An overview of South African military decorations and medals, which form part of the South African honours system.
The colonial military forces received British military decorations in wartime. From 1894, the colonial governments awarded medals for distinguished conduct and for long service. This was the general practice in the British Empire at that time. The colonial medals were:
The colonial forces were replaced in 1912 by the Union Defence Forces, which continued the system. British decorations for gallantry and distinguished service were awarded during World War I and World War II, and the South African government granted the other categories of award. They were:
In 1920, the South African government instituted a separate set of awards, for Boer veterans of the 1899–1902 Anglo-Boer War — neither of the Boer republics for which they had fought had had its own honours system. The awards were:
South Africa introduced its own honours system in 1952. Its largest component was a series of military decorations and medals, which not only replaced the existing long service medals, but provided substitutes for the decorations which the British government had awarded in wartime:
| Decoration Name | Post Nominals | Period current | Number awarded | Awarded for | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle of Good Hope Decoration | CGH | 1952–2003 | Never awarded | Most conspicuous bravery |  |
| Louw Wepener Decoration | LWD | 1952–1975 | 7 | Most conspicuous courage or greatest heroism |  |
| Star of South Africa | SSA | 1952–1975 | 20 | Exceptionally meritorious service |  |
| Van Riebeeck Decoration | DVR | 1952–1975 | 2 | Distinguished service in the field (officers) |  |
| Honoris Crux (1952) | HC | 1952–1975 | 5 | Gallantry in action against the enemy |  |
| Van Riebeeck Medal | VRM | 1952–1975 | 5 | Distinguished service in the field (other ranks) |  |
| Louw Wepener Medal | LWM | 1967–1975 | 8 | Courageous or heroic deeds in saving lives |  |
| Southern Cross Medal (1952) | SM | 1952–75 | 587 | Outstanding devotion to duty |  |
| Pro Merito Medal (1967) | PMM | 1967–75 | 374 | Outstanding devotion to duty (other ranks) |  |
| Danie Theron Medal | 1970–2003 | Diligent service in the Commandos |  | ||
| Jack Hindon Medal | 1970–1975 | 18 | Diligent service in the Commandos (other ranks) |  | |
| Campaign medals | |||||
| Korea Medal | 1953 | Service in the Korean War |  | ||
| Commemorative Medals | |||||
| Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal | 1953 | To commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II |  | ||
| Long Service Medals | |||||
| Union Medal | 1952–1961 | 18 years service in the Permanent Force |  | ||
| Permanent Force Good Service Medal | 1961–1975 | 18 years service in the Permanent Force |  | ||
| John Chard Decoration | JCD | 1952–2003 | 20 years service in the Citizen Force |  | |
| De Wet Decoration | DWD | 1952–2003 | 20 years service in the Commandos |  | |
| John Chard Medal | 1952–2003 | 12 years service in the Citizen Force |  | ||
| Cadet Corps Medal | 1966–1967 | 20 years service in school cadets |  | ||
| Shooting Medals | |||||
| Queen's Medal for Champion Shots | 1953–1961 | Winning the annual SADF shooting championships |  | ||
| Commandant General's Medal | 1965–1975 | Winning the annual SADF shooting championships |  | ||
| Emblems | |||||
| Mentioned in dispatches | 1967–2003 |  | |||
| Commendation by the Chief of the SADF | 1968–1974 |  | |||
A new system was introduced in 1975. It retained seven of the existing decorations and medals. Innovations included a hierarchy of merit awards, cumulative long service medals, and colour-coded ribbons. As the South African Defence Force was engaged in military operations in South West Africa and Angola throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the number of awards granted each year increased significantly. Additional decorations were instituted between 1987 and 1991.
