S

SCHOOLS
Hundreds of schools have registered arms at the BoH since 1963. The Bureau encourages simple designs, with charges which allude to the schools themselves, rather than overworked educational symbols such as books, lamps, and torches. Example: the canting arms of Die Wilgers High School (BoH 1983) ("wilger" is Afrikaans for "willow tree"). See also: Special Schools.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Science and technology are represented by various charges, including: the atom, a Coolidge tube, the DNA double helix, the sine curve, a space satellite, and a tachymeter.

SEAL OF THE REPUBLIC (Afr: SEËL VAN DIE REPUBLIEK)
The official seal, used to authenticate the president's signature on state documents. Introduced in 1961, to replace the royal and governor-general's seals, it depicts the national arms within a circlet bearing the name of the country.

SECRETARY BIRD (Afr: SEKRETARISVOËL)
This bird* appears as a charge or as a supporter in several arms. A demi-secretary bird is the "crest" of the new national arms*, and is also used on naval ships' badges.

SERPENTINE (Afr: SLANGSNITSGEWYS)
A German line* adopted in 1981, and initially called "ondoyant". It is usually used on a partition* of the field, but is sometimes applied to ordinaries, e.g. the barrulet in the arms of the Mtubatuba Primary School (BoH 1999). The blazon needs to specify the direction of the curves.

SHIELD (Afr: WAPENSKILD)
The "heater"-shape shield has been the BoH's shield of choice since the 1960s. However, since 1972, traditional African shields have also been used, and their use has increased in recent years, with the development of a new generation of municipal* arms. There are four basic forms: (a) the oval Nguni shield (a.k.a. Xhosa shield or Zulu shield), (b) the Basotho shield, (c) the Swazi shield, and (d) the Tswana shield.

Many achievements, e.g. those of schools, and army units, consist only of shields.

SHIELD THONG (Afr: SKILDRIEM)
The leather thongs which are threaded through an African oxhide shield to secure it to an upright wooden staff are sometimes used as charges in arms depicted on such shields, e.g. Gauteng province (BoH 1996). In a few arms, they are depicted as part of the shield, without being mentioned in the blazon.

SOUTH AFRICA (1)
The arms granted by King George V to the Union of South Africa in 1910 became the arms of the Republic in 1961. They consisted of quarterings for the four provinces, with a wavy line to represent the Orange River. The crest was a lion* and the supporters were a springbok* and a gemsbok. The arms were discontinued in 2000, six years after the four provinces had ceased to exist.

The individual quarters depicted the figure of Hope for the Cape of Good Hope, two wildebeest* for Natal, an orange tree* for the Orange Free State, and an ox-wagon* for the Transvaal. In addition to the original 1910 artistic rendition, there was a 1930 drawing (the "ordinary arms") and a 1932 version (the "embellished arms").

SOUTH AFRICA (2)
The present national arms, adopted in 2000, depict stylised human figures derived from San rock art*. The crest is a demi-secretary bird* charged with a protea* flower, and instead of supporters, the arms are flanked by elephant tusks and ears of wheat.

According to the government's corporate identity manual, the president displays the arms inside a golden circlet inscribed the president • republic of south africa, the deputy president displays them with gold-foiled shield and secretary-bird wings, and ministers and deputy ministers have gold-foiled shields and wingtips.

SOUTH AFRICAN ARMORIAL (Afr: SUID-AFRIKAANSE WAPENBOEK)
The Bureau of Heraldry publishes the blazons of registered arms in volumes of 400 entries each. Eight volumes have been issued so far. Blazons up to the end of the year 2000 are also available online from the Bureau's database on the National Archives website.

SOUTH AFRICAN LION (Afr: SUID-AFRIKAANSE LEEU)
The crest of the 1910 national arms*, a red lion supporting four bound silver and blue staves representing the four united provinces, was occasionally used as a charge, e.g. in the arms of the Bureau of Heraldry. Until 2002, it was also the emblem of the navy*, in which context it was called the "navy lion". Variations were used as crests in government department* arms.

