The Heraldry Council is part of the South African heraldic authority, established in Pretoria in June 1963, in terms of the Heraldry Act.
It is the governing and policy-making body for the Bureau of Heraldry and consists of the National Herald ex officio, and other members appointed by the Minister of Arts and Culture.
[2] Policies adopted over the years include: In the 1980s, the council did the groundwork for the creation of the national orders,[3] and recommended that the dark blue stripe of the then national flag be changed back to its original lighter shade.
The Heraldry Committee, made up of selected council members and, since 1984, the National Herald ex officio, was originally set up to deal with matters referred to it from time to time.
The council is usually composed of heraldists, historians, state archivists, artists and, since the mid-1990s, African language specialists and writers.