Government Publications: Home

Welcome to the Government Publications Library where you will find primary sources published by the Government of South Africa and by other Southern African countries.  The Government Publication Library has the centralized government documents in both the current and historical publications.  The publications are issued at different levels from the National Government, the Provincial Government, Local Government and Public entities.

Government Publications can be found at the East Campus of the University of the Witwatersrand in the William Cullen Library Room 8 on the ground floor

• Government Publications provide an official record of official activity and rationale for such activity.
• They reflect policy making and changes in governance.
• They provide information that might not be possible unless undertaken by government such as the population census.
• They provide valuable statistical information for a wide range of activities such as trade, social development, education, etc.
• The government collects information on an ongoing basis in order to inform its activities so information is fairly up to date and continuos.
• They are important sources of primary information.

South Africa's coat of arms, or state emblem, is the highest visual symbol of the state. Its central image is a secretary bird with uplifted wings, a sun rising above it. Below the bird is the protea, an indigenous South African flower, representing the aesthetic harmony of all cultures and the country flowering as a nation.

The ears of wheat are emblems of the fertility of the land, while the tusks of the African elephant symbolise wisdom, steadfastness and strength.

At the centre stands a shield signifying the protection of South Africans, above which are a spear and knobkierie. These assert the defence of peace rather than a posture of war.

Within the shield are images of the Khoisan people, the first inhabitants of the land. The figures are derived from images on the Linton Stone, a world-famous example of South African rock art. The motto of the coat of arms - !ke e:/xarra//ke - is in the Khoisan language of the /Xam people, and means "diverse people unite", or "people who are different joining together".

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