SPECIAL FORCES
The arms of the military Special Forces units all display a faceted compass rose*, together with a chief containing charges to identify the individual units, e.g. three daggers for 1 Reconnaissance Regiment (1970s). The original tinctures of SF arms were changed in 1995: the field from silver to maroon, the compass rose and chief from black to gold, and the charges on the chief to black.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS
The arms of a dozen schools for mentally handicapped children, registered between 1988 and 1994, are a uniform pattern, divided "per chevron the peak ensigned of a potent issuant"* with a suitable charge in the base of the shield, e.g. a cross fleuretty for the Luthando-Luvuyo Special School (BoH 1991).

SPORT
Many sports clubs and teams are armigerous (as distinct from having non-heraldic badges). Charges found in their arms include the protea flower* , sports equipment (e.g. golf clubs, a jukskei, rugby balls), and the springbok*. Some clubs' arms allude to their names rather than to their games, e.g. the skull and crossbones of Orlando Pirates Football Club (BoH 1973).

SPRINGBOK
SA's national animal made its heraldic début in the late 19th century, and has been used as a supporter, a crest and, less often, a charge, in many arms since then. Until 2000, a springbok head was the emblem of the SA Army*, and it was depicted on the arms of Army HQ.

STANDARD (Afr: STANDAARD)
Armorial standards seldom form part of SA achievements of arms, and most of those which have been registered at the BoH belong to non-resident foreign armigers. Most follow the English pattern, i.e. the arms in the hoist, and the fly in the principal colour of the shield, displaying three crests and/or badges separated by two bends bearing the motto. The standard is fringed in the principal colour and metal of the arms.

STAR OF NATAL
A five-pointed star is sometimes used as a symbol of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the allusion being to the star of the Nativity: Natal was named by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama on Christmas Day 1497. Example: the badge of the Durban Naval Dockyard.

STATE HERALD - see National Herald

STATE PRESIDENT
The Republic's head of state was called "state president" from 1961 to 1994, when the title was shortened to "president". From 1963 to 1969, he had the authority, under the Heraldry Act*, to grant arms to official bodies, which he did twice: to the State Archives and the Bureau of Heraldry* in 1965. His emblem of office was the "embellished version" of the national arms* ensigned with the letters SP.

STATUTORY BODIES
The arms of various statutory bodies, i.e. organisations established by Act of Parliament, which were registered between 1981 and 1998 all had a demi-lion as the basis of their crests. The reasoning seems to have been that as a state department's* arms had a whole lion in the crest, a semi-state organisation's should have a semi-lion!

STRELITZIA
The flower* symbol of KwaZulu-Natal appears on the recently-adopted provincial arms (BoH 2004) and in other arms in the province. One of the new national orders, the Order of Ikhamanga, has been named after the flower ("ikhamanga" being its Zulu name).

STRIKE CRAFT
The Navy*'s strike craft, which were named after defence ministers, had a badge depicting a ship in full sail. It was differenced for each ship by displaying on the sail a charge from the personal arms (or attributed arms) of the minister concerned, e.g. a trefoil for the SAS Jan Smuts.

SUBMARINES
The Navy*'s Daphne-class submarines, which were named after women, had a badge displaying a trident charged with the personal arms (or attributed arms) of her namesake on a lozenge. Example, the badge of the SAS Maria van Riebeeck.

SUPPORTERS (Afr: SKILDHOUERS)
Supporters are fairly rare (+ 10% of arms registered at the BoH), and are largely confined to traditional leaders, knights grand cross of orders of chivalry*, holders of foreign noble titles, national and provincial governments, district municipalities (and their predecessors, the regional services councils*), city and large town councils, and large organisations. Animals* and birds* are the most popular choices for supporters, and those of district municipalities and RSCs are/were always birds.

TABLE MOUNTAIN
Cape Town's flat-topped mountain, flanked by Devil's Peak and Lion's Head, appears as a charge in the arms of the army's former Western Province Command, several other military units, e.g. Western Province Command Signals Unit, and the badge of the navy supply ship SAS Tafelberg. In civilian heraldry, a special line* is used to suggest the mountain.

