The Gold Service Medal was instituted by the President of the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in April 1996. It was awarded to veteran cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the

Pan Africanist Congress The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (known as the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)) is a South African national liberation Pan-Africanist movement that is now a political party. It was founded by an Africanist group, led by Robert Sobukwe, that ...

, for thirty years service.South African Medal Website - Liberation armies
(Accessed 30 April 2015)

Azanian People's Liberation Army

The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) was the para-military wing of the

(PAC). It was established in 1961 to wage an armed "struggle" against the Nationalist government inside South Africa. On 27 April 1994, the Azanian People's Liberation Army was amalgamated with six other military forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).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.

Institution

The Gold Service Medal was instituted 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 Nationa ...

in April 1996. It is the senior award of a set of three medals for long service, along with the Silver Service Medal and the Bronze Service Medal.South African Medal Website - Legal aspects - Fount of Honour
(Accessed 1 May 2015) The Azanian People's Liberation Army's military decorations and medals were modelled on those of the South African Defence Force and these three medals are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, the

Good Service Medal, Gold The Good Service Medal, Gold, originally named the South African Defence Force Good Service Medal, Gold, is the senior of a set of three military medals which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. It was initially award ...

, the Good Service Medal, Silver and the

Good Service Medal, Bronze The Good Service Medal, Bronze, originally named the South African Defence Force Good Service Medal, Bronze, is the junior of a set of three South African military medals which was instituted by the Republic on 1 July 1975. It was awarded to mem ...

Award criteria

The medal could be awarded to veteran cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army for thirty years service.

Order of wear

The position of the Gold 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, but it remained unchanged.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, 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. ;Azanian People's Liberation Army: Ribbon - South Africa Service Medal

*Official APLA order of precedence: ** Preceded by the South Africa Service Medal. ** Succeeded by the Silver Service Medal. ;South African National Defence Force: Ribbon - Long Service Medal, Gold

*Official SANDF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the

Long Service Medal, Gold The Long Service Medal, Gold was instituted by the President of the Republic of Venda in 1985, for award to all ranks for thirty years exemplary service.

of the

Republic of Venda Venda () was a Bantustan in northern South Africa, which is fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, while to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black homeland, Gazankulu. It is now part of the ...

. ** Succeeded by the

Service Medal in Gold The Service Medal in Gold 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 thirty years exemplary servi ...

of Umkhonto we Sizwe. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Correctional Services Medal for Faithful Service, 30 Years of the

KwaZulu Homeland KwaZulu was a semi-independent bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government as a homeland for the Zulu people. The capital was moved from Nongoma to Ulundi in 1980. It was led until its abolition in 1994 by Chief Mangosuth ...

. ** Succeeded by the Service Medal in Gold of Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Description

;Obverse The Gold Service Medal is a silver-gilt oval medallion with a raised edge, depicting the Azanian People's Liberation Army emblem.Uniform: SA Army: Former Forces Medals - Azanian Peoples Liberation Army (APLA)
/ref>
;Reverse The reverse is smooth and displays the embellished pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms. ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide, with a 4 millimetres wide black band and a 2 millimetres wide yellow band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 20 millimetres wide green band in the centre.

Discontinuation

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

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of Azanian People's Liberation Army Awards established in 1996 Awards disestablished in 2003 1996 establishments in South Africa 2003 disestablishments in South Africa