Service Medal in Silver

The Service Medal in Silver 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, for twenty years service.

Umkhonto we Sizwe
Umkhonto we Sizwe, abbreviated as MK, "Spear of the Nation" in Zulu, 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.

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 defence forces and para-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.

Award criteria
The Fount of Honour for all South African military decorations and medals is the President of South Africa.

The Service Medal in Silver was instituted by the President in April 1996, for award to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe for twenty years service.

Order of precedence
The position of the Service Medal in Silver 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.


 * Umkhonto we Sizwe:
 * Official MK order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Service Medal in Gold.
 * Succeeded by the Service Medal in Bronze.


 * South African National Defence Force until 26 April 2003:
 * Official SANDF order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Long Service Medal, Silver of the Republic of Venda.
 * Succeeded by the Silver Service Medal of the Azanian People's Liberation Army.


 * Official national order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Police Medal for Merit of the QwaQwa Homeland.
 * Succeeded by the Silver Service Medal of the Azanian People's Liberation Army.

Description
The Service Medal in Silver is an oval medallion with a raised edge, struck in silver and depicting the Umkhonto we Sizwe emblem.
 * Obverse

The reverse is smooth and displays the embellished pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms with watermarks stamped below and the medal number stamped above.
 * Reverse

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and green, with an 8 millimetres wide black edge at left and an 8 millimetres wide yellow edge at right.
 * Ribbon

Discontinuation
Conferment of the Service Medal in Silver was discontinued upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.