"TABLE MOUNTAIN" LINE
An original SA line*, introduced in 1992 and suggesting a stylised outline of Table Mountain*. It does not yet have a definitive name, and is blazoned as "in each flank a full and a half peak to base, the half-peaks against the respective edges of the shield". The line is usually applied to a chief e.g. in the arms of the Western Cape Local Government Association (BoH 1997).

TECHNICAL COLLEGES
The basic design for technical college arms, introduced in 1978, is a demi-cogwheel (often trefly) in base and a suitable charge in the chief, e.g. the alchemical symbol for iron for Vanderbijl-park Technical College (BoH 1984). Often, as in this example, the field is divided "per fess nowy to base".

TECHNIKONS
Most of these educational institutions were armigerous, and those which registered arms from 1985 onwards used a uniform pattern which was divided "per fess nowy of a trimount to base"* with a suitable charge in the chief, e.g. an aloe plant* for the Transkei Technikon (BoH 1992).

THORN TREE (Afr: DORINGBOOM)
This tree* appears in a number of municipal and institutional arms, particularly in the Northern Cape, where it has also been incorporated into the provincial arms (BoH 1997). It is also called a camel-thorn tree.

TINCTURES AND FURS (Afr: KLEURE EN PELSE)
SA heraldry employs the traditional European palette of metals and colours, with the addition of some colours which are seldom if ever found in British or Continental arms. The furs ermine, ermines and vair are occasionally also found.

Argent	Azure	Bleu Céleste	Brunâtre
	Gules	Murrey	Ochre	Or
Orange/Tenné	Purpure	Sable		Vert

Murrey is popular in medical heraldry. Orange, which was called "tenné" until the early 1980s, was one of the pre-1994 national colours. Ochre was introduced with the arms of the Transkei in 1970 and is used in the current national arms*. Bleu céleste is found in air force* heraldry.

TRANSITIONAL COUNCILS
Despite their temporary nature, about two dozen of the transitional local authorities which were formed during the first phase of municipal reorganisation (1996-2000), registered arms. Several, e.g. Greater Johannesburg (BoH 1997), used African shields. A special mural crown* was used.

TREES
SA heraldry employs the generic armorial tree, and several indigenous species which have been adapted into charges. They include: the baobab*, the karree tree, the milkwood, the orange tree*, the palm tree, the quiver tree (kokerboom), the thorn tree*, and the willow.

TREFOIL (Afr: DRIEBLAD)
Since the 1970s, the trefoil has been used in the arms of a number of schools*, evidently to symbolise the teacher/ child/ parents relationship. Example: the arms of Overkruin High School (BoH 1975). Sometimes trefly lines are used instead of the trefoil itself. If a key is depicted in a school's arms, its bow is often in the form of a trefoil. A cogwheel (or, more often, a demi-cogwheel) with trefly teeth is a standard charge in the arms of technical colleges*.

TREK WAGON — see Ox-wagon

TRIQUETRA
Often used since the 1970s in the arms of schools, teachers' organisations, and education authorities, e.g. combined with a flame and the anchor* of Good Hope in the arms of the Cape Provincial Education Department (BoH 1988). It is sometimes also used as a symbol of medicine.

UNIVERSITIES
All the pre-2004 universities were armigerous. Most arms dated from the early 20th century, but a few were devised in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, e.g. those of the Rand Afrikaans University (BoH 1988). The recent reorganisation of tertiary institutions has seen the creation of several new institutions, all of which have opted for logos instead of arms.

URBAN COUNCILS
In 1992 and 1993, the BoH registered arms for a dozen urban councils in Bophuthatswana, which was an "independent republic" at the time. All had the same crest: a metal mural crown* with spearheads issuant. Example: the arms of Thlabane Urban Council (BoH 1993).

USURPATION OF ARMS (Afr: WAPENOORNAME)
The (mal)practice of assuming and using someone else's arms, e.g. because the surnames are the same, exists in SA just as it does in other countries. Reportedly, many people bear the arms of European families which were misleadingly published as illustrations to a long-running series of Afrikaner family histories in the magazine Die Brandwag in the 1940s. The activities of "bucket shops"* exacerbated the problem until they were outlawed in 1980. The Heraldry Act* contains legal remedies* for registered armigers to deal with usurpation.