The South Africa Service Medal was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa in 1998. It was awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army for operational service inside South Africa during the "struggle".
Umkhonto we Sizwe, abbreviated as MK, "Spear of the Nation" in Zulu, was the para-military wing of the African National Congress (ANC), while the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) was the para-military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress. Both were established in 1961 to wage an armed "struggle" against the Nationalist government inside South Africa. On 27 April 1994, Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army were amalgamated with five statutory defence forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The South Africa Service Medal was instituted by the President of South Africa in April 1998.
The medal could be awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army for operational service inside South Africa during the "struggle".
The position of the South Africa Service Medal in the official military and national orders of precedence was revised upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.
The South Africa Service Medal is a medallion struck in nickel-silver, 38 millimetres in diameter with a raised rim, and depicts a crossed knobkierie and spear on an African shield above a map of South Africa.
The reverse has a raised rim and displays the embellished .
The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide, with a 4 millimetres wide blue band, an 8 millimetres wide yellow band and a 1 millimetre wide white band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 6 millimetres wide red band in the centre.
Conferment of the South Africa Service Medal was discontinued upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.