Southern Africa Medal

The Southern Africa Medal is a military medal that was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987. It was a campaign medal and was awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for service in military operations in Southern Africa outside the borders of South Africa and South West Africa between 1 April 1976 and 21 March 1990.

The South African military
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).

Orders, decorations and medals
In April 1952 a series of military decorations and medals was instituted, consisting of substitutes for many of the British and Commonwealth awards which had earlier been used. More decorations and medals, as well as an emblem for being mentioned in dispatches, were added between 1953 and 1970. In July 1975 the military decorations and medals of the Republic were revised. Some decorations and medals were carried over from the earlier series of 1952-1975 and new awards were instituted, followed by more between 1987 and 1991. Finally, all but one of these earlier awards were discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003, when a new set of nine decorations and medals was instituted to replace them.

Fount of Honour
Until 1958 the top three awards were reserved for conferment by the Queen while the rest were awarded by the Governor-General, but in 1958 the Governor-General was authorised to also award the top three. In 1961 the State President became the Fount of Honour, and in 1994 the President.

The Southern Africa Medal
In August 1981, during Operation Protea, several Russian T34-85 tanks were shot out by the South African Defence Force at Xangongo in Angola. The Chief of the South African Defence Force at the time, General Jannie Geldenhuys, expressed the wish that one of these tanks be recovered and taken to Pretoria, with the intention to use it as material to strike medals from. His idea was based on the origin of the British Victoria Cross which was struck from the copper of a cannon from the Crimean War. The tank is still on display at the Fort Klapperkop Museum in Pretoria, while the resulting medal was the Southern Africa Medal.

Unlike a copper cannon, however, the armour steel of a battle tank is too hard to be struck into medals using hardened steel tooling. The tank itself was therefore not suitable to use to strike medals from. However, since the medal was to be struck in nickel-silver, an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc, several kilograms of copper was recovered from burnt cables in the Xangongo tank, melted, mixed with molten nickel-silver and then used to manufacture a limited number of the Southern Africa Medals.

Award criteria
The Southern Africa Medal was awarded to serving members of all ranks of the South African Defence Force for participation in military operations in Southern Africa outside the borders of South Africa and South West Africa between 1 April 1976 and 21 March 1990. Since members who qualified for the medal would also qualify for the award of the Pro Patria Medal, such members were awarded both these campaign medals.

Service in Angola during Operation Savannah in 1975 and before 1 April 1976 was excluded, since members who took part in that operation were awarded the Cunene Clasp to the Pro Patria Medal.

Order of precedence
The position of the Southern Africa Medal in the official order of precedence was revised twice to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first with the integration into the South African National Defence Force in 1994 and again with the institution of a new set of awards in 2003.


 * South African Defence Force until 26 April 1994:
 * Official SADF order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Pro Patria Medal.
 * Succeeded by the General Service Medal.


 * Official national order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Railways Police Medal for Combating Terrorism.
 * Succeeded by the General Service Medal.


 * South African National Defence Force from 27 April 1994:
 * Official SANDF order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the General Service Medal of the Republic of Venda.
 * Succeeded by the General Service Medal of the Republic of South Africa.


 * Official national order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Police Medal for Combating Terrorism of the Republic of Transkei.
 * Succeeded by the General Service Medal of the Republic of South Africa.

The position of the Southern Africa Medal in the order of precedence as it was on 27 April 1994 remained unchanged when a new series of military orders, decorations and medals were instituted on 27 April 2003.

Description
The Southern Africa Medal is an octagonal medallion struck in nickel silver, 3 millimetres thick, to fit in a circle 38 millimetres in diameter. It depicts a cheetah walking past a thorn tree. As a matter of interest, the cheetah depicted on the medal was copied from the definitive issue 10c postage stamp that was issued in South West Africa on 1 October 1980.
 * Obverse

The words "SUIDER-AFRIKA" and "SOUTHERN AFRICA" in two lines underneath the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms, surrounded by a wreath of leaves, with the medal number stamped underneath.
 * Reverse

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide with red, yellow and black bands, all 5 millimetres wide and repeated in reverse order, separated by a 2 millimetres wide white band in the centre. The red, yellow and black ribbon colours are those of the National Flag of Angola, where the majority of these cross border operations took place during the 1966-1989 Border War.
 * Ribbon

The first 20,000 medals had a rough frosted-like surface, while the later version had a more traditional and more attractive smooth surface. The batch of medals that contains copper from the Xangongo tank are from the later batch of 40,000 medals, as is the specimen medal depicted here.
 * Versions

Mentioned in dispatches
A recipient of the Southern Africa Medal that was mentioned in dispatches during the campaign outside the borders of South Africa and South West Africa between 1 April 1976 and 21 March 1990 was entitled to wear a miniature Coat of Arms on the medal ribbon.

Discontinuation
The conferment of the medal was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003.