SA Navy honours members for distinguished service

MEDAL PARADE

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

THE South African Navy honoured its members for distinguished service, acts of bravery, and long-standing dedication to duty during the Chief of the Navy Medal Parade - an official military ceremony.

For Captain Riedewaan Semaar, the South African Service Medal represents far more than a military decoration. It is a deeply personal symbol of a complex journey — from teenage freedom fighter to career naval officer - etched in memory and service.

Semaar was part of the historic 1994 intake that saw the integration of former liberation armies, Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army, into the newly established South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The South African Service Medal, instituted by Warrant on 25 June 1999, was awarded to him in recognition of internal operational service rendered prior to the country's democratic transition.

"If you're asking me about the medal," Semaar said, "I would call it a complicated affair. It's a reminder of everything we went through as a country. Serving our country... it's a piece of history stitched onto my chest."