South Africa's second highest civilian awards comes for late V K Menon

South Africa has decided to confer former defence minister V K Menon with its second highest civilian awards the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo in silver, for his contribution to fight against colonialism and the apartheid system in South Africa.

South Africa has conferred one of its highest civilian awards on the late V K Krishna Menon, India's former Defence Minister, for his contribution to the anti-apartheid cause.

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Menon served the post of defence minister during Jawaharlal Nehru’s regime and has joined the class of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Kofi Annan, Ramesh Chandra, former UN diplomat who also have been earlier bestowed with the same award.

The great orator who still holds the record of eight long hours of speech in the UN Assembly defending his country’s stand on Kashmir issue, his two decade long anti-apartheid war which facilitated South Africa’s movement has brought him this coveted recognition posthumously by SA government.

But the dilemma ahead of the award ceremony was that his family member could not be traced and since the award has been conferred to an individual the consent or acceptance of award should goes to his family members not the government.

The highest honour, the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo in gold, has been granted to Nigerian leader Chief Emeka Anyaoku, a former Commonwealth secretary-general, for his role in the struggle of freedom, justice and democracy in South Africa and attainment of democracy and promoter of good governance in whole African continent.

South Africa bestows this award to its citizens or any foreign national who had contributed in attaining country’s democracy named after countries great son who fought against apartheid.