The Conspicuous Leadership Star, post-nominal letters CLS, was instituted by the President of the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in April 1996. It was awarded to veteran cadres of

Umkhonto we Sizwe uMkhonto weSizwe (; abbreviated MK; ) was the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC), founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre. Its mission was to fight against the South African government to brin ...

, the military wing of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

, who have distinguished themselves during the "struggle" by distinguished conduct and exceptional combat leadership.South African Medal Website - Liberation armies
(Accessed 30 April 2015)
(Accessed 28 April 2015)

Umkhonto we Sizwe

, abbreviated as MK, Zulu for "Spear of the Nation", was the para-military wing of the

(ANC). It was established on 16 December 1961 to wage an armed "struggle" against the Nationalist government inside South Africa. On 27 April 1994, Umkhonto we Sizwe was amalgamated with six other military forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).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 Conspicuous Leadership Star, post-nominal letters CLS, was instituted by the

President of South Africa The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander-in-chief of the South African National Defence F ...

in April 1996. It is the junior award of a set of three decorations for bravery, along with the Star for Bravery in Gold and the Star for Bravery in Silver. Umkhonto we Sizwe's military decorations and medals were modeled on those of the South African Defence Force and these three decorations are the approximate equivalents of, respectively, the

Honoris Crux Gold The Honoris Crux Gold (Gold Cross of Honour), post-nominal letters HCG, is a South African military decoration for bravery which was instituted in 1975. It was awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for outstanding acts of brav ...

, the Honoris Crux (1975) and the Pro Virtute Decoration.

Award criteria

The decoration could be awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe who have distinguished themselves during the "struggle" by distinguished conduct and exceptional combat leadership.

Order of wear

The position of the Conspicuous Leadership Star in the official military and national orders of precedence was revised upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged.Republic of South Africa Government Gazette Vol. 477, no. 27376, Pretoria, 11 March 2005, Presidential Warrant by the President of the Republic of South Africa for the Institution of Honours for Bravery in the South African National Defence Force, Gazette no. 25213 dated 25 July 2003. ;Umkhonto we Sizwe: Ribbon Star for Bravery in Silver

*Official MK order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Star for Bravery in Silver (SBS). ** Succeeded by the

Decoration for Merit in Gold The Decoration for Merit in Gold, post-nominal letters DMG, was instituted by the President of the Republic of South Africa in April 1996. It was awarded to veteran cadres of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress, ...

(DMG). ;South African National Defence Force until 26 April 2003: Ribbon Star for Conspicuous Leadership

*Official SANDF order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Pro Merito Decoration (PMD) of the

. ** Succeeded by the Star for Conspicuous Leadership (SCL) of the

Azanian People's Liberation Army The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), formerly known as Poqo, was the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, an African nationalist movement in South Africa. In the Xhosa language, the word 'Poqo' means 'pure'. After attacks ...

. *Official national order of precedence: ** Preceded by the Pro Merito Decoration (PMD) of the Republic of South Africa. ** Succeeded by the Star for Conspicuous Leadership (SCL) of the Azanian People's Liberation Army.

Description

;Obverse The Conspicuous Leadership Star is a five-pointed star, struck in bronze, to fit inside a circle with a diameter of 38 millimetres, displaying a bronze lion on a ruby red enameled centre roundel.Uniform: SA Army: Former Forces Medals - Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK)
/ref> ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and red, with two 6 millimetres wide brown bands in the centre, spaced 4 millimetres apart.

Discontinuation

Conferment of the Conspicuous Leadership Star was discontinued upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003.

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of uMkhonto we Sizwe 1996 establishments in South Africa 2003 disestablishments in South Africa Awards established in 1996 Awards disestablished in 2003