Wikipedia

Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo

The Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo is a South African honour.[1] It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the President of South Africa to foreign citizens who have promoted South African interests and aspirations through co-operation, solidarity, and support.

Order of the
Companions of O. R. Tambo
Badge (c. 2002)
Awarded by President of South Africa
TypeNational Order
StatusCurrently constituted
Grades
  • Supreme Companion
  • Grand Companion
  • Companion
Statistics
First induction10 December 2002
Total inductees110

Ribbon bar of the Order

The order is named after the late Oliver Tambo, who was the African National Congress's president-in-exile for many years.

Walking stick awarded with Order

Current classes

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The three classes of appointment to the Order are, in descending order of precedence:

  • Supreme Companion of OR Tambo in gold, for heads of state and, in special cases, heads of government (SCOT)
  • Grand Companion of OR Tambo in silver, for heads of government, ministers of state, supreme court judges, presidents of legislatures, secretaries of state, ambassadors, commanders-in-chief (GCOT)
  • Companion of OR Tambo in bronze, for legislators, envoys, senior military officers (COT)

Symbolism

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The badge of the order is oval, and depicts a symbol similar to that of the Taijitu between two arrowheads, framed by two mole snakes.[1] The symbol represents the meeting of diverse spiritual energies, and the snakes represent solidarity and support. The South African coat of arms is displayed on the reverse.

The ribbon is white, with recurring grey symbols down the centre. All three classes are worn around the neck.

Recipients are also presented with a carved wooden walking stick, which has a serpent wound around the shaft and a spoon-shaped head displaying the badge of the order and the national arms. The walking stick symbolises support and solidarity, and a commitment to stand by the recipient in return.

Recipients

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Name Grade Awarded
  Olof Palme SCOT 10 December 2002[2]
  Kenneth David Kaunda SCOT 10 December 2002
  Mahatma Gandhi SCOT 10 December 2002
  Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane SCOT 16 June 2004[3]
  Agostinho Neto SCOT 16 June 2004
  Kwame Nkrumah SCOT 16 June 2004
  Julius Nyerere SCOT 16 June 2004
  Amílcar Cabral SCOT 16 June 2004
  Salim Ahmed Salim SCOT 16 June 2004
  Kofi Annan SCOT 16 June 2004
  Salvador Allende SCOT 16 June 2004
  Martti Ahtisaari SCOT 16 June 2004
  Michael Manley SCOT 16 June 2004
  Martin Luther King Jr. SCOT 16 June 2004
  Patrice Lumumba SCOT 16 June 2004
  Ahmed Ben Bella SCOT 16 June 2004
  Ernst Michanek [sv] GCOT 16 June 2004
  Ramesh Chandra GCOT 16 June 2004
  Barbara Castle GCOT 16 June 2004
  Reiulf Steen GCOT 16 June 2004
  Thorvald Stoltenberg GCOT 16 June 2004
  Maxine Waters GCOT 16 June 2004
  Vasily Grigoryevich Solodovnikov GCOT 16 June 2004
  Robert Hughes GCOT 16 June 2004
  Boudewijn Sjollema GCOT 16 June 2004
  FIFA SCOT 29 October 2004[4][5]
  Lennart Johansson SCOT 29 October 2004
  Trevor Richards SCOT 29 October 2004
  Ahmed Sékou Touré SCOT 29 October 2004
  Gamal Abdel Nasser SCOT 29 October 2004
  Dr. Cheddi Jagan SCOT 26 April 2005[6]
  Ahmed Sukarno SCOT 26 April 2005
  Diallo Telli SCOT 26 April 2005
  Motsamai Keyecwe Mpho GCOT 26 April 2005
  Jawaharlal Nehru GCOT 26 April 2005
  Vladimir Gennadyevich Shubin GCOT 26 April 2005
  Sheikh Yusuf SCOT 27 September 2005[7]
  Modibo Keita SCOT 20 April 2006[8]
  Seretse Khama SCOT 20 April 2006
  King Sobhuza II SCOT 20 April 2006
  King Moshoeshoe II SCOT 20 April 2006
  Sotiris Mousouris GCOT 20 April 2006
  Anthony Sampson GCOT 20 April 2006
  Chief Joseph Leabua Jonathan SCOT 24 April 2007[9]
  Dr. Eric Eustace Williams SCOT 24 April 2007
  Shridath Ramphal SCOT 24 April 2007
  Dr. Ali Al'amin Mazrui GCOT 24 April 2007
  Michael Kitso Dingake GCOT 24 April 2007
  Canon John Collins GCOT 24 April 2007
  Harry Belafonte GCOT 24 April 2007
  Mandlenkosi Aloysius Isaac Zwane COT 24 April 2007
  Salman El-Herfi COT 24 April 2007
  Chief Emeka Anyaoku SCOT 22 April 2008[10]
  Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon GCOT 22 April 2008
  Philip Potter GCOT 22 April 2008
  Per Wästberg GCOT 22 April 2008
  Ron Dellums GCOT 22 April 2008
  Harry Belafonte GCOT 22 April 2008
  Jerry Dunfey GCOT 22 April 2008
  Linda Biehl COT 22 April 2008
  Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz SCOT 27 March 2009[11]
  Christian Krause [de] GCOT 27 March 2009
  Sadako Ogata GCOT 27 March 2009
  Marcelino dos Santos GCOT 27 March 2009
  Bengt Säve-Söderbergh [sv] GCOT 27 March 2009
  Andimba Toivo ya Toivo GCOT 27 March 2009
  Jennifer Davis COT 27 March 2009
  Anna Abdallah GCOT 2 December 2009[12]
  Rev. William Cullen Wilcox GCOT 2 December 2009
  Ida Belle Wilcox GCOT 2 December 2009
  Elizabeth II SCOT 3 March 2010[13]
  José Eduardo dos Santos SCOT 27 April 2010[14]
  Joseph Blatter SCOT 27 April 2010
  Jacques Rogge GCOT 27 April 2010
  Issa Hayatou GCOT 27 April 2010
  Herbert Kaiser GCOT 27 April 2010
  Joy Kaiser GCOT 27 April 2010
  Vernon Berrangé GCOT 27 April 2010
  George Houser GCOT 27 April 2010
  Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva SCOT 27 April 2011[15]
  Hélène Pastoors GCOT 27 April 2011
  Viacheslav Shiryaev GCOT 27 April 2011
  Edward M. Kennedy SCOT 27 April 2012[16]
  Prof. Apollon B Davidson GCOT 27 April 2012
  Randall Robinson GCOT 27 April 2012
  Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham SCOT 27 April 2013[17]
  Percival Noel James Patterson SCOT 27 April 2013
  Enuga Sreenivasulu Reddy GCOT 27 April 2013
  Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson GCOT 27 April 2013
  Dina Forti COT 27 April 2013
  Giuseppe Soncini COT 27 April 2013
  Lord Attenborough GCOT 27 April 2014[18]
  Prof. Gwendolen Margaret Carter GCOT 27 April 2014
  Jeanne-Martin Cissé GCOT 27 April 2014
  Jerry David Dammers GCOT 27 April 2014
  Danny Glover GCOT 27 April 2014
  Quincy Delight Jones GCOT 27 April 2014
  Thomas Karis GCOT 27 April 2014
  Lord Kinnock GCOT 27 April 2014
  Alexander Moumbaris GCOT 27 April 2014
  Ruth Neto GCOT 27 April 2014
  Alfre Woodard GCOT 27 April 2014
  Brian Mulroney SCOT 27 April 2015[19]
  Hashim Mbita SCOT 27 April 2015
  Gareth Evans GCOT 27 April 2015
  Lord Hain GCOT 27 April 2015
  Vladimir Kazimirov GCOT 27 April 2015
  Gay McDougall GCOT 27 April 2015
  Lars Nordbo GCOT 27 April 2015
  Andrey Urnov GCOT 27 April 2015
  Dr. Lim Kok Wing GCOT 27 April 2015
  Sam Nujoma SCOT 27 April 2018
  Walter Khotso Makhulu[20][21] GCOT 25 April 2019
  Tracy Chapman[22] GCOT 1 May 2023
  Christabel Gurney[22] GCOT 1 May 2023
  Thomas Oliver Newnham (Posthumous)[22] GCOT 1 May 2023
  Peter Tosh (Posthumous)[22] GCOT 1 May 2023
  Ruth Weiss[22] GCOT 1 May 2023

