The Nkwe ya Selefera - Silver Leopard, post-nominal letters NS, was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa on 16 April 2003 and came into effect on 27 April 2003. It is South Africa's second highest military decoration for bravery.
The South African military
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).
Institution
The Nkwe ya Selefera - Silver Leopard, post-nominal letters NS, was instituted by the President 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 (HC) as South Africa's second highest military decoration for bravery. It is the middle award of a set of three military decorations for bravery, along with the Nkwe ya Gauta - Golden Leopard and the Nkwe ya Boronse - Bronze Leopard.
- Deliberate but daring and conspicuous actions on a single occasion or over a period of time.
- A dangerous, serious and/or critical situation.
- A possibility of loss of own life and/or endangered own life for others.
- Actions contributory to success.
- Perseverance under trying circumstances.
Order of wear
The position of the Nkwe ya Selefera - Silver Leopard in the official military and national orders of precedence is as follows:
x37px|Star for Bravery in Silver (SBS) x37px|Nkwe ya Selefera (NS) x37px|Pro Virtute Decoration (PVD)
;Official military order of precedence:
- Preceded by the Star for Bravery in Silver (SBS) of Umkhonto we Sizwe.
- Succeeded by the Pro Virtute Decoration (PVD) of the Republic of South Africa.
;Official national order of precedence:
- Preceded by the Star for Bravery in Silver (SBS) of Umkhonto we Sizwe.
- Succeeded by the Mendi Decoration for Bravery, Silver (MDS) of the Republic of South Africa.
Description
;Obverse
The Nkwe ya Selefera - Silver Leopard is a five-armed cross pattée, struck in silver, with a diameter of 38 millimetres. The arms of the cross are bordered and the extremities embowed, with each pair of arms of the cross separated by three short rays. In the centre of the obverse is a light blue enamel roundel, 19 millimetres in diameter, with a silver leopard's head.
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Note 1: denotes a posthumous award.