The Order of the Baobab is a South African civilian national honour, awarded to those for service in business and the economy; science, medicine, and for technological innovation; and community service. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is awarded annually by the
President of South Africa
The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of South Africa and is the commander-in-chief of the South African Nati ...
. The order is named after the
baobab
''Adansonia'' is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( or ). They are placed in the Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae. They are native to Madagascar, mainland Africa, and Australia.Tropi ...
tree, which was chosen as a symbol because of its endurance and tolerance, its vitality, its importance in agro-forestry systems, and its use as a meeting place in traditional African societies.
Until the
Order of Luthuli and the
Order of Ikhamanga
The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003 and is granted by the President of South Africa for achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports (which were initially recognised b ...
were established in 2004, the Order of the Baobab also covered service in the fields now covered by those orders.
Current classes
The three classes of appointment to the Order are, in descending order of precedence:
* ''Supreme Counsellor of the Baobab is gold, for exceptional service'' (SCOB)
* ''Grand Counsellor of the Baobab is silver, for distinguished service'' (GCOB)
* ''Counsellor of the Baobab is bronze, for dedicated service'' (COB)
Symbolism
The central motif is a baobab tree, one of the oldest trees in Africa, with roots symbolising longevity. The badge is bordered by a
nonagon
In geometry, a nonagon () or enneagon () is a nine-sided polygon or 9-gon.
The name ''nonagon'' is a prefix hybrid formation, from Latin (''nonus'', "ninth" + ''gonon''), used equivalently, attested already in the 16th century in French ''non ...
shape, a nine-sided polygon, with each side representing one of the nine South African
provinces. It represents the many different areas of possible contribution and service, in building a prosperous nation. The roughly rectangular shaped plaque, is textured to represent the baobab tree bark that is commonly used to make mats and hats.
The ribbon is gold, with recurring cream-coloured baobab silhouettes down the centre. All three classes are worn around the neck. The
South African coat of arms is displayed on the reverse of the badge.
Recipients
These are all the recipients, in order of most recent:
See also
*
South African civil honours
References
External links
South African government website South African Medals Website
{{South African honours system
Orders, decorations, and medals of South Africa
Orders of South Africa
Awards established in 2002
2002 establishments in South Africa