| Medalje vir Troue Diens Medal for Loyal Service | |
| Presenter: | the President |
| Country: |  South Africa |
| Type: | Military long service medal |
| Eligibility: | All ranks |
| Awarded For: | Ten years of loyal service |
| Status: | Current |
| Established: | 27 April 2003 |
| Precedence Label: | Order of wear |
| Higher: | Service Medal in Bronze |
| Lower: | Queen's Medal for Champion Shots in the Military Forces |
The Medalje vir Troue Diens - Medal for Loyal Service was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa on 16 April 2003 and came into effect on 27 April 2003. It can be awarded to all ranks whose character and conduct have been irreproachable and who have completed ten years of qualifying service.[1] [2]
The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994, it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).[2] [3] [4]
The Medalje vir Troue Diens - Medal for Loyal Service was instituted by the President on 16 April 2003 and came into effect on 27 April 2003. The bilingual title of the medal is in Afrikaans and English.[1] [5]
The medal can be awarded to all ranks of the South African National Defence Force and of any Auxiliary Service of the South African National Defence Force, whose character and conduct have been irreproachable and who, on or after 27 April 2003, have completed ten years of qualifying service, not necessarily continuous. The medal and the Bars to the medal may be awarded posthumously. Qualifying service include service in the former constituent permanent or part-time forces of the SANDF as well as other former uniformed establishments, such as the Police forces and Prisons services of South Africa, the Republics of Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei and the Self-Governing Territories.[1]
Upon completion of further periods of ten years of qualifying service, the Medalje vir Troue Diens - Medal for Loyal Service and the appropriate bar may be awarded in addition to previous medals for long service which had been awarded for service in these former forces.[1]
Guidelines, consisting of appropriate words or phrases which may be useful when writing a citation for the award of the Medalje vir Troue Diens - Medal for Loyal Service, have been published by the South African Defence Department.[6]
Only one medal is conferred and, for each additional period of ten years of qualifying service to a maximum of another forty years, altogether four bars may be awarded to denote subsequent conferments of the medal. The position of the Medalje vir Troue Diens - Medal for Loyal Service in the official military and national orders of precedence depends on which bars for further periods of service beyond ten years, if any, had been awarded to the recipient.[1]
In respect of the Medalje vir Troue Diens without a bar, for ten years service, the official order of precedence is as follows:[7]
In respect of the Medalje vir Troue Diens and Bar for twenty years service, the official order of precedence is as follows:[7]
In respect of the Medalje vir Troue Diens and Bar for thirty years service, the official order of precedence is as follows:[7]
In respect of the Medalje vir Troue Diens and Bar for forty years service, the official order of precedence is as follows:[7]
In respect of the Medalje vir Troue Diens and Bar for fifty years service, the official order of precedence is as follows:[7]
The Emblem for Reserve Force Service, post-nominal letters RD, was instituted on 27 April 2003 and may be awarded to members in the part-time Reserves of the South African National Defence Force who have performed twenty years of loyal service, of which not less than five years were served in the Reserve Force, service in the former Citizen Force or Commandos included. The emblem is worn on the centre of the ribbon of the Afrikaans: Medalje vir Troue Diens - English: Medal for Loyal Service, above any bars awarded for periods of extended service, and may be continued to be worn even if the recipient is later appointed in the Regular Force.[2] [8]
The conferring of the Emblem for Reserve Force Service entitles recipients to the use of the post-nominal letters RD, denoting "Reserve Distinction".[2] [8]