| Decoration for Merit in Gold | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded by the President | |
| Country |
  South Africa |
| Type | Military decoration for merit |
| Eligibility | Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres |
| Awarded for | Outstanding service and utmost devotion to duty |
| Campaign | The Struggle |
| Status | Discontinued in 2003 |
| Post-nominals | DMG |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1996 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) |
MK precedence:
SANDF precedence:[1]
|
| Next (lower) |
MK succession:
SANDF succession:[1]
|
|
File:Ribbon MK Decoration for Merit in Gold.jpg Ribbon bar | |
The Decoration for Merit in Gold, post-nominal letters DMG, 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, who have distinguished themselves during The Struggle by outstanding service and utmost devotion to duty.[2]
Umkhonto we Sizwe[]
Umkhonto we Sizwe, abbreviated as MK, Zulu for "Spear of the Nation", 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 by means of sabotage, bombings and landmines.[2][3]
On 27 April 1994 Umkhonto we Sizwe was amalgamated with six other military forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The seven constituent military forces were:
- The South African Defence Force (SADF).
- The Transkei Defence Force (TDF) of the Republic of Transkei.
- The Bophuthatswana Defence Force (BDF) of the Republic of Bophuthatswana.
- The Venda Defence Force (VDF) of the Republic of Venda.
- The Ciskei Defence Force (CDF) of the Republic of Ciskei.
- Umkhonto we Sizwe.
- The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress.[4]
Award criteria[]
The Fount of Honour for all South African military decorations and medals is the President of South Africa.[5]
The Decoration for Merit in Gold, post-nominal letters DMG, was instituted by the President in April 1996, for award to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe who have distinguished themselves during The Struggle by outstanding service and utmost devotion to duty.[1][2]
Order of precedence[]
The position of the Decoration for Merit in Gold 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.[1][6]
- Umkhonto we Sizwe
- Official MK order of precedence:
- Preceded by the Conspicuous Leadership Star (CLS).
- Succeeded by the Merit Medal in Silver (MMS).[1]
- South African National Defence Force until 26 April 2003
- Official SANDF order of precedence:
- Preceded by the Sandile Decoration (SD) of the Republic of Ciskei.
- Succeeded by the Gold Decoration for Merit (GDM) of the Azanian People's Liberation Army.[1]
- Official national order of precedence:
- Preceded by the Police Star for Distinguished Service of the Lebowa Homeland.
- Succeeded by the Gold Decoration for Merit (GDM) of the Azanian People's Liberation Army.[1]
Description[]
- Obverse
The Decoration for Merit in Gold is a silver-gilt double Maltese cross that fits in a circle 45 millimetres in diameter. The arms of the cross are in white enamel, with the Umkhonto we Sizwe emblem in a dark blue enameled roundel in the centre.[2][7]
- Ribbon
The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and dark blue with a 12 millimetres wide yellow band in the centre.[2][7]
Discontinuation[]
Conferment of the Decoration for Merit in Gold was discontinued upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.[6]
See also[]
- Merit Medal in Silver
- Merit Medal in Bronze
- South African honours system
- South African military decorations
- South African military decorations order of precedence
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, OCLC 72827981
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 South African Medals Website - Military decorations and medals - Liberation armies and military veterans
- ↑ "Manifesto of Umkhonto we Sizwe". African National Congress. 16 December 1961. Archived from the original on 17 December 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061217090228/http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/manifesto-mk.html. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ South African Medals Website - Legal aspects : Fount of Honour
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 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.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Uniform: SA Army: Former Forces Medals - Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK)
The original article can be found at Decoration for Merit in Gold and the edit history here.
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