The first satellite image of the Giant Flag, near Graaff-Reinet, in the Eastern Cape, has been released, with the outlines of the South African flag clearly visible.

The 66 ha flag will be made up of 2.5-million coloured succulents and a 4 MW solar field. The novelty project will also include a conference centre, boutique hotel, a small, medium-sized and microenterprise hub, a nursery, and an underground reservoir for groundwater harvesting.

Giant Flag founder Guy Lieberman told Engineering News Online that the project did not have a set deadline, although previous reports stated that it was expected to be completed this year.

He stressed, however, that there was a commitment to complete the project.

Asked where the idea emanated from, Lieberman explained that the project was born at ad agency FCB Africa, following the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“We felt that the massive outward expression of flag waving was a clear sign that South Africans were starting to really love the country and the flag. We decided to do something dramatic and brave, and layer together social development, environmental awareness, clean technology, national pride and tourism into an ambitious socioeconomic project on a huge scale – and we plan to continue working on this until you can see all the colours from space,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Lieberman remains upbeat about the project, noting that in the context of South African crowdfunding, the campaign has received significant support, having raised close to R400 000.

“However, the scale of the project and the increments of the green line [which indicates how much money has been raised and is available on the Green Flag website] are in such large tranches, that it takes R250 000 to raise it by 1%.

“So, in that sense, we are still on the way toward our target, and which is also why we are re-engaging the public to get behind the Giant Flag in a meaningful way,” Lieberman enthused.

He added that a recent R5-million administrative grant from the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform was also bringing the project closer to fruition.

Giant Flag has also now secured a power purchase agreement from PowerX, South Africa’s only independent exchange of renewable energy. “It means that we can start building the solar field, which might, in turn, assist us in raising the rest of the funds required for the botanical and tourist elements,” he stated.

Lieberman lamented that the initial substantial commitment from government that led up to the October 2014 launch, “unfortunately fell through in the months that followed. Even so, we have continued on toward our goal of building the largest flag in the solar system.”

The outlines of the flag can also be seen from the flight path between George and Johannesburg.