The first medal to be given by a South African government to its own troops, this was instituted by the Cape government, with royal approval, in 1900. It commemorated participation in one or more of three campaigns by means of engagement bars fixed to the medal: TRANSKEI, for the Pondomise rebellion in the Transkei in 1880-81; BASUTOLAND, for the War of the Guns of 188o-81; and BECHUANALAND, for the Langeberg campaign of 5896-97. This medal shows on the obverse the crowned and veiled bust of Queen Victoria, and on the reverse the arms of the Cape of Good Hope, with supporters and motto SPES BONA, and below a protea flower and foliage. Around the rim is the inscription CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. Hanging from a dark blue ribbon with a wide central vertical stripe of yellow, it was given to approximately 5 250 recipients, most of whom were Cape Colonial volunteers. Almost half the medals issued had the single bar BECHUANALAND. The issue register records only 22 recipients of all three bars.

Tags: Bechuanaland, Cape Colonial Volunteers, medal, protea, spes bona