Star of South Africa (1952)
| Star of South Africa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Awarded by Queen of South Africa until 1961 State President from 1961 |
|
| Country |
 South Africa
|
| Type | Military decoration for merit |
| Eligibility | General and flag officers |
| Awarded for | Exceptionally meritorious service |
| Status | Discontinued in 1975 |
| Post-nominals | SSA |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1952 |
| First awarded | 1960 |
| Last awarded | 1975 |
| Total awarded | 20 |
| SADF pre-1994 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear | |
| Next (higher) |
SADF precedence:
SANDF precedence:
|
| Next (lower) |
SADF succession:
SANDF succession:
|
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The Star of South Africa, post-nominal letters SSA, is a military decoration for merit which was instituted by the Union of South Africa from 1952 to 1975. It was awarded to general and flag officers of the South African Defence Force for exceptionally meritorious service. The Star of South Africa was discontinued on 1 July 1975, when a new set of orders, decorations and medals was instituted.
The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912, and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994, it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The Star of South Africa, post-nominal letters SSA, was introduced by Queen Elizabeth II on 6 April 1952, during the Van Riebeeck Festival. It was formally instituted by the Queen on 26 January 1953.
The decoration was named after the first large diamond to be found in South Africa, the Star of South Africa, which was found on the banks of the Orange River in 1869, which sparked the New Rush, leading to the establishment of Kimberley, the capital and largest city of Northern Cape Province in South Africa
The Star of South Africa was awarded to general and flag officers for exceptionally meritorious service. In effect, it took the place of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), which had been awarded to senior South African officers during World War II.
With effect from 6 April 1952, when the Star of South Africa and several other new decorations and medals were instituted, these new awards took precedence before all earlier British decorations and medals awarded to South Africans, with the exception of the Victoria Cross, which still took precedence before all other awards. The other older British awards continued to be worn in the order prescribed by the British Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood.
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Wikipedia