Service Medal in Silver

The Service Medal in Silver was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa in April 1996. It was awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress, for twenty years service.[1]

Service Medal in Silver
TypeMilitary long service medal
Awarded forTwenty years service
Country  South Africa
Presented bythe President of the RSA
EligibilityUmkhonto we Sizwe cadres
Campaign(s)The "struggle"
StatusDiscontinued in 2003
Established1996
Ribbon bar
MK 1996 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear
Next (higher)
MK precedence:
SANDF precedence:
Next (lower)
MK succession:
SANDF succession:

Umkhonto we Sizwe

Umkhonto we Sizwe, abbreviated as MK, "Spear of the Nation" in Zulu, was the para-military wing of the African National Congress (ANC). It was established on 16 December 1961 to wage an armed "struggle" against the Nationalist government inside South Africa. On 27 April 1994, Umkhonto we Sizwe was amalgamated with six other military forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).[1][2][3]

Institution

The Service Medal in Silver was instituted by the President of South Africa in April 1996. It is the middle award of a set of three medals for long service, along with the Service Medal in Gold and the Service Medal in Bronze.[1][4][5]

Umkhonto we Sizwe's military decorations and medals were modelled on those of the South African Defence Force and these three medals are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, the Good Service Medal, Gold, the Good Service Medal, Silver and the Good Service Medal, Bronze.[4]

Award criteria

The medal could be awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe for twenty years service.[1][4]

Order of wear
Main article: South African military decorations order of wear § Order of wear

The position of the Service Medal in Silver in the official military and national orders of precedence was revised upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged.[4][6]

Umkhonto we Sizwe

South African National Defence Force until 26 April 2003

Description
Obverse

The Service Medal in Silver is an oval medallion with a raised edge, struck in silver and depicting the Umkhonto we Sizwe emblem.[1][7][8]

Reverse

The reverse is smooth and displays the embellished pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms with watermarks impressed below and the medal number impressed above.[9][10]

Ribbon

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and green, with an 8 millimetres wide black edge at left and an 8 millimetres wide yellow edge at right.[1][7][8]

Discontinuation

Conferment of the Service Medal in Silver was discontinued upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.[6]

References
  1. South African Medal Website - Liberation armies (Accessed 30 April 2015)
  2. "Manifesto of Umkhonto we Sizwe". African National Congress. 16 December 1961. Archived from the original on 17 December 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
  3. Warrant of the President of the Republic of South Africa for the Institution of the "UNITAS MEDAL-UNITAS-MEDALJE", Gazette no. 16087 dated 25 November 1994.
  4. Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, OCLC 72827981
  5. Presidential Warrant by the President of the Republic of South Africa for the Institution of Honours for Bravery in the South African National Defence Force, Gazette no. 25213 dated 25 July 2003.
  6. Uniform: SA Army: Former Forces Medals - Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK)
  7. "MK Service Medals Silver (Full size & Minature [sic])". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  8. F S MK 30 Year Good Service Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  9. MK 30 Years Service full size medal numbered Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
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