| Decoration Name | Post Nominals | Period current | Number awarded | Awarded for | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle of Good Hope Decoration | CGH | 1952–2003 | Never awarded | Most conspicuous bravery |  |
| Honoris Crux Diamond | HCD | 1975–93 | Never awarded | Death-defying heroic deeds of outstanding valour |  |
| Honoris Crux Gold | HCG | 1975–93 | 6 | Outstanding bravery in extreme danger |  |
| Star of South Africa, Gold | SSA | 1975–2003 | Meritorious military service. |  | |
| Star of South Africa, Silver | SSAS | 1975–2003 | Meritorious military service. |  | |
| Honoris Crux Silver | HCS | 1975–2003 | 27 | Exceptional bravery in great danger |  |
| Honoris Crux (1975) | HC | 1975–2003 | 201 | Bravery while in danger |  |
| Pro Virtute Decoration | PVD | 1987–2003 | Distinguished conduct and exceptional combat leadership (officers) |  | |
| Southern Cross Decoration | SD | 1975–2003 | Outstanding service of the highest order, and utmost devotion to duty (Officers) |  | |
| Pro Merito Decoration | PMD | 1975–2003 | Outstanding service of the highest order, and utmost devotion to duty (other ranks) |  | |
| Pro Virtute Medal | PVM | 1987–2003 | Never awarded | Distinguished conduct and exceptional combat leadership (other ranks) |  |
| Ad Astra Decoration | AAD | 1987–2003 | Excellent flying skill or ingenuity by SA Air Force aircrew in emergencies or unusual situations [1] |  | |
| Army Cross | CM | 1991–2003 | Exceptional courage, leadership, skill or ingenuity in dangerous or critical situations (army personnel) |  | |
| Air Force Cross | CA | 1991–2003 | Exceptional courage, leadership, skill or ingenuity in dangerous or critical situations (air force personnel) |  | |
| Navy Cross | CN | 1991–2003 | Exceptional courage, leadership, skill or ingenuity in dangerous or critical situations (naval personnel) |  | |
| Medical Service Cross | CC | 1991–2003 | Exceptional courage, leadership, skill or ingenuity in dangerous or critical situations (military health service personnel) |  | |
| Southern Cross Medal (1975) | SM | 1975–2003 | Exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty (officers) |  | |
| Pro Merito Medal (1975) | PMM | 1975–2003 | Exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty (other ranks) |  | |
| Danie Theron Medal | DTM | 1970–2003 | Exceptionally diligent and outstanding service in the Commandos | | |
| Military Merit Medal | MMM | 1974–2003 | Service of a high order |  | |
| Campaign medals | |||||
| Pro Patria Medal | 1974–1992 | Operational service in combating terrorism or in defence of South Africa |  | ||
| Southern Africa Medal | 1989 | Service in military operations outside South Africa and South West Africa between 1976 and 1989 |  | ||
| General Service Medal | 1992 | Operational service inside South Africa from 1983 |  | ||
| Commemorative Medals | |||||
| Unitas Medal | 1994 | To commemorate the amalgamation of the SADF, APLA, MK and the homeland defence forces to form the SA National Defence Force |  | ||
| Long Service Medals | |||||
| Medal for Distinguished Conduct and Loyal Service | 1987–2003 | 40 years service in the Defence Force |  | ||
| Good Service Medal, Gold | 1975–2003 | 30 years service in the Permanent Force |  | ||
| Good Service Medal, Silver | 1975–2003 | 20 years service in the Permanent Force |  | ||
| John Chard Decoration | JCD | 1952–2003 | 20 years service in the Citizen Force | | |
| De Wet Decoration | DWD | 1952–2003 | 20 years service in the Commandos | | |
| John Chard Medal | 1952–2003 | 12 (from 1986, 10) years service in the Citizen Force | | ||
| Good Service Medal, Bronze | 1975–2003 | 10 years service in the Permanent Force |  | ||
| De Wet Medal | 1987–2003 | 10 years service in the Commandos |  | ||
| Shooting Medals | |||||
| SADF Champion Shot Medal | 1975–2003 | Champion shots of the annual SADF Bisley in the categories of fullbore, smallbore, pistol and service shooting |  | ||
| Cadet Corps Champion Shot Medal | 1987–2003 |  | |||
| Emblems | |||||
| Mentioned in Dispatches | 1967–2003 |  | |||
| Emblem for Volunteer Service (South Africa) | 1967–2003 | ||||
In 1996, two separate sets of decorations were instituted for veterans who had served in the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe during the armed campaign against the former government.
