Venda medal ribbons

[Arthur R]

Ribbons of some Venda decorations and medals, according to the specifications published in the homeland's Government Gazette. The Venda National Force was a composite military/ police/ prisons service, which was later superseded by the Venda Defence Force, the Venda Police, and the Venda Prisons Service.

[Guest Rick Research]

:Cat-Scratch: I'm old enough ( ) to have had Bechuanaland and Tanganyika as places on crayon-colored maps in school...

but I've never heard of "Venda." Where and what is that? (Zenda, yeah, but NOT Venda....)

[Arthur R]

Venda is a region in South Africa which was nominally independent from 1979 to 1994, and had its own president, defence force, police etc, and its own medals.

[Ed_Haynes]

One of the apartheid-era South-African-invented "bantustans" (the policy of so-called "Separate Development").

Others have been covered here also: Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Gazankulu, KaNgwane, KwaNdebele. KwaZulu, Lebowa, and QwaQwa. South Africa also concocted some in Namibia.

.

Edited July 13, 2008 by Ed_Haynes

[Guest Rick Research]

Ahhh! Heard of most of these, but there are a few more ephemerals (?) on Ed's list that came and went without registering on me either.

Question:

are these awards from states no longer extant still worn? How are they merged with whatever current state now occupies the same territory?

Or are they simply banned and everybody pretends none of that ever happened?

That is an intersting question for me, because we see the same issues being dealt with in the former Communist bloc nations, with everything from actual bans to encouraged non-wear, to simply going on as if it is all one happy linear progression best not examined too closely.

Those same problems would present themselves in southern Africa too, I'd think.

BTW, though there is nothing "useful" I can add to any of these threads, rest assured that they ARE being read with great enjoyment. The political devolutions and revolutions, and design/quality aspects are of interest to me no matter WHAT the country is--and I always enjoy learning new things. Even when I arrived too late for Venda!!! :cheers:

[Taz]

Ahhh! Heard of most of these, but there are a few more ephemerals (?) on Ed's list that came and went without registering on me either.

Homelands guide

Former Black Homelands (Bantustans)

Ten self-governing territories for different black ethnic groups were established as part of the policy of apartheid. Four of which were granted "independence" by South Africa (recognized only by South Africa and each other). These former South African Homelands or bantustans ceased to exist 27 Apr 1994 and were re-incorporated into South Africa, and all were absorbed into the new provinces.

Bophuthatswana

Ciskei

Gazankulu

KaNgwane

KwaNdebele

KwaZulu

Lebowa

Qwaqwa

Transkei

Venda

http://www.worldstatesmen.org/South_African_homelands.html

Edited July 13, 2008 by Taz

[Arthur R]

Question:

are these awards from states no longer extant still worn? How are they merged with whatever current state now occupies the same territory?

Or are they simply banned and everybody pretends none of that ever happened?

The former homelands' awards are indeed still allowed to be worn, and in 2005 the government issued a table of precedence which integrates them with the "mainstream" SA honours system

(available at http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=60762).

[Ed_Haynes]

The former homelands' awards are indeed still allowed to be worn, and in 2005 the government issued a table of precedence which integrates them with the "mainstream" SA honours system

(available at http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=60762).

Interesting. Thanks. It makes the former-USSR's erasure of the past even more interesting.