The Star for Bravery in Gold, post-nominal letters SBG, 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 The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

, who have distinguished themselves during the "struggle" by performing acts of exceptional bravery in great danger.South African Medal Website - Liberation armies
(Accessed 30 April 2015)
(Accessed 28 April 2015)

Umkhonto we Sizwe

Umkhonto we Sizwe, abbreviated as MK, "Spear of the Nation" in Zulu, was the para-military wing of the

(ANC). It was established on 16 December 1961 to wage an armed "struggle" against the Nationalist government inside South Africa. On 27 April 1994, Umkhonto we Sizwe 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 Star for Bravery in Gold, post-nominal letters SBG, was instituted by the President of South Africa in April 1996. It is the senior award of a set of three decorations for bravery, along with 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, ...

and the Conspicuous Leadership Star. Umkhonto we Sizwe's military decorations and medals were modeled on those of the South African Defence Force and these three decorations are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, the

Honoris Crux Gold The Honoris Crux Gold (Gold Cross of Honour), post-nominal letters HCG, is a South African military decoration for bravery which was instituted in 1975. It was awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for outstanding acts of brav ...

, 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 ...

and the

Pro Virtute Decoration The Pro Virtute Decoration, post-nominal letters PVD, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987. It was awarded to officers of the South African Defence Force for distinguished conduct an ...

Award criteria

The decoration could be awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe who had distinguished themselves during the "struggle" by performing acts of exceptional bravery in great danger.

Order of wear

The position of the Star for Bravery in Gold in the official military and national orders of precedence was revised upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.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. ;Umkhonto we Sizwe: Ribbon Star for Bravery in Gold

* Official MK order of precedence: ** Succeeded by the

(SBS). ;South African National Defence Force until 26 April 2003: Ribbon Gold Star for Bravery

* Official SANDF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Gold Star for Bravery (GSB) of 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 ...

. ** Succeeded by the

Star of South Africa, Gold The Star of South Africa, Gold, post-nominal letters SSA, is the senior decoration of two military and five non-military classes of the Order of the Star of South Africa, a South African Order which was instituted in 1975, for award to general a ...

(SSA) of the Republic of South Africa. * Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Gold Star for Bravery (GSB) of the Azanian People's Liberation Army. ** Succeeded by the Order of the Southern Cross, Class I, Gold (OSG) of the Republic of South Africa. ;South African National Defence Force from 27 April 2003: Ribbon Gold Star for Bravery

* Official SANDF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Gold Star for Bravery (GSB) of the Azanian People's Liberation Army. ** Succeeded by the

Nkwe ya Gauta The Nkwe ya Gauta - Golden Leopard, post-nominal letters NG, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted in 2003, to replace the Honoris Crux Gold (HCG). It is South Africa's highest military decoration for bravery.Presidential Wa ...

(NG) of the Republic of South Africa. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Gold Star for Bravery (GSB) of the Azanian People's Liberation Army. ** Succeeded by the Nkwe ya Gauta (NG) of the Republic of South Africa.

Description

;Obverse The Star for Bravery in Gold is a silver-gilt five-pointed star, to fit inside a circle with a diameter of 38 millimetres and displaying a gold lion on a white enameled centre roundel.Uniform: SA Army: Former Forces Medals - Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK)
/ref> ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and red, with two 6 millimetres wide white bands in the centre, spaced 4 millimetres apart.

Discontinuation

Conferment of the Star for Bravery in Gold was discontinued upon the institution of a new set of South African honours on 27 April 2003.

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of uMkhonto we Sizwe Awards established in 1996 1996 establishments in South Africa