Silver Medal for Merit
| Silver Medal for Merit | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Awarded by the President | |
| Country |
  South Africa
|
| Type | Military decoration for merit |
| Eligibility | Azanian People's Liberation Army cadres |
| Awarded for | Exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty |
| Campaign(s) | The "struggle" |
| Status | Discontinued in 2003 |
| Post-nominals | SMM |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1996 |
| APLA 1996 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear | |
| Next (higher) |
APLA precedence:
SANDF precedence:
|
| Next (lower) |
APLA succession:
SANDF succession:
|
 Ribbon bar |
|
The Silver Medal for Merit, post-nominal letters SMM, was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa in April 1996. It was awarded to veteran cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, for exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty during the "struggle".
The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) was the para-military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). It was established in 1961 to wage an armed "struggle" against the Nationalist government inside South Africa. On 27 April 1994, the Azanian People's Liberation Army was amalgamated with six other military forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The Silver Medal for Merit, post-nominal letters SMM, was instituted by the President in April 1996. It is the middle award of a set of three decorations for merit, along with the Gold Decoration for Merit and the Bronze Medal for Merit.
The Azanian People's Liberation Army's military decorations and medals were modelled on those of the South African Defence Force and these three decorations are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, the Southern Cross Decoration and Pro Merito Decoration, the Southern Cross Medal (1975) and Pro Merito Medal (1975), and the Military Merit Medal.
The decoration could be awarded to veteran cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army for exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty during the "struggle".
The position of the Silver Medal for Merit in the official military and national orders of precedence was revised upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.
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