 The flag of South Africa between 1928 and 1994 was the flag of the Union of South Africa and its successor state , the Republic of South Africa , as well as the former territory of South @-@ West Africa ( Namibia ) . Based on the Dutch Prince 's Flag , it contained the flag of the United Kingdom , the flag of the Orange Free State and the flag of the South African Republic in the centre . It was nicknamed Oranje , Blanje , Blou ( Afrikaans : ' orange , white , blue ' ) . It was adopted in 1928 by an act of Parliament from the first Afrikaner majority government and was replaced by the current flag of South Africa in 1994 with the commencement of the republic 's transitional constitution and end of apartheid . The flag has been a centre of controversy , with some people viewing it as a symbol of history and Afrikaner heritage while others view it as a symbol of apartheid and of white supremacy . 
