitute a contravention of the Heraldry Act.
He also instructed the Bureau to issue the appropriate compliance notice requiring the immediate cessation of any unauthorised use if a contravention is found, and to apply the full range of sanctions available under the Act should the association fail to comply.
“The Bureau of Heraldry has been requested to report its findings to my office within ten working days,” he said.
“The integrity of South Africa’s national symbols is non-negotiable. The Coat of Arms is not a decorative element available for adoption by any organisation that finds it convenient.”
McKenzie said the department would act decisively wherever the law had been contravened, adding that the matter would be dealt with as a precedent for how such cases are handled going forward.
“The department will provide a further update once the Bureau of Heraldry has completed its assessment,” he said.
