The Order of Mapungubwe is South Africa's highest honour. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the president of South Africa, for achievements in the international area 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, an ancient African nation which existed a thousand years ago in what is now the northern part of the Limpopo province.
The first recipient of the order (in the Platinum class) was ex-president Nelson Mandela.
Read more about Order Of Mapungubwe: Design
Famous quotes containing the words order of and/or order:
“The order of the world is always right—such is the judgment of God. For God has departed, but he has left his judgment behind, the way the Cheshire Cat left his grin.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)
“The human body is not a thing or substance, given, but a continuous creation. The human body is an energy system ... which is never a complete structure; never static; is in perpetual inner self-construction and self-destruction; we destroy in order to make it new.”
—Norman O. Brown (b. 1913)