Old apartheid flag banned at World Cup stadium

Display of the old South African apartheid-era flag will be banned at Cape Town’s stadium during the World Cup, officials said Monday.

The flag, which is associated with racial oppression, is still sometimes seen at sporting events, despite being replaced by the multi-coloured national flag at the beginning of the democratic era in 1994.

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato said such displays at other sporting events had “caused some embarrassment” in the past.

“We don’t want that same embarrassment to take place here,” Plato told a news conference, according to the Sapa news agency.

Display of the flag is not illegal, but it is regarded by many as offensive.

“We want rather to say to people, the old South African flag is not a recognised national flag any more and we don’t want people unnecessarily to embarrass South Africa and to embarrass Cape Town,” said Plato.

“Let us rather be patriotic and act as good patriots of the country.”

Rich Mkhondo, spokesman for the local organising committee, said each host city was allowed to make their own decisions on such issues.

“It was the decision of the city to impose such regulation and I am not aware if others cities are doing the same,” he told AFP.

In 2006 parliament mooted a legislation to legally ban the flag but no decision had been taken yet.