Refusals

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On 28 January 2008, New Zealand anti-apartheid activist John Minto created a controversy over his letter to former South African President Thabo Mbeki after being nominated for the award, saying that he would refuse, on principle, to accept any award from the ANC.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo". The Presidency. Republic of South Africa. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  2. ^ "2002 National Orders awards". southafrica.info. Brand SA. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  3. ^ "2004 National Orders awards". southafrica.info. Brand SA. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  4. ^ "24 outstanding South Africans". southafrica.info. Brand SA. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  5. ^ "National Orders awards 29 October 2004". South African Government Information. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  6. ^ "National Orders awards 27 April 2005". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  7. ^ "National Orders awards 27 September 2005". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  8. ^ "National Orders awards 20 April 2006". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  9. ^ "National Orders awards 27 April 2007". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  10. ^ "National Orders awards 22 April 2008". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  11. ^ "National Orders awards 27 March 2009". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  12. ^ "National Orders awards December 2009". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  13. ^ "President Zuma officially begins United Kingdom state visit". South African Government Information. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  14. ^ "National Orders awards April 2010". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  15. ^ "National Orders awards April 2011". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  16. ^ "National Orders awards April 2012". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  17. ^ Lubisi, Cassius (22 April 2013). "South African National Orders 2013 – The Presidency". politicsweb. South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  18. ^ Lubisi, Cassius. "Media Statement by the Chancellor of the National Orders and Director-General in the Presidency". The Presidency of South Africa. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  19. ^ Lubisi, Cassius. "Presidency announces recipients of National Orders". South African Government Information. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  20. ^ "Archbishop Makhulu honoured for helping SA's liberation". anglicanchurchsa.org. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  21. ^ "Archbishop Khotso Makhulu (United Kingdom (UK)) | The Presidency". www.thepresidency.gov.za. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d e Khumalo, Juniour. "Siya Kolisi, Desiree Ellis, Tracy Chapman among 32 bestowed national orders by Ramaphosa". News24. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Open letter to the President of South Africa". John Minto. 28 January 2008.
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