The Order of Mapungubwe is
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
's highest honour.
It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the
President of South Africa, for achievements in the international arena which have served South Africa's interests. The order originally had three classes, and was enlarged to four in 2004:
* Platinum (OMP), for exceptional and unique achievements
* Gold (OMG), for exceptional achievements
* Silver (OMS), for excellent achievements
* Bronze (OMB), for outstanding achievements.
The order is named after
Mapungubwe
The Kingdom of Mapungubwe (or Maphungubgwe) (c. 1075–c. 1220) was a medieval state in South Africa located at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers, south of Great Zimbabwe. The name is derived from either TjiKalanga and Tshivenda ...
, an ancient African nation which existed a thousand years ago in what is now the northern part of the
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...
province.
The first recipient of the order (in the Platinum class) was the late former president
Nelson Mandela.
Design
The badge is a horizontal oval above an inverted trapezium. Inside the oval frame is depicted a golden rhinoceros with the sun rising above Mapungubwe Hill in the background. The convex upper edge of the trapezium is decorated with a beadwork pattern and the sides are edged with sceptres. In the centre is an ornate crucible from which molten gold flows down to a red furnace. The
South African coat of arms is displayed on the reverse.
The ribbon is gold, edged with a line of cream-coloured bead-like dots along each edge, and recurring cream-coloured rhinoceros silhouettes down the centre. All four classes are worn around the neck.
Recipients
2002
*
Nelson Mandela – Platinum (national reconciliation and nation-building)
*
Allan McLeod Cormack (posthumously) – Gold (for achievements in
CT scanning)
*
F. W. de Klerk – Gold (national reconciliation and nation-building)
*
Basil Schonland
Sir Basil Ferdinand Jamieson Schonland OMG CBE FRS (2 February 1896 – 24 November 1972) was noted for his research on lightning, his involvement in the development of radar during World War II and for being the first president of the South ...
(posthumously) – Gold (physicist and founding president of the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
*
Peter Beighton – Bronze (research into the inherited disorders of the skeleton)
*
Hamilton Naki – Bronze (medical science)
2003
No awards presented.
2004
*
Sydney Brenner
Sydney Brenner (13 January 1927 – 5 April 2019) was a South African biologist. In 2002, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with H. Robert Horvitz and Sir John E. Sulston. Brenner made significant contributions to work ...
– Gold (medical science)
*
Tshilidzi Marwala – Bronze (engineering science)
*
Batmanathan Dayanand Reddy – Bronze (mathematics and science)
2005
*
John Maxwell Coetzee
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
– Gold (literature)
*
Aaron Klug – Gold (medical science)
*
Frank Nabarro
Frank Reginald Nunes Nabarro MBE OMS FRS (7 March 1916 – 20 July 2006) was an English-born South African physicist and one of the pioneers of solid-state physics, which underpins much of 21st-century technology.
Education
Born 7 March 19 ...
– Gold (academics and physics)
*
Tebello Nyokong – Bronze (research into the development of cancer treatments)
*
Himladevi Soodyall – Bronze
2006
*
Selig Percy Amoils – Silver (pioneering medical achievements)
*
George Ellis – Silver (mathematics and science)
*
Lionel Opie – Silver (knowledge and achievements in the field of cardiology)
*
Patricia Berjak – Silver (seed biologist)
2007
*
Claire Penn
Claire Penn (1951–2018) was a South African speech and language pathologist, and held the endowed chair of Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of the Witwatersrand, and was a former senior research specialist at the Human Sciences ...
– Silver (speech and language pathology, sign language,
aphasia
Aphasia is an inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions. The major causes are stroke and head trauma; prevalence is hard to determine but aphasia due to stroke is estimated to be 0.1–0.4% in t ...
)
*
Sibusiso Sibisi – Silver (information technology, R&D)
*
Valerie Mizrahi – Silver (biochemistry and molecular biology, including TB drug validation)
2008
*
Doris Lessing – Gold (literature, contributing to the elimination of colonialism and apartheid)
* Wieland Gevers – Silver (higher education and medicine)
* Phuti Ngoepe – Silver (natural sciences, development of computer modelling studies at the University of Limpopo)
*
Tim Noakes – Silver
* Pragasen Pillay – Silver (energy conservation)
2009
No awards presented.
2010
*
Douglas Butterworth – Silver (betterment of the environment and sustainability of fisheries)
*
Johann Lutjeharms – Silver (contribution to and achievements in oceanographic science)
*
Monique Zaahl – Bronze
2011
*
Pieter Steyn – Silver (contribution to and achievements in chemistry and biosynthesis of mycotoxins)
2012
*
Oliver Tambo (posthumously) – Platinum (for exceptional leadership during the anti-apartheid struggle)
*
Albert Luthuli (posthumously) – Platinum (for exceptional leadership during the anti-apartheid struggle)
*
Barry David Schoub – Silver (for achievements in virology)
*
Patience Mthunzi-Kufa – Bronze (for her contributions to the field of biophotonics and her invaluable contribution to scientific research in South Africa and internationally)
2013
*
Bernie Fanaroff – Silver (for his excellent contribution to astronomy and dedication in putting South Africa on the map with the SKA Project)
*
George Ekama – Silver (for research in water solutions)
*
Glenda Gray – Silver (for research in mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS)
*
Malegapuru William Makgoba – Silver (for his pioneering work in transforming higher education)
*
Quarraisha Abdool Karim – Bronze (for her work in the fields of HIV/AIDS and TB research)
2014
*
Ismail Mohamed (posthumously) – Silver (for his contributions to mathematics and political liberation)
*
Hendrik Simon Schaaf – Silver (for his contributions to medical science)
*
William Soga (posthumously) – Silver (for his contributions to medicine and anthropology)
*
Namrita Lall – Bronze (for her contributions to medical science)
2015
No awards presented.
2016
*
Zwelakhe Sisulu
Zwelakhe Sisulu (17 December 1950 – 4 October 2012) was a South African black journalist, editor, and newspaper founder. He was president of the Writers' Association of South Africa, which later became the Black Media Workers Association of So ...
– Gold (for his exceptional contribution to quality journalism; and as a reporter exposing the cruelties of apartheid and encouraging unity among the people of different political persuasions to fight for liberation)
2017
*
Fulufhelo Nelwamondo – Silver (for his excellent contribution to the field of science, particularly electrical engineering)
*
Siyabulela Lethuxolo Xuza – Silver (for his excellent contribution to scientific innovation at an early stage, proving to himself and others that through determination and hard work one can achieve new career heights)
2018
No awards presented.
2019
*
Bomo Edna Edith Molewa (posthumously) - Gold (for her efforts in environmental justice)
*
Malik Maaza – Silver (for his contributions to nano-science)
*
Ari Sitas – Silver (for his contributions to social science)
*
Thokozani Majozi – Bronze (for his contributions to mathematics, particularly the development of a novel mathematical technique for near-zero-effluent batch chemical facilities which enables the reuse of wastewater)
See also
*
South African civil honours
South African orders, decorations and medals are those military and civilian Order (decoration), orders, award, decorations and medals issued by the Government of South Africa. The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of these:
Historical orders, ...
References
External links
South African government websiteSouth African Medals WebsiteSouth African history website
Sources
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{{Order of Mapungubwe
Awards established in 2002
2002 establishments in South Africa
Orders of South Africa