Armorial of Governors-General and Presidents of South Africa
Many of the governors-general and presidents of South Africa have borne arms; either through inheritance, registration with the South African Bureau of Heraldry or via membership in foreign orders of chivalry, such as the Danish Order of the Elephant and the Swedish Order of the Seraphim.
Arms of the governors-general of South Africa
| Arms | Name of Governor-General and Blazon |
| Herbert Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone, Governor-General of South Africa, 1910–1914 Argent, a savage's head affronté dripping blood and wreathed about the temples with holly proper, all within an orle flory Gules within eight martlets Sable. Crest: Issuant from a wreath of holly proper a demi-gryphon Sable supporting between the claws a sword enfiled with a wreath of oak all proper. Ancestral arms. | |
| Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton, Governor-General of South Africa, 1914–1920 Argent, a lion rampant tail elevated and turned over the head between two mullets in fess Sable. Crest : A buck's head Gules attired Or gorged with a collar of the last, pendant therefrom an escutcheon Argent charged with an African negro's head proper. Motto : Do it with thy might. Supporters : Dexter a negro wreathed about the tenples and waist with oak, hold-ing in the exterior hand a poplar leaf proper, pendant from a gold cord about the neck an escutcheon Argent charged with a carrier pigeon volant also proper; sin-ister a buck Gules attired Or, pendant from the neck by a gold cord a shield Argent charged with a ship in full sail on the sea proper. Ancestral arms, the supporters being modified for him. | |
| Prince Arthur of Connaught, Governor-General of South Africa, 1920–1923 The Royal Arms of the United Kingdom differenced with a label of five points Argent charged with three crosses Gules alternating with two fleurs de lis Azure. Crest : The Royal Crest with a prince's coronet substituted for the crown. Supporters : The Royal Supporters, each engorged with a label as in the arms, and the lion crowned with a prince's coronet instead of the crown. Motto : Dieu et mon droit. These arms were granted to him by King Edward VII in 1904. Until 1917 the featured an inescutcheon of the arms of Saxony, which were dropped via Royal warrant in 1917. | |
| Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, Governor-General of South Africa, 1924–1930 Quarterly I & IV the arms of King George II of Great Britain differenced with a label of three points argent charged with a cross between two hearts Gules; II & III Per pale dexter Or three stags attires in pale Sable, and sinister three lions passant in pale Sable the dexter forelegs Gules , over all an inscutcheon paly bendy sinister Sable and Or ; over all a crescent Sable for difference. Crest : A dog's head and neck paly bendy sinister Sa-ble and Or, a crescent for difference. Supporters : Dexter a lion Sable the dexter forepaw Gules, sinister a stag proper, both with a crescent for difference. Ancestral arms. | |
| George Villiers, 7th Earl of Clarendon, Governor-General of South Africa, 1931–1937 Argent, on a cross Gules five escallops Or. Crest : A lion rampant Argent ducally crowned Or. Supporters : Two eagles Sable ducally crowned or, each charged on the breast with a cross Argent. Motto : Fidei coticula crux. Ancestral arms. | |
| Sir Patrick Duncan, Governor-General of South Africa, 1937–1943 No arms known. | |
| Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet, Acting Governor-General of South Africa, 1943–1945 No arms known. | |
| Gideon Brand van Zyl, Governor-General of South Africa, 1946–1951 He is said to have used the arms of the Van Zyl family of Utrecht. They are : Per pale, dexter Argent three chess-rooks Sable; sinister Or three wolfhooks Sable. Crest : Issuant from a coronet heightened of eight pearls, a demi-swan wings elevated Argent. | |
| Ernest George Jansen, Governor-General of South Africa, 1951–1959 No arms known | |
| Charles Robberts Swart, Governor-General of South Africa, 1960–1961 No arms known |