| Decoration Name | Post Nominals | Period current | Number awarded | Awarded for | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Star for Bravery | GSB | 1996–2003 | Exceptional bravery in great danger |  | |
| Bravery Star in Silver | BSS | 1996–2003 | Bravery |  | |
| Star for Conspicuous Leadership | SCL | 1996–2003 | Distinguished conduct and exceptional combat leadership |  | |
| Gold Decoration for Merit | GDM | 1996–2003 | Outstanding service and utmost devotion to duty |  | |
| Silver Medal for Merit | SMM | 1996–2003 | Exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty |  | |
| Bronze Medal for Merit | BMM | 1996–2003 | Service of a high order |  | |
| Campaign medals | |||||
| Operational Medal for Southern Africa | 1996–2003 | Operational service outside South Africa |  | ||
| South Africa Service Medal | 1996–2003 | Operational service inside South Africa |  | ||
| Long Service medals | |||||
| Gold Service Medal | 1996–2003 | 30 years service in APLA |  | ||
| Silver Service Medal | 1996–2003 | 20 years service in APLA |  | ||
| Bronze Service Medal | 1996–2003 | 10 years service in APLA |  | ||
| Decoration Name | Post Nominals | Period current | Number awarded | Awarded for | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star for Bravery in Gold | SBG | 1996–2003 | Exceptional bravery in great danger |  | |
| Star for Bravery in Silver | SBS | 1996–2003 | Bravery |  | |
| Conspicuous Leadership Star | CLS | 1996–2003 | Distinguished conduct and exceptional combat leadership |  | |
| Decoration for Merit in Gold | GDMG | 1996–2003 | Outstanding service and utmost devotion to duty |  | |
| Merit Medal in Silver | MMS | 1996–2003 | Exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty |  | |
| Merit Medal in Bronze | MMB | 1996–2003 | Service of a high order |  | |
| Campaign medals | |||||
| Operational Medal for Southern Africa | 1996–2003 | Operational service outside South Africa | | ||
| South Africa Service Medal | 1996–2003 | Operational service inside South Africa | | ||
| Long Service medals | |||||
| Service Medal in Gold | 1996–2003 | 30 years service in Umkhonto we Sizwe |  | ||
| Service Medal in Silver | 1996–2003 | 20 years service in Umkhonto we Sizwe |  | ||
| Service Medal in Bronze | 1996 –2003 | 10 years service in Umkhonto we Sizwe |  | ||
The South African National Defence Force, which was formed in 1994 by amalgamating the SADF, the liberation armies, and the military forces of the former homelands, used the SADF decorations and medals until 2003, when a new series of decorations was instituted:
Nkwe ya Gauta (Golden Leopard) (NG) 
Nkwe ya Selefera (Silver Leopard) (NS) 
Nkwe ya Boronse (Bronze Leopard) (NB) 
iPhrothiya yeGolide (Golden Protea) (PG) 
iPhrothiya yeSiliva (Silver Protea) (PS) 
iPhrothiya yeBhronzi (Bronze Protea) (PB) 
Medalje vir Troue Diens (Medal for Loyal Service) (10 Years) Medalje vir Troue Diens (Medal for Loyal Service) (20 Year Clasp) Medalje vir Troue Diens (Medal for Loyal Service) (30 Year Clasp) Medalje vir Troue Diens (Medal for Loyal Service) (40 Year Clasp) 
Mentioned in Dispatches - Okhankanyiweyo (MID) 
Medal Ribbon for Loyal Service - with RD device (Reserve Distinction) (RD) 
Badge for Reserve Voluntary Service 
Maluti Clasp (Operation BOLEAS) 
Tshumelo Ikatelaho (General Service Medal) (Peace Support clasp) 
Tshumelo Ikatelaho (General Service Medal) (Humanitarian Aid clasp) 
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