Gold Star for Bravery
The Gold Star for Bravery, post-nominal letters GSB, was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa in April 1996. It was awarded to veteran cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, who had distinguished themselves during the "struggle" by performing acts of exceptional bravery in great danger.
Gold Star for Bravery
- Name
- Gold Star for Bravery
- Period
- 1996
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Documentary summary
The Gold Star for Bravery, post-nominal letters GSB, was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa in April 1996. It was awarded to veteran cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, who had distinguished themselves during the "struggle" by performing acts of exceptional bravery in great danger.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Gold Star for Bravery • Presenter — the President • Country — South Africa • Type — Military decoration for bravery • Eligibility — Azanian People's Liberation Army cadres • Awarded For — Exceptional bravery in great danger • Campaign — The "struggle" • Status — Discontinued in 2003 • Post Nominals — GSB • Established — 1996 • Precedence Label — APLA 1996 & SANDF post-2002 orders of wear • Higher — * SANDF precedence: • Honoris Crux Gold • Lower — * APLA succession: • Bravery Star in Silver • SANDF succession: • Star for Bravery in Gold • Image2 — * Illustration — x29px • Caption2 — Ribbon bar
Azanian People's Liberation Army
Azanian People's Liberation Army
The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) was the para-military wing of the Pan 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).
Institution
Institution
The Gold Star for Bravery, post-nominal letters GSB, 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 Bravery Star in Silver and the Star for Conspicuous Leadership. The Azanian People's Liberation Army'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 Honoris Crux Gold, the Honoris Crux (1975) and the Pro Virtute Decoration.
Order of wear
Order of wear
The position of the Gold Star for Bravery in the official military and national orders of precedence was revised upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged, as it had been until 26 April 2003. • Azanian People's Liberation Army: • Illustration — Gold Star for Bravery (GSB) • Illustration — Bravery Star in Silver (BSS) • Official APLA order of precedence: • Succeeded by the Bravery Star in Silver (BSS). • South African National Defence Force: • Illustration — Honoris Crux Gold (HCG) • Illustration — Gold Star for Bravery (GSB) • Illustration — Star for Bravery in Gold (SBG) • Official SANDF order of precedence: • Preceded by the Honoris Crux Gold (HCG) of the Republic of South Africa. • Succeeded by the Star for Bravery in Gold (SBG) of Umkhonto we Sizwe. • Official national order of precedence: • Preceded by the Woltemade Cross for Bravery, Gold (WD) of the Republic of South Africa. • Succeeded by the Star for Bravery in Gold (SBG) of Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Discontinuation
Discontinuation
Conferment of the Gold Star for Bravery was discontinued upon the institution of a new set of military honours on 27 April 2003.
Description
• Obverse The Gold Star for Bravery is a pair of silver-gilt five-pointed stars, superimposed one on the other, to fit inside a circle with a diameter of 38 millimetres and displaying a gold lion on a white enameled centre roundel. • Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and red, with a 12 millimetres wide white band in the centre.
Award criteria
The decoration could be awarded to veteran cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army who had distinguished themselves during the "struggle" by performing acts of exceptional bravery in great danger.
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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