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29-446: The municipality was placed under administration in 2018 after then-mayor Vusi Tshabalala was removed from office on the basis of corruption allegations. Being situated halfway between Johannesburg and Durban, the town is generally very busy, especially the N3 freeway that runs past the town. The town was founded in 1849 and named after British Governor Sir Harry Smith . who tried to persuade

58-461: A coat of arms as he pleases, as long as he does not infringe on the rights of others (i.e. the arms are not too similar to arms already in use by someone else) and the proposed arms conform to basic heraldic principles. The State Herald approves of and registers arms under the authority given by the Heraldry Act. In addition to registering coats of arms, badges, and other heraldic representations,

87-479: A British resident in Bloemfontein . The town is around 90 km east from Bethlehem and 45 km north-east of nearby Phuthaditjhaba . The small nearby hamlet of Swinburne (originally) is named after Sir John Swinburne, a gold prospector . The townships associated with Harrismith are Intabazwe located in the north and Tshiame in the west. Harrismith is well known as an overnight or refreshment stop along

116-598: A no-confidence motion from within his own party. He resigned and was replaced the following month by Gilbert Moktso. Tshabalala was elected to the North West Provincial Legislature in the 2019 general election , ranked sixth on the ANC's provincial party list . The ANC named him as Majority Chief Whip in the legislature and additionally as Chairperson of its Committee on Public Accounts and Finance. The opposition Democratic Alliance opposed his appointment to

145-641: A public register, to issue registration certificates and, since 1980, to advise the government on heraldic matters. Together with the Heraldry Council , it forms part of the National Archives and Records Service (formerly called the State Archives Service), which is currently under the authority of the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture . Under South African law , everyone has the right to bear

174-456: The N3 route , and a convenient refuelling stop for trucks and vehicles, but it has much more to offer. Beyond the highway is a previously tidy town with many elegant late 19th century buildings made of hewn sandstone. There are numerous bed & breakfast places catering to visitors. It is the best access point to the northernmost Drakensberg , including Tugela Falls and Mont-Aux-Sources (accessed via

203-618: The R712 . Harrismith is the centre of one of the five wool producing districts in Southern Africa . The town is home to the largest truck stop in the Southern Hemisphere, named Highway Junction. Harrismith is also home to the small Harrismith Airport . Two other places in the world bear the same name: Harrismith Beach and Harrismith House near Bottom Bay in Barbados and Harrismith in

232-630: The Voortrekkers not to abandon the Cape Colony . The town was initially laid out by Robert Moffat about 25 km from the present location, in present-day Aberfeldy on the Elands River . That site however proved to be deficient in water and Harrismith was shifted to its present site in January 1850. Twenty-four years later it became a municipality and during the diamond rush at Kimberley, Northern Cape ,

261-621: The Bureau keeps records of names, uniforms, and badges (which include some corporate arms) previously registered by the Department of the Interior (1935–1959) and the Department of Education, Arts & Sciences (1959–1963). Anyone, regardless of nationality or place of residence, may register arms with the Bureau. Since 1980, it has also been authorised to register the arms of official bodies in foreign countries. Originally, applications had to be approved by

290-459: The Free State ANC. However, when the provincial party's local branches nominated their preferred candidates, Tshabalala did not perform well: he was nominated by only six branches, compared with the 59 nominations for Mxolisi Dukwana , 37 nominations for Sisi Ntombela , and 15 nominations for Thabo Manyoni . Tshabalala ultimately stood for the position of Provincial Treasurer instead, but when

319-583: The Heraldry Council before the Bureau could register them, but the power of approval was delegated to the State Herald in 1969, though he can still refer applications to the council (or, since 1980, its Heraldry Committee) when necessary. In 1980, the National Herald was authorised to delete arms from the register, either on an applicant's request or, in the case of official, municipal or corporate arms, if

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348-596: The Majority Chief Whip in the legislature until October 2021, when he was replaced after the ANC suspended him while he faced internal disciplinary charges. He is also known for his controversial tenure in the Free State 's Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality , where he was Mayor between 2013 and 2018. Tshabalala became acting Mayor of Maluti-a-Phofung in September 2013 after the incumbent, Sarah Moleleki , resigned; he

377-590: The National Archives website. Naturally, the Bureau itself has a coat of arms which were adopted in 1965. The blazon is Azure, three escutcheons Or, on a chief of the second the South African lion . In layman's language this means that the shield is blue, it displays three smaller golden shields, and across the top is a gold horizontal strip displaying the red lion that formed the crest of the old South African national coat of arms. The Bureau arms are depicted on

406-803: The Sentinel Hiking Trail, in the QwaQwa region of the Free State, 80 km south-west of Harrismith on the R57 ), Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve (20 km southeast of town on the R74 ), Royal Natal Park and the uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site (66 km southeast via Oliviershoek Pass beyond Sterkfontein Dam ) and the spectacular Golden Gate Highlands National Park 50 km south-west of town on

435-557: The Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. By 1931, the Harrismith municipal council had assumed a pseudo-heraldic coat of arms. The shield was divided by a horizontal line, the upper half depicting three upright maize cobs and three sheaves of wheat on a silver background, and the lower half a cornucopia . The crest was a plough, and the motto Grandescunt aucta labore (i.e. by hard work, all things increase and grow). A proper coat of arms

