 Heraldry was introduced into the region by the Dutch, when they founded the first European colony, at the Cape of Good Hope, in 1652.Under Roman-Dutch law, everyone had the right to assume and bear arms, and many settlers bore personal arms, some of which are still borne by their descendants today.The official arms of the Netherlands, and those of the Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie, which ran the colony, were also used.