Parliament gets new mace
14 September 2004
South Africa unveiled a new mace in Parliament in Cape Town on Tuesday which incorporates symbols of a democratic South Africa.
The new mace replaces the apartheid-era mace donated by the Chamber of Mines.
The mace symbolises the authority of the Speaker of the National Assembly and its presence in the chamber indicates an official sitting of Parliament.
The mace was unveiled at the Old Assembly Chamber and was used for the first time in a parliamentary sitting.
The unveiling of the mace is the first in a three-phase process of replacing symbols from the old order. According to a statement from the Speaker's office, a new Black Rod for the National Council of Provinces will be unveiled in October, and at the end of the year a new parliamentary emblem would be revealed.
"The objective of these processes is to establish parliamentary symbols that are in line with our new democratic order," said the statement.
The
new mace - which is 1.1 metres long and weighs 9.8kg - has been crafted from South African minerals, stones and wood. It is composed of an 18-carat gold drum, the South African flag and coat of arms, and the preamble to the constitution in all the 11 official languages.
The new symbol has been designed in the shape of a knobkerrie and was constructed from springbok skin which is fastened to the drum by 18 buttons made from yellow gold, platinum, indigenous woods and diamonds.
Figures of typical South Africans such as miners and musicians have also been etched onto the mace, and the flag is represented in glass, platinum and gold beads.
The mace was manufactured by OroAfrica Lab, a Cape Town-based company and it took 700 hours of manual labour and combined efforts by 20 South African artisans.
This is the fourth mace that is used in South Africa's history.
The first one was made in 1854 and was a replica of the one in the British House of Commons. The
second mace was introduced in 1961 when the apartheid government declared South Africa a republic. In 1963, the Chamber of Mines presented parliament with the gold mace that has been in use until it was replaced on Tuesday.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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