Distinguished Service Medal, Silver

The 900 member Venda Defence Force (VDF) was established upon that country's independence on 13 September 1979. The Republic of Venda ceased to exist on 27 April 1994 and the Venda Defence Force was amalgamated with six other military forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).{{Citation |date=May 1996 |title=South Africa Homeland Militaries |url=http://www.photius.com/countries/south_africa/national_security/south_africa_national_security_homeland_militaries.html}} (Accessed 1 May 2015){{citation |last=Peled |first=Alon |series=Cornell Studies in Security Affairs |title=A Question of Loyalty: Military Manpower Policy in Multiethnic States |year=1998 |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca |isbn=0-8014-3239-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/questionofloyali00pele/page/50 50f] |url=https://archive.org/details/questionofloyali00pele/page/50 |url-access=registration }}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.

The Distinguished Service Medal, Silver was instituted by the President of Venda in 1985. It is the middle award of a set of three decorations for merit, along with the Distinguished Service Medal, Gold and the Venda Defence Force Medal.

Venda's military decorations and medals were modeled on those of the Republic of South Africa and these three decorations are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, the Southern Cross Decoration and Pro Merito Decoration, the Southern Cross Medal (1975) and Pro Merito Medal (1975), and the Military Merit Medal.

The medal could be awarded to all ranks for outstanding service and devotion to duty.

{{main|South African military decorations order of wear#Order of wear}}

Since the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver was authorised for wear by one of the statutory forces which came to be part of the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, it was accorded a position in the official South African order of precedence on that date.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, {{OCLC|72827981}}

;Venda Defence Force until 26 April 1994:

File:Ribbon - Distinguished Service Medal, Gold.png File:Ribbon - Distinguished Service Medal, Silver.png File:Ribbon - Venda Defence Force Medal.png

• Official VDF order of precedence:
• Preceded by the Distinguished Service Medal, Gold.
• Succeeded by the Venda Defence Force Medal.
• Venda official national order of precedence:
• Preceded by the National Force Outstanding Service Medal (SOE).
• Succeeded by the Police Star for Outstanding Service (SOE).

;South African National Defence Force from 27 April 1994:

File:PMM1lint.gif File:Ribbon - Distinguished Service Medal, Silver.png File:SM2lint.gif

• Official SANDF order of precedence:
• Preceded by the Pro Merito Medal (1967) (PMM) of the Republic of South Africa.
• Succeeded by the Southern Cross Medal (1975) (SM) of the Republic of South Africa.
• Official national order of precedence:
• Preceded by the KwaZulu Police Star for Outstanding Service.
• Succeeded by the Police Star for Outstanding Service (SOE) of the Republic of Venda.

The position of the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver in the official order of precedence was revised twice after 1994, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first in April 1996 when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on both occasions.

The Distinguished Service Medal, Silver is, in effect, Venda's equivalent of the South African Southern Cross Medal (1975) and Pro Merito Medal (1975). It would appear, therefore, as though the position of the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver, instituted in 1985, in the official order of precedence was allocated in error. According to their dates of institution, it should have taken precedence after the Pro Merito Medal (1975) and not after the Pro Merito Medal (1967). Its correct position in the order of wear would therefore be after Bophuthatswana's Defence Force Merit Medal of 1982 and before Ciskei's Sandile Medal of 1988.

;Obverse

The Distinguished Service Medal, Silver is a medallion, struck in silver, 38 millimetres in diameter, with the letter V above two interlaced rings.{{Cite web |url=http://www.army.mil.za/aboutus/uniform/formerforcesmedals/venda.htm |title=Uniform: SA Army: Former Forces Medals - Venda Defence Force (BDF) |access-date=16 June 2014 |archive-date=16 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916221542/http://www.army.mil.za/aboutus/uniform/formerforcesmedals/venda.htm |url-status=dead }}

;Reverse

The reverse displays the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Venda and, around the perimeter beneath, the words "MENDELE WA TSHUVELO KWAYO".

;Ribbon

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide, with a 3 millimetres wide green band, a 2 millimetres wide brown band and a 9 millimetres wide blue band, repeated in reverse order and separated by a 4 millimetres wide white band.

Conferment of the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver was discontinued when the Republic of Venda ceased to exist on 27 April 1994.

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{South African military decorations and medals}}

Category:Military decorations and medals of Venda

Category:Awards established in 1985

Category:Awards disestablished in 1994

Category:1985 establishments in Africa

Category:1994 disestablishments in Africa