SA’s flag symbolises success and unity on the sports fields and doesn’t deserve ‘burning’

Well, for a government that was hell-bent on killing the sporting "springbok" insignia, and which NEVER flies the SA flag at its conventions, this article on the redemptive association of the SA flag with sport rings hollow.

Shame. Our country scores poorly when compared to other countries on the "international intelligence index". Children in grade 4 cannot read with understanding. Reading this article, I see what these people mean. Good gracious, man. "burning" the flag? Really? Speak to those who are destroying the very respect you write about, rather than trying to seem clever about a simple symbolic illustration! I believe most citizens of normal intelligence will see your argument as intellectually lazy!

Surely the intent is to make people upset that we rally around our flag as a nation to show our love for SA, but the criminals who are in power shame the flag and the country and essentially burn our hopes and dreams with their actions. Sometimes it requires a deeper understanding of the action and not the action itself.

One would do better to separate the ANC deeds and the SA flag. Most people are mad at the ANC, but not at the flag. Understanding the symbolic meaning of the flag to ALL South Africans of ALL races who fought and died in unity to achieve a largely peaceful transition from apartheid. Desecrating this flag does not equal desecrating the ANC and pals. Not in the minds of many. Clearly. Of course, there may be those still mad at the current SA flag for replacing the previous one, and therefore have no allegiance to the current SA flag. There maybe those who are younger who may not understand fully what was done to get here. Or those who have not thought deeply about it. Or those who genuinely agree with the DA tactic. But I expect those groups to be smaller. A country’s flag is sacred. Hence it’s a crime to desecrate it in some countries. You would actually expect an enemy of the country to do that. Or anarchists who want to bring the government down. The DA messed up. They failed to find a more creative, impactful but inoffensive way to deliver their message. And trust me, people who live in SA know exactly that the country is under threat. If they don’t vote for the DA, it won’t be because they don’t know or disagree that change is needed. It’s a question of who do they trust not burn them for the third time! So DA would do better to actually convince the electorate as to why they should be voted in, without insulting them. This shows DA’s lack of reflection and learning about the core and essence of the other very big ‘half’ of SA. Question for the eternal SA opposition party is, in all the decades what have you learnt that has kept you in that position, and what have you done or can do about it. DA had a shot…but failed to explore reasons for stagnation. What a shame.

DM has become like News24. Blatantly sidelining with the DA party.

If the flag is such an important symbol of unity, a way of saying "proudly South African" and if it is 'sacred' as our President puts it such that the burning of it is 'despicable', then surely it must be insisted upon that only flags manufactured in South Africa should be allowed to be displayed. We should also insist on this for Springbok supporter regalia and political parties should only get their posters and t-shirts from South African manufacturers. Holding up a multimillion-rand consignment of ANC campaign T-shirts from China before the April 2014 elections was one of the factors that fed into the leadership purge of the South African Revenue Service (Sars), according to what amaBhungane was told at the time.