The Long Service Medal, Bronze was instituted by the President of the Republic of Venda in 1985, for award to all ranks for ten years exemplary service.South African Medal Website - Venda Defence Force (Accessed 30 April 2015)
The Venda Defence Force The 900 member Venda Defence Force (VDF) was established upon that country's independence on 13 September 1979. The Republic of Venda ceased to exist on 27 April 1994 and the Venda Defence Force was amalgamated with six other military forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). (Accessed 1 May 2015)Warrant of the President of the Republic of South Africa for the Institution of the "UNITAS MEDAL-UNITAS-MEDALJE", Gazette no. 16087 dated 25 November 1994.
Institution The Long Service Medal, Bronze was instituted by the President of Venda in 1985. It is the junior award of a set of three medals for long service, along with the Long Service Medal, Gold and the Long Service Medal, Silver.South African Medal Website - Legal aspects - Fount of Honour (Accessed 1 May 2015)
Venda's military decorations and medals were modelled on those of the Republic of South Africa and these three medals are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, the Good Service Medal, Gold, the Good Service Medal, Silver and the Good Service Medal, Bronze.
Award criteria The medal could be awarded to all ranks for ten years of exemplary service.
Order of wear
Since the Long Service Medal, Bronze was authorised for wear by one of the statutory forces which came to be part of the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, it was accorded a position in the official South African order of precedence on that date.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005,
Venda Defence Force until 26 April 1994
Official VDF order of precedence: Preceded by the Long Service Medal, Silver. Venda official national order of precedence: Preceded by the National Force Long Service Medal, 10 Years. Succeeded by the Police Medal for Faithful Service.
South African National Defence Force from 27 April 1994
Official SANDF order of precedence: Preceded by the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct, Bronze of the Republic of Bophuthatswana. Succeeded by the De Wet Medal of the Republic of South Africa. Official national order of precedence: Preceded by the Medal for Faithful Service in the Prisons Service of the Republic of Bophuthatswana. Succeeded by the Police Medal for Faithful Service of the Republic of Venda.
The position of the Long Service Medal, Bronze in the official order of precedence was revised twice after 1994, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first in April 1996 when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on both occasions.
Description Obverse The Long Service Medal, Bronze is a disk struck in bronze, 38 millimetres in diameter, depicting the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Venda.Uniform: SA Army: Former Forces Medals - Venda Defence Force (BDF)
The suspender is in the form of a pair of crossed elephant tusks and is different on the full-size and miniature medals. On the full-size medal, as depicted, the ends of the tusks reach to approximately the ten-thirty and one-thirty positions on the medallion, while on the miniature medal they reach to approximately the ten o'clock and two o'clock positions on the medallion.Venda Defence Medal for Long Service Full size
Reverse The reverse is inscribed with the number of years service in Tshivenda.
Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and green, with 4 millimetres wide blue edges and a 2 millimetres wide brown band in the centre.
Discontinuation Conferment of the Long Service Medal, Bronze was discontinued when the Republic of Venda ceased to exist on 27 April 1994.
References