| Nkwe ya Gauta Golden Leopard | |
| Presenter: | the President |
| Country: |  South Africa |
| Type: | Military decoration for bravery |
| Eligibility: | All ranks |
| Awarded For: | Acts of exceptional bravery during military operations |
| Status: | Current |
| Post-Nominals: | NG |
| Established: | 27 April 2003 |
| Precedence Label: | Order of wear |
| Higher: | Star for Bravery in Gold |
| Lower: | Star of South Africa, Gold |
The Nkwe ya Gauta - Golden Leopard, post-nominal letters NG, is a military decoration for bravery which was instituted in 2003, to replace the Honoris Crux Gold (HCG). It is South Africa's highest military decoration for bravery.[1] [2] [3]
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] [4]
The Nkwe ya Gauta - Golden Leopard, post-nominal letters NG, was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa on 16 April 2003 and came into effect on 27 April 2003. The bilingual title of the decoration is in Sesotho and English. This decoration replaced the Honoris Crux Gold (HCG) as South Africa's highest military decoration for bravery. It is the senior of a set of three military decorations for bravery, along with the Nkwe ya Selefera - Silver Leopard and the Nkwe ya Boronse - Bronze Leopard.[1] [2] [3]
The Nkwe ya Gauta - Golden Leopard can be awarded to all ranks of the South African National Defence Force and of any Auxiliary Service of the SANDF, and of any Armed Forces attached to, or serving with, or rendering any service to the SANDF, who have distinguished themselves by performing acts of exceptional bravery, on a single occasion or over a period of time, during military operations.[1]
A Bar may be awarded for every subsequent action which would make recipients eligible for the award of the same decoration. The decoration and bar may be awarded posthumously.[1]
Guidelines consisting of appropriate phrases which may be useful when writing a citation for the award of the Nkwe ya Gauta - Golden Leopard have been published by the South African Defence Department.[5]
The position of the Nkwe ya Gauta - Golden Leopard in the official military and national orders of precedence is as follows:[6]
In respect of those recipients about whom it is available, the actions they were cited for following below the table, since inclusion in the table itself is impractical.
| Name | Rank | NG no. | Date of action | Unit | Service Arm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramdin, Amrithlall Tothara | data-sort-value="15" | LS | 018 | Naval Base Durban | SA Navy | |
| Borg, Able Seaman Henro ter Borg | data-sort-value="6" | AB | 019 | Naval Base Durban | SA Navy | |
| Mundell, Seaman Francois William Mundell | data-sort-value="6" | SM | 020 | Naval Base Durban | SA Navy | |
Note 1: denotes a posthumous award.