It was awarded to members of the South African Defence Force for forty years of loyal service and distinguished conduct.

[1][2][3] The Medal for Distinguished Conduct and Loyal Service was instituted by the State President in 1987.

[1] The position of the Medal for Distinguished Conduct and Loyal Service in the official order of precedence was revised twice, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force in 1994 and again upon the institution of a new set of awards in 2003.

[7] The reverse has the Roman numeral "XL", surrounded by a wreath of leaves, with the medal number stamped or engraved above.

Green, red, white, black, yellow and blue are the colours of the post-1994 South African national flag.