Order for Meritorious Service

• Name — Order for Meritorious Service • Presenter — the State President and, from 1994, the President • Country — South Africa South Africa • Type — Civil National Order • Eligibility — South African citizens • Awarded For — Exceptional public service • Status — Discontinued in 2003 • Post Nominals — Gold - OMSG Silver - OMSS • Established — 1986 • Lastawarded — 2002 • Precedence Label — Pre-1994 & post-2002 orders of wear • Higher — * Order for Meritorious Service, Gold, Pre-1994 precedence: • Star of South Africa, Gold and Star of South Africa, Grand Cross • Post-2002 precedence: • Order of Thohoyandou, Special Class, Grand Cross • Order for Meritorious Service, Silver, Pre-1994 precedence: • Star of South Africa, Silver and Star of South Africa, Grand Officer • Post-2002 precedence: • Order of Indwe, Class I • Lower — * Order for Meritorious Service, Gold, Pre-1994 succession: • Order of Good Hope, Class I, Grand Collar/Grand Cross • Post-2002 succession: • Order of Transkei, Class I, Grand Cross • Order for Meritorious Service, Silver, Pre-1994 succession: • Order of Good Hope, Class II, Grand Officer, Silver • Post-2002 succession: • Order of Transkei, Class II, Grand Officer • Image2 — * Illustration — x29px • Illustration — x29px • Caption2 — 1986 and 1996 ribbon bars

The Order for Meritorious Service was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1986, by Warrant published in Government Gazette no. 10493 dated 24 October 1986. It superseded the earlier Decoration for Meritorious Services. The order could be awarded in two classes: • The Order for Meritorious Service, Class I, Gold, post-nominal letters OMSG, for exceptional merit. • The Order for Meritorious Service, Class II, Silver, post-nominal letters OMSS, for outstanding merit.

The positions of the two classes of the Order for Meritorious Service in the official order of precedence were revised three times after 1986 to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first with the integration process of 1994, again when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted in April 1996 for the two former non-statutory para-military forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again with the institution of new sets of awards in 2002 and 2003.

• Official national order of precedence until 26 April 1994: • Preceded by the Star of South Africa, Gold and Star of South Africa, Grand Cross. • Succeeded by the Order of Good Hope, Class I, Grand Collar/Grand Cross. • Official national order of precedence from 27 April 1994: • Preceded by the Order of Thohoyandou, Special Class, Grand Cross of the Republic of Venda. • Succeeded by the Order of Transkei, Class I, Grand Cross (GCT) of the Republic of Transkei. The position of the Order for Meritorious Service, Gold in the South African order of precedence remained unchanged, as it was on 27 April 1994, when new awards were instituted in 1996, 2002 and 2003.

• Official national order of precedence until 26 April 1994: • Preceded by the Star of South Africa, Silver and Star of South Africa, Grand Officer. • Succeeded by the Order of Good Hope, Class II, Grand Officer, Silver. • Official national order of precedence from 27 April 1994: • Preceded by the Order of Indwe, Class I of the Republic of Ciskei. • Succeeded by the Order of Transkei, Class II, Grand Officer (GOT) of the Republic of Transkei. The position of the Order for Meritorious Service, Silver in the South African order of precedence remained unchanged, as it was on 27 April 1994, when new awards were instituted in 1996, 2002 and 2003.

Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in 2003 when a new set of national orders was instituted.

The known recipients are listed in the table. • Class — Name — Year • Gold — Abdurahman, A. — 2003 • Silver — Baard. Frances — 2003 • Gold — Biko, Stephen Bantu — 2003 • Silver — Bizos, George — 1999 • Silver — Boonzaier, Gregoire Johannes — 2003 • Silver — Brownell, Frederick Gordon — 2000 • Gold — Cadman, Radclyffe Macbeth — 1987 • Gold — Dadoo, Yusuf Mohamed — 2003 • Gold — Dyer, Henry Brooke — 1998 • Gold — du Plessis, Hubert — 1992 • Silver — Eybers, Elisabeth Françoise — 2003 • Gold — Fischer, Abram Louis — 2003 • Gold — Gear, James Henderson Sutherland — 1989 • Silver — Gwangwa, J. — 2003 • Gold — HurIey, Denis Eugene — 2003 • Silver — Ibrahim, A. — 2003 • Gold — Joseph, Helen Beatrice — 2003 • Gold — Kathrada, Ahmed Mohamed — 2003 • Silver — Kuzwayo, E. — 2003 • Gold — Kies, B. — 2003 • Gold — Klaaste, Aggrey Zola — 2003 • Gold — Kotane, Moses Mauane — 2003 • Silver — Mafikeng, E. — 2003 • Silver — Magubane, Peter — 1999 • Silver — Makeba, Zenzile Miriam — 2003 • Gold — Malan, Magnus André de Merindol — c. 1987 • Gold — Mangeni, Andrew Mokete — 2003 • Gold — Marks, J.B. — 2003 • Silver — Masekela, Hugh Ramopolo — 2003 • Silver — Matomela, F. — 2003 • Silver — Matshikiza, Todd Tozama — 2003 • Gold — Mbeki, Mvuyelwa Govan Archibald — 2003 • Silver — Mbeki, Zanele — 2003 • Silver — Meer, Fatima — 2003 • Gold — Mhlaba. Raymond — 2003 • Gold — Mkwayi, Wilton — 2003 • Silver — Mntwana, Ida Flyo — 2003 • Silver — Molale, Kate — 2003 • Silver — Moloi, L.S.L.N. — 2003 • Silver — Mompati, Ruth Segomotsi — 2003 • Gold — Motlana, Nthato Harrison — 2003 • Gold — Motsoaledi, Mathope Elias — 2003 • Silver — Mpetha, Oscar — 2003 • Gold — Ngoyi, Lillian Masediba — 2003 • Gold — Nokwe, Philemon Pearce Dumasile — 2003 • Silver — Nyembe, Dorothy — 2003 • Gold — Oppenheimer, Harry Frederick — 2003 • Gold — Rupert, Anthony Edward — 2003 • Silver — Schoeman, Karel — 2003 • Gold — Schwarz, Harry Heinz — 1988 • Silver — September, H. — 2003 • Silver — Shope, Gertrude — 2003 • Silver — Simons, Rachel Alexandrovich — 2003 • Gold — Sisulu, Nontsikelelo Albertina — 2003 • Gold — Sobukwe, Robert Mangaliso — 2003 • Gold — Suzman, Helen — 1997 • Silver — Tamana, D. — 2003 • Gold — Tiro, O.A. — 2003 • Silver — Tshabalala-Msimang, Manto — 2003 • Gold — Tutu, Desmond Mpilo — 1999 • Silver — van der Merwe, S.S. — 2003 • Gold — Venter, William Peter — 1991 • Silver — Williams-de Bruyn, Sophia Theresa — 2003 • Gold — Smith, Margaret Mary — 1987 Note: denotes a posthumous award.