Bust of President Johannes Paulus Kruger left surrounded by the country name.

Stephanus Johannes Paulus "Paul" Kruger (1825–1904) was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa, and President of the South African Republic (or Transvaal) from 1883 to 1900. Nicknamed Oom Paul ("Uncle Paul"), he came to international prominence as the face of the Boer cause—that of the Transvaal and its neighbour the Orange Free State—against Britain during the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. He has been called a personification of Afrikanerdom, and remains a controversial and divisive figure; admirers venerate him as a tragic folk hero, while critics view him as the obstinate guardian of an unjust cause.

Arms of the Republic within a circular shield (the cart has a single shaft); value and date above.

The coat of arms of the Transvaal was the official heraldic symbol of the South African Republic from 1866 to 1877 and again from 1881 to 1902, and later the symbol of the Transvaal Province from 1954 to 1994.

The arms showed a wagon and anchor between an armed man (right) and lion (left), with an eagle as a crest. The wagon, originally the most important item on the arms, is a typical wagon used by the Boers. The lion may either be a local lion, or may be derived from the Dutch lion, but the lion has practically always been shown as a natural lion, not a heraldic lion. The arms man obviously is a Boer.