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Afrikaner People's Front (South Africa)

Afrikaner Volksfront (AVF)

Last modified: 2015-05-26 by bruce berry
Keywords: boer | vryheidsvlag | vierkleur | south africa | politics |
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  image by Antonio Martins, 02 Mar 1999

See also:


Afrikaner Volksfront / Afrikaner People's Front

In South Africa there is a political movement (or party) called the "Afrikaner Volksfront" (Popular Front), which aims to set up an independent Boer state. They use a flag very similar to the Transvaal "Vierkleur", but the red stripe is replaced with an orange one. This flag is called "Vryheidsvlag" (freedom flag).

The "Volksrepubliek Werkgroep" (People's Republic working group) made a proposal for a constitution of this imagined state. In article 19.16.3 it is written:
Today's freedom flag (green and orange, white, blue) must be used by the Afrikaner.
I was have also been asked who used the flag with "a yellow, maybe orange, stripe"? 
So it seems that there are two flags: an older one with a yellow and a newer one with an orange stripe. Or maybe the orange is because of the former South African national flag?
Carsten Linke, 13 June 1996

As far as I am aware this is new, although the design has been popular amongst independent-minded Afrikaners for a good while now. The "As far as I am aware this is new, although the design has been popular amongst independent-minded Afrikanersbfor a good while now.  The "Vryheidsvlag" mentioned has been registered with the SA Bureau of Heraldry by the Afrikaner Volksfront as indicated in SAVA Newsletter (14/95 of December 1995).
Bruce Berry,  14 Jun 1996

The Transvaal flag (or Vierkleur) is used by the Afrikaner Volksfront (Afrikaner People's Movement, AVF) as their Vryheidsflag (Freedom's flag), with an orange stripe replacing the red one.
Filip Van Laenen,, 3 Oct 1996

The "vierkleur" (four colour) design has also been adopted by the Boerestaatparty - another Afrikaner organisation seeking an independent "volkstaat" - with the vertical stripe in green and the horizontal stripes, black, white and blue.
Bruce Berry, 14 June 1996

The vierkleur in different coloured variations seems to be indeed a very popular symbol of Boer movements. There are not many national flags of this type in the world - I can think only that of the United Arab Emiratess.
Carsten Linke, 14 June 1996

Last night on ABCTV news there was a report on a new attempt by South African Boers to set up their own homeland (they're seeking $20m from the UK - as compensation for the Boer War - to fund the project). A flag was briefly shown - I only caught a glimpse - a red, white and blue horizontal tricolour; with a vertical green stripe occupying the hoist.
David Cohen, 17 Oct 1997

I'm not a 100% sure, but I believe you might have the proportions of the Vierkleur and the Vryheidsvlag wrong. Although many people like to give the vertical bar the same width as that of the horizontal bars, I believe - in the case of the Vryheidsvlag anyway because I bought one from Orania) the correct proportions of the vertical bar is one third the (horizontal) length of the flag, i.e. the same proportion as the width of a bar in a vertical tricolour flag.
Hanno den Boer, 13 Mar 2002
 
The flag of the Afrikaner Volksfront was registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 31 October 1995 and is described as being:
"A rectangular flag, proportion 2:3, consisting of three horizontal stripes of equal width, from  top to bottom, orange, white and blue, and at the hoist a vertical green stripe one and one quarter the width of each of the other three stripes".
Source: Data of the Bureau of Heraldry on registered heraldic representations.
Mark Sensen, 19 May 2002

A flag for the Vrye Republikeinse Beweging (Free Republican Movement, formerly Afrikaner Volksfront) was has also been registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 16 May 1997 and is described as:
"A rectangular flag, proportion 2:3, consisting of three horizontal stripes of equal width, from top to bottom, orange, white and blue, and at the hoist a vertical green stripe one and one quarter the width of each of the other three stripes".
Source: Data of the Bureau of Heraldry on registered heraldic representations.
Mark Sensen, 19 May 2002

I have just visited your web site and would like to correct some of the false statements regarding the "Vryheidsvlag".  I am a founder member of both the Afrikaner Volksfront and the Vryheidsfront and so can speak with some degree of authority.

1) As far as I am aware, the flag you describe was never the flag of the Afrikaner Volksfront. The AVF used the Transvaal or Free State Vierkleur flags, depending upon in which province they were flown.
2) The translation of Afrikaner Volksfront as "Afrikaner Popular Front" is incorrect. The correct translation is "Afrikaner People's Front".
3) The origin of the flag you show is from the period of the Anglo-Boer War (or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog - Second Freedom War to many Afrikaners). When the forces of the two sovereign republics (Transvaal and Orange Free State) fought together, they used this flag.  The orange stripe on top represents the Orange Free State and replaces the red stripe of the Transvaal and is called the Strydvlag (Struggle Flag). This flag was known as the Strydvlag until some time after the foundation of the Vryheidsfront/Freedom Front.  The party changed the flag's name to tie in with that of the party. 
4) The Afrikaner Volksfront dissolved soon after the 1994 general election in South Africa.
Jon Phillips, 27 Aug 2003