Transvaal Coat of Arms, South Africa: Pre-Boer War T-Shirt

This item contains the colourful and highly detailed coat of arms of the old Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) or the Transvaal as it was commonly known. This is the period when the Dutch descendants became known as “Boers” later giving rise to the Afrikaans language. All of this changed after the Anglo-Boer War and the Transvaal (like the Orange Free State) was no longer a republic but a colony of England (or Great Britain). This was driven by the imperial greed for South African land and minerals. The Transvaal and Orange Free State (“Vrystaat”) republics lost the war against the English but South Africa regained its independence six decades later. This coat of arms, or emblem, will make an interesting curiosity for anyone interested in the Afrikaner or Boer history.