[1][3][4] In August 1981, during Operation Protea, several Russian T34-85 tanks were shot out by the South African Defence Force at Xangongo in Angola.

The Chief of the South African Defence Force at the time, General Constand Viljoen, expressed the wish that one of these tanks should be recovered and taken to Pretoria, with the intention to use it as material to strike medals from.

His idea was based on the origin of the British Victoria Cross, which was struck from the copper cascabels of a cannon from the Crimean War.

[6][circular reference] The tank was recovered by 10 Armoured Car Squadron on 9 August 1982, as part of a deception strategy for Operation Meebos[7] The Southern Africa Medal was instituted by the State President in 1987.

[9] The position of the Southern Africa Medal in the order of precedence was revised three times after 1987, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force in 1994, again in April 1996, when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and finally upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on the latter two occasions.