Isitwalandwe Medal
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Isithwalandwe/Seaparankoe, until 1994 known as the Isithwalandwe Medal, also known as the Isithwalandwe Award and also spelt Isithwalandwe and Isithwalandwe/Seaparankwe, is the highest award given by 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 ...
(ANC) "to those who have made an outstanding contribution and sacrifice to the liberation struggle", that is, those who resisted the apartheid regime in
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 ...
(1949−1991) in various ways. Isithwalandwe means "the one who wears the plumes of the rare bird", in particular the
blue crane The blue crane (''Grus paradisea''), also known as the Stanley crane and the paradise crane, is the national bird of South Africa. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Description The blue crane is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, ...
. This type of honor is taken directly from Xhosa culture where the plume of the Ndwe bird was used as an award. It was customarily only given to the bravest warriors, those distinguished by their leadership and heroism.Natlia
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Recipients

Recipients include: *1955
Yusuf Dadoo Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo OMSG (5 September 1909 – 19 September 1983) was a South African Communist and an anti-apartheid activist. During his life, he was chair of both the South African Indian Congress and the South African Communist ...
*1955 Father Trevor Huddleston *1955 Chief
Albert Luthuli Albert John Luthuli ( – 21 July 1967) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, traditional leader, and politician who served as the President-General of the African National Congress from 1952 until his death in 1967. Luthuli was bor ...
*1975 Moses Kotane *1980
Govan Mbeki Govan Archibald Mvunyelwa Mbeki (9 July 1910 – 30 August 2001) was a South African politician, military commander, Communist leader who served as the Secretary of Umkhonto we Sizwe, at its inception in 1961. He was also the younger son of Ch ...
*1980 Bishop Ambrose Reeves *1982 Lilian Ngoyi *1988 Ahmed Kathrada *1992
Harry Gwala Themba Harry Gwala (30 July 1920 – 20 June 1995) was an anti-apartheid activist and a leader of the African National Congress (ANC) and South African Communist Party (SACP) in South Africa. Biography Early career and activism Harry Gwala ...
*1992 Helen Joseph *1992
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
*1992
Raymond Mhlaba Raymond Mphakamisi Mhlaba OMSG (12 February 1920 – 20 February 2005) was an anti-apartheid activist, Communist and leader of the African National Congress (ANC) who became the first premier of the Eastern Cape. Mhlaba spent 25 years of his ...
*1992 Wilton Mkwayi *1992 Andrew Mlangeni *1992 Elias Motsoaledi *1992
Walter Sisulu Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu (18 May 1912 – 5 May 2003) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Between terms as ANC Secretary-General (1949–1954) and ANC ...
*1992
Oliver Tambo Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo (27 October 191724 April 1993) was a South African anti-apartheid politician and activist who served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991. Biography Childhood Oliver Tambo was ...
*1994
Joe Slovo Yossel Mashel "Joe" Slovo (23 May 1926 – 6 January 1995) was a South African politician and Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist. A Marxist-Leninist, he was a long-time leader and theorist in the South African Com ...
*2004 Rachel Simons *2008
Chris Hani Chris Hani (28 June 194210 April 1993; born Martin Thembisile Hani ) was a South African military commander, politician and revolutionary who served as the leader of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and chief of staff of uMkhonto we S ...
*2014 Ruth Mompati *2014
Gertrude Shope Gertrude Ntiti Shope Order for Meritorious Service, OMSS (15 August 1925 – 22 May 2025) was a South African trade unionist and politician. Life and career Born in Johannesburg on 15 August 1925, Shope was raised and educated in Bulawayo, Southe ...
*2019 Denis Goldberg *2019 Sophia De Bruyn, *2019 John Nkadimeng *2019
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Winnie Nomzamo Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist, second wife of Nelson Mandela. During ...
*2019 Ahmed Timol *2019
Albertina Sisulu Albertina Sisulu Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG ( Nontsikelelo Thethiwe; 21 October 1918 – 2 June 2011) was a South African anti-apartheid activist. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), she was the founding co-president of th ...
*2019 Charlotte Maxeke *2023 Ben Fihla


References


External links

* {{official website, https://web.archive.org/web/20180903100803/http://anc.org.za/content/isitwalandwe-seaparankoe South African awards African National Congress Military decorations and medals of South Africa