The Pro Virtute Decoration, post-nominal letters PVD, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted by 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 1987. It was awarded to officers of the

South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence F ...

for distinguished conduct and exceptional leadership during combat operations in the field.South African Medal Website - Post-nominal Letters
(Accessed 28 April 2015)

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).
(Accessed 30 April 2015)
(Accessed 30 April 2015)Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 457, no. 25213, Pretoria, 25 July 2003
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Institution

The Pro Virtute Decoration, post-nominal letters PVD, was instituted by the State President in 1987. The equivalent award for other ranks was the

Pro Virtute Medal The Pro Virtute Medal, post-nominal letters PVM, was a South African military decorations, military decoration for bravery that was instituted by the South Africa, Republic of South Africa in 1987, but never awarded. The decoration was intended ...

Award criteria

The decoration could be awarded to officers of the

for distinguished conduct and exceptional leadership during combat operations in the field. A Bar, instituted in 1993, could be awarded for a further similar deed of leadership in combat.

Order of wear

The position of the Pro Virtute Decoration in the official order of precedence was revised three times after 1975, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first with the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, again in April 1996 when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted for the two former non-statutory forces, the

Azanian People's Liberation Army The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), formerly known as Poqo, was the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, an African nationalist movement in South Africa. In the Xhosa language, the word 'Poqo' means 'pure'. After attacks on ...

and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and finally with the institution of a new set of awards on 27 April 2003. ;South African Defence Force until 26 April 1994: HC2lint

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

Honoris Crux (1975) The Honoris Crux (Cross of Honour) of 1975, post-nominal letters HC, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. The decoration was awarded to members of the South African Defence F ...

(HC). ** Succeeded by the

Southern Cross Decoration The Southern Cross Decoration, post-nominal letters SD, is a South African military decoration for merit which was instituted by the Republic on 1 July 1975. It was awarded to officers of the South African Defence Force for outstanding service ...

(SD). *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Police Cross for Bravery (PCF). ** Succeeded by the Southern Cross Decoration (SD).Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 15093, Pretoria, 3 September 1993 ;South African National Defence Force from 27 April 1994: Rbn TDF Cross for Bravery

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

Cross for Bravery The Cross for Bravery was instituted by the State President of the Republic of Transkei, for award to all ranks as a decoration for bravery.Republic of Transkei A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. ** Succeeded by the Southern Cross Decoration (SD) of the

. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Police Cross for Bravery (PCF) of the

. ** Succeeded by the Southern Cross Decoration (SD) of the Republic of South Africa.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, ;South African National Defence Force from April 1996: Ribbon Star for Bravery in Silver

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

Star for Bravery in Silver The Star for Bravery in Silver, post-nominal letters SBS, 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, ...

(SBS) of Umkhonto we Sizwe. ** Succeeded by the Southern Cross Decoration (SD) of the Republic of South Africa. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Star for Bravery in Silver (SBS) of Umkhonto we Sizwe. ** Succeeded by the Southern Cross Decoration (SD) of the Republic of South Africa. ;South African National Defence Force from 27 April 2003: NSlint

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

Nkwe ya Selefera The Nkwe ya Selefera - Silver Leopard, post-nominal letters NS, was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa on 16 April 2003 and came into effect on 27 April 2003. It is South Africa's second highest military decoration for b ...

(NS) of the Republic of South Africa. ** Succeeded by the Southern Cross Decoration (SD) of the Republic of South Africa. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Mendi Decoration for Bravery, Silver (MDS) of the Republic of South Africa. ** Succeeded by the Southern Cross Decoration (SD) of the Republic of South Africa.

Description

;Obverse The Pro Virtute Decoration is a 9 carat gold five-armed Maltese cross, with one arm pointing down, which fits in a circle 45 millimetres in diameter. The arms of the cross are in white enamel, with the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms on a roundel in red enamel in the centre. Crossed proteas attach the upper two arms of the Maltese cross to the ribbon suspender, which is a bar decorated with leaves. ;Reverse The reverse is undecorated and bears the words "PRO VIRTUTE". Ribbon - Pro Virtute Decoration & Bar

;Bar The Bar is silver-gilt and has an emblem depicting a

Protea ''Protea'' () is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: ''suikerbos''). Etymology The genus ''Protea'' was named in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus, possibly after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his form a ...

embossed in the centre. The same Bar was used to indicate multiple awards of the Pro Virtute Decoration,

Pro Merito Decoration The Pro Merito Decoration, post-nominal letters PMD, is a military decoration for merit which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. It was awarded to other ranks of the South African Defence Force for outstanding servi ...

and

Ad Astra Decoration The Ad Astra Decoration, post-nominal letters AAD, was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1991, to reward South African Air Force aircrew members on board aircraft for excellent airmanship or outstanding ingenuity or skill during emer ...

. ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide, with a 21 millimetres wide orange centre band between two 5½ millimetres wide pale blue bands, and hangs on a rectangular bar-brooch which is, like the suspender bar, decorated with leaves.

Discontinuation

Conferment of the Pro Virtute Decoration was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette no. 26778, Pretoria, 17 September 2004 Since a situation such as the Battle of

Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi ...

in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

from 22 to 24 March 2013 was not foreseen, the decoration was not replaced by a similar honour to distinguish between leadership under fire and leadership under non-operational conditions. This engagement has been described as one of the hardest-fought actions which the South African military have ever experienced, during which two officers displayed exceptional combat leadership to defeat a well-armed force, estimated at between 4,000 and 7,000, with only 200 men.DefenceWeb Book Review: The Battle in Bangui: The untold inside story. By Helmoed Romer Heitman
(Accessed 3 May 2015)
(Accessed 3 May 2015)

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa 1987 establishments in South Africa Awards established in 1987