Operational Medal for Southern Africa
| Operational Medal for Southern Africa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Awarded by the President | |
| Country |
   South Africa
|
| Type | Military campaign medal |
| Eligibility | Umkhonto we Sizwe and Azanian People's Liberation Army cadres |
| Awarded for | Operational service outside South Africa |
| Campaign(s) | The "struggle" |
| Status | Discontinued in 2003 |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1998 |
| APLA and MK 1996 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear | |
| Next (higher) |
MK precedence:
APLA precedence:
SANDF precedence:
|
| Next (lower) |
MK and APLA succession:
SANDF succession:
|
 Ribbon bar |
|
The Operational Medal for Southern Africa was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa in 1998. It was awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army for operational service outside South Africa during the "struggle".
Umkhonto we Sizwe, abbreviated as MK, "Spear of the Nation" in Zulu, was the para-military wing of the African National Congress (ANC), while the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) was the para-military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress. Both were established in 1961 to wage an armed "struggle" against the Nationalist government inside South Africa. On 27 April 1994, Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army were amalgamated with five statutory defence forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The Operational Medal for Southern Africa was instituted by the President of South Africa in 1998.
The medal could be awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army for operational service outside South Africa during the "struggle".
The position of the Operational Medal for Southern Africa 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.
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