| Silver Medal for Merit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Military decoration for merit |
| Awarded for | Exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty |
| Country |   South Africa |
| Presented by | the President |
| Eligibility | Azanian People's Liberation Army cadres |
| Post-nominals | SMM |
| Campaign | The "struggle" |
| Status | Discontinued in 2003 |
| Established | 1996 |
 Ribbon bar | |
| APLA 1996 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear | |
| Next (higher) | APLA precedence: SANDF precedence: |
| Next (lower) | APLA succession: SANDF succession: |
TheSilver Medal for Merit, post-nominal lettersSMM, was instituted by the President of theRepublic of South Africa in April 1996. It was awarded to veteran cadres of theAzanian People's Liberation Army, the military wing of thePan Africanist Congress, for exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty during the "struggle".[1][2]
TheAzanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) was the para-military wing of thePan Africanist Congress (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).[1][3][4]
The Silver Medal for Merit, post-nominal letters SMM, was instituted by the President in April 1996. It is the middle award of a set of three decorations for merit, along with theGold Decoration for Merit and theBronze Medal for Merit.[1][2][5]
The Azanian People's Liberation Army's military decorations and medals were modelled on those of the South African Defence Force and these three decorations are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, theSouthern Cross Decoration andPro Merito Decoration, theSouthern Cross Medal (1975) andPro Merito Medal (1975), and theMilitary Merit Medal.[5]
The decoration could be awarded to veteran cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army for exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty during the "struggle".[1]
The position of the Silver Medal for Merit in the official military and national orders of precedence was revised upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.[5][6]
The Silver Medal for Merit was struck in silver, to fit in a circle 38 millimetres in diameter. It depicts the Azanian People's Liberation Army emblem in a dark blue enameled roundel, in the centre of a five-pointed starburst of radiating points.[1][7]
The reverse displays the embellishedpre-1994 South African Coat of Arms.
The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and dark blue, with two 6 millimetres wide white bands in the centre, spaced 4 millimetres apart.[1][7]
Conferment of the Silver Medal for Merit was discontinued upon the institution of a new set of South African honours on 27 April 2003.[6]
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