New Republic, 1884

On 5 August 1884, the Boers proclaimed the “Nieuwe Republiek” (‘New Republic’) in western Zululand, on land given by the Zulu king Dinizulu kaCetshwayo in return for help given to defeat his rival, Chief Zibhebu. It adopted a coat of arms consisting of an ornamental shield displaying various Boer symbols and a Zulu shield. It was surmounted by a sun, had two crossed spears behind it, and a National flag draped on each side. A scroll displayed, in Dutch, “EENDRACHT, RECHTVAARDIGHEID EN LIEFDE” (‘Unity, Justice and Love’). When Dinizulu, after his revolt against British annexation, was defeated, the New Republic requested to be incorporated into the Transvaal Republic on 20 July 1888. It enjoyed autonomy, but after the Second Boer War, the area was again transferred to the British Colony of Natal in 1903.