464-508: The conference was held in January 2023 he lost in a vote to Mathabo Leeto , who received 346 votes to Tshabalala's 304. Bureau of Heraldry The Bureau of Heraldry is the South African heraldic authority , established in Pretoria on 1 June 1963. It is headed by a State Herald (known unofficially as the National Herald since 2004) and its functions are to register arms, badges, flags and seals (as well as names and uniforms), to keep

493-473: The latter position, arguing that he had presided over corruption and financial maladministration in the Maluti-a-Phofung municipality. In October 2021, the ANC suspended Tshabalala from his party and legislative offices, pending internal disciplinary proceedings. He was accused of – but denied – supporting independent candidates during the 2021 local government elections . After his disciplinary hearing

522-465: The municipality and several motions of no confidence tabled against him by opposition councillors. The opposition Democratic Alliance later alleged that he held the council "hostage" during this period; according to opposition councillors, the no-confidence votes were disrupted by Tshabalala's supporters. In early May 2018, the provincial leadership of the ANC – no longer led by Magashule – "recalled" Tshabalala as mayor, asking him to resign or face

551-474: The municipality's financial difficulties to alleged corruption and dubbed Tshabalala the municipality's "gangster mayor". In March of that year, an investigative report by the Mail & Guardian triggered a "jobs for votes" scandal, with the newspaper claiming that municipal funds had been used to buy votes ahead of the ANC's 54th National Conference . Also in 2018, Tshabalala faced service delivery protests in

580-490: The office was established in 1963: The Bureau has a small staff complement: the National Herald, the Assistant National Herald, a Chief Heraldic Artist, a few artists, an administrative assistant, and a cleaner. The Bureau has had four homes since its inception. Since 1989 it has been housed in the National Archives building in Pretoria . Although the State Herald has been called the National Herald since 2004,

609-468: The organisation concerned no longer exists. Appeals against the National Herald's decisions can be made to the Heraldry Committee . In the 1970s, the Bureau registered between 60 and 90 arms and badges per year. The number increased sharply in the mid-1980s, reaching a peak of 148 in the 1987–88 reporting year. It declined in the early 1990s, and returned to 1970s levels. (These figures do not include

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638-507: The registrations of defence force unit arms and insignia, of which the Bureau has registered more than 1000 since the 1960s.) The illustrated blazons (written descriptions in technical terms) of applications for registration are published in the South African Government Gazette . Blazons (but not illustrations) of arms registered at the Bureau and its predecessors up to the end of the year 2000 are available online through

667-431: The seal on each registration certificate and, in the 1960s and early 1970s, they were depicted in full colour at the head of the certificate too. The State Herald (called unofficially the National Herald since 2004) is a civil servant, and is the head of the Bureau of Heraldry, an ex officio member of the Heraldry Council, and a member of the National Archives' directorate. There have been four state/national heralds since

696-595: The town became a busy staging post on the Natal transport route. As a direct result of this, hotels, stores and public buildings sprang up. By the 1880s the town was seen as the second largest in the Orange Free State . The increased infrastructure and traffic in the region made fording of the Wilge river impractical. After heavy rains the swollen river prevented communication, interrupted transport and claimed lives. The government

725-548: The upper half of a red cogwheel, and on each side is a curved green segment bearing a golden ear of wheat. Once again, the crest was a plough and the motto was Grandescunt aucta labore . Vusi Tshabalala Vusimusi William Tshabalala is a South African politician who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State Provincial Legislature since 2019. He was also

754-459: Was designed (by Schalk Pienaar) in the 1970s, and registered at the Bureau of Heraldry in September 1977. The arms were : Argent, a chevron Azure between in chief an elephant statant proper and in base a demi-cogwheel issuant Gules, two flaunches Vert each charged with an ear of wheat, Or . In layman's terms, the shield is silver and depicts, from top to bottom, an elephant, a blue chevron, and

783-489: Was formally elected and inaugurated in early February 2014. At the time the ANC said that he was the youngest mayor in the Free State. He became known as a staunch political ally of Ace Magashule , then the Provincial Chairperson of the ANC's Free State branch. His tenure as mayor was controversial. In February 2018, the municipality was placed under administration; local opposition parties and press linked

812-449: Was held on 10–11 May 2022, the ANC's provincial disciplinary committee ruled that the charges relied on inadmissible hearsay evidence. He was acquitted and reinstated to his party membership and legislative activity, but he was not reinstated as Chief Whip; Thabo Meeko , who had been appointed after his suspension, remained in that office. Following his reinstatement, Tshabalala launched a campaign to be elected Provincial Chairperson of

841-497: Was petitioned and two bridges were opened in 1884, one six miles towards Bethlehem, and another at the current Swinburne . The use of these were taxed until 1905. Harrismith was a major base during the South African (Anglo-Boer) War and visitors can see the several blockhouses, engineering works and a military cemetery that are evidence of this. The town's main street, Warden Street, is named after Major Henry D. Warden, at that time

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