Order of Mendi for Bravery
| Order of Mendi for Bravery | |
|---|---|
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| Awarded by the President of South Africa | |
| Type | National Order |
| Eligibility | South African Citizens |
| Awarded for | Acts of Bravery anywhere in the world |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Grades |
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The Order of Mendi for Bravery is a South African honour, instituted on 30 November 2003. It was originally called the "Mendi Decoration for Bravery", and was renamed as an order on 22 October 2004. Although this is primarily a civilian honour, there have been a few military awards, including a collective award to the South African Air Force and South African Navy units which rescued the passengers from a sinking ocean liner in 1991, and a collective award to SAAF units which carried out flood relief operations in Mozambique in 2001.
The order is granted by the president of South Africa, for bravery in saving life or property. It has three classes:
The order is named after a World War I troopship, the SS Mendi, which sank after a collision in 1917, with the loss of more than 600 (black) South African troops.
The badge of the order is oval, On the obverse is an oval African shield, depicting the Mendi with a blue crane bird flying overhead. Behind the shield are a crossed assegai and knobkierrie (war club), and the whole design is surrounded by a border decorated with lion pawprints. The reverse displays the Coat of Arms of South Africa. The ribbon is gold, dotted with outlines of lion pawprints, alternately left and right.
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