Distinguished Gallantry Medal

• Name — Distinguished Gallantry Medal • Presenter — the State President • Country — Bophuthatswana • Type — Military decoration for bravery • Eligibility — All Ranks • Awarded For — Extraordinary gallantry • Status — Discontinued in 1994 • Established — 1982 • Precedence Label — BDF pre-1994 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear • Higher — * BDF precedence: • Defence Force Merit Decoration • SANDF precedence: • Louw Wepener Medal • Lower — * BDF succession: • Defence Force Merit Medal • SANDF succession: • Nkwe ya Boronse • Image2 — * Illustration — x29px • Caption2 — Ribbon bar

The Bophuthatswana Defence Force (BDF) was established upon that country's independence on 6 December 1977. The Republic of Bophuthatswana ceased to exist on 27 April 1994 and the Bophuthatswana Defence Force was amalgamated with six other military forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

The Distinguished Gallantry Medal was instituted by the State President of Bophuthatswana in 1982. It is the junior award of a set of two decorations for bravery, along with the Distinguished Gallantry Cross. Bophuthatswana's military decorations and medals were modelled on those of the Republic of South Africa and these two decorations are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, the Louw Wepener Decoration and Louw Wepener Medal.

Since the Distinguished Gallantry Medal 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. The position of the Distinguished Gallantry Medal in the official order of precedence was revised on 27 April 2003, to accommodate the institution of a new set of honours. • Bophuthatswana Defence Force until 26 April 1994: • Illustration — Defence Force Merit Decoration • Illustration — Distinguished Gallantry Medal • Illustration — Defence Force Merit Medal • Official BDF order of precedence: • Preceded by the Defence Force Merit Decoration. • Succeeded by the Defence Force Merit Medal. • Bophuthatswana official national order of precedence: • Preceded by the Order of the Leopard Class IV, Member. • Succeeded by the Medal for Valour in the Prisons Service. • South African National Defence Force from 27 April 1994: • Illustration — Louw Wepener Medal (LWM) • Illustration — Distinguished Gallantry Medal • Illustration — Ad Astra Decoration (AAD) • Official SANDF order of precedence: • Preceded by the Louw Wepener Medal (LWM) of the Republic of South Africa. • Succeeded by the Ad Astra Decoration (AAD) of the Republic of South Africa. • Official national order of precedence: • Preceded by the Louw Wepener Medal (LWM) of the Republic of South Africa. • Succeeded by the Medal for Valour in the Prisons Service of the Republic of Bophuthatswana. • South African National Defence Force from 27 April 2003: • Illustration — Louw Wepener Medal (LWM) • Illustration — Distinguished Gallantry Medal • Illustration — Nkwe ya Boronse (NB) • Official SANDF order of precedence: • Preceded by the Louw Wepener Medal (LWM) of the Republic of South Africa. • Succeeded by the Nkwe ya Boronse (NB) of the Republic of South Africa. • Official national order of precedence: • Preceded by the Louw Wepener Medal (LWM) of the Republic of South Africa. • Succeeded by the Medal for Valour in the Prisons Service of the Republic of Bophuthatswana.

Conferment of the Distinguished Gallantry Medal was discontinued when the Republic of Bophuthatswana ceased to exist on 27 April 1994.