An artist from the Eastern Cape is suing the minister of sports, arts, and culture, Nathi Mthethwa, claiming that he is the actual designer of the South African flag.
Thembani Hastings Mqhayi claims that he had submitted five designs for a potential new flag to the government in 1994. Mqhayi says that his ideas were stolen by Fred Brownell, the state herald, who is widely considered the person who designed the current banner.
Brownell died in 2019, having served as the state herald from 1982 to 2002.
Mqhayi said in an affidavit that he had submitted a number of designs following a call by Nelson Mandela for artists to be involved in the design of a post-apartheid flag.
Mqhayi is going to court to compel Mthethwa to release details of how the flag came into being.