View source for Decoration for Meritorious Services

{{Short description|South African political service award}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox award
|name             = Decoration for Meritorious Services
|image            = 
|caption          = 
|presenter        = [[State President of South Africa]]
|type             = 
|motto            = 
|eligibility      = 
|awarded_for      = 
|status           = Replaced in 1986
|date             = 
|firstawarded     = 
|lastawarded      = 1986
|total_awarded    = 
|total_recipients = 109
|individual       = 
|image2           = South African DMS - CH Rautenbach.jpg
|caption2         = DMS as presented to [[Casper Hendrik Rautenbach]]
}}

The '''Decoration for Meritorious Services''' was an honour conferred until 1987 by the Government of the Republic of [[South Africa]], usually for political services to the country. The appointments were made by the [[State President of South Africa]].

==Postnominal letters==

The conferral of this honour entitles the holder to the use of 'DMS' (or {{langx|af|DVD}}) after their name.

It was superseded by the [[Order for Meritorious Service]] in 1986.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/viewFile/350/387|title=PROFILE OF A RESEARCH PROJECT: THE MEDAL PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY|author=Dr S. Monick|website=Scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za|access-date=2017-08-24}}</ref>

Since 1 June 1994, this honour is classified as a [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] honour.

==Design==

A five-armed gold Maltese cross, displaying a golden protea flower on a blue roundel in the centre of a 5-pointed diamond-studded star, all superimposed on a multi-rayed silver and gold plaque (obverse). It is worn on a neck ribbon.<ref>{{cite web |author=Arthur Radburn |url=http://samw.hwmw.net46.net/civ67.htm |title=SA: Civil 1967-2002 |website=Samw.hwmw.net46.net |access-date=2012-11-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315042108/http://samw.hwmw.net46.net/civ67.htm |archive-date=2014-03-15 }}</ref>

==Selected recipients==

{| class="wikitable"
! Name
! Year
! No
|-
| [[P. W. Botha]]
| 
| 
|-
| [[Pik Botha]]
| 
| 
|-
|[[Bettie Cilliers-Barnard]]
|1983
|No. 86
|-
| [[F. W. de Klerk]]
| 
| 
|-
|[[Johannes de Klerk]]
|
|
|-
|[[Nico Diederichs]]
|
|
|-
|[[Jacobus Johannes Fouché|Jim Fouché]]
|
|
|-
|[[Owen Horwood]]
|
|
|-
|[[Gerhardus Petrus Jooste]]
|1985
|
|-
|[[Piet Koornhof]]
|
|
|-
|[[Douglas Mitchell]]
|1974
|No. 8
|-
|[[Hilgard Muller]]
|1976
|No. 15
|-
|[[Ian Player]]
|
|
|-
|[[Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff]]
|
|
|-
|[[Casper Hendrik Rautenbach]]
|1980
|No.46
|-
|[[Charles Robberts Swart]]
|1972
|
|-
|[[Marais Viljoen]]
|
|
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{South African honours system}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decoration For Meritorious Services}}
[[Category:Civil awards and decorations of South Africa|050]]


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