Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo


The Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo is a South African honour. 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.
The order is named after the late Oliver Tambo, who was the African National Congress's president-in-exile for many years.

Current classes

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

NameGradeAwarded
Olof PalmeSCOT
Kenneth David KaundaSCOT
Mahatma GandhiSCOT
Eduardo Chivambo MondlaneSCOT
Agostinho NetoSCOT
Kwame NkrumahSCOT
Julius NyerereSCOT
Amílcar CabralSCOT
Salim Ahmed SalimSCOT
Kofi AnnanSCOT
Salvador AllendeSCOT
Martti AhtisaariSCOT
Michael ManleySCOT
Martin Luther King, Jr.SCOT
Patrice LumumbaSCOT
Ahmed Ben BellaSCOT
Ernst MichanekGCOT
Ramesh ChandraGCOT
Barbara CastleGCOT
Reiulf SteenGCOT
Thorvald StoltenbergGCOT
Maxine WatersGCOT
Vasily Grigoryevich SolodovnikovGCOT
Robert HughesGCOT
Boudewijn SjollemaGCOT
FIFASCOT
Lennart JohanssonSCOT
Trevor RichardsSCOT
Ahmed Sékou TouréSCOT
Gamal Abdel NasserSCOT
Dr. Cheddi JaganSCOT
Ahmed SukarnoSCOT
Diallo TelliSCOT
Motsamai Keyecwe MphoGCOT
Jawaharlal NehruGCOT
Vladimir Gennadyevich ShubinGCOT
Sheikh YusufSCOT
Modibo KeitaSCOT
Seretse KhamaSCOT
King Sobhuza IISCOT
King Moshoeshoe IISCOT
Sotiris MousourisGCOT
Anthony SampsonGCOT
Chief Joseph Leabua JonathanSCOT
Dr. Eric Eustace WilliamsSCOT
Shridath RamphalSCOT
Dr. Ali Al'amin MazruiGCOT
Michael Kitso DingakeGCOT
Canon John CollinsGCOT
Harry BelafonteGCOT
Mandlenkosi Aloysius Isaac ZwaneCOT
Salman El-HerfiCOT
Chief Emeka AnyaokuSCOT
Vengalil Krishnan Krishna MenonGCOT
Philip PotterGCOT
Per WästbergGCOT
Ron DellumsGCOT
Harry BelafonteGCOT
Jerry DunfeyGCOT
Linda BiehlCOT
Fidel Alejandro Castro RuzSCOT
BE. Dr. Christian KrauseGCOT
Sadako OgataGCOT
Marcelino dos SantosGCOT
Bengt Säve-SöderberghGCOT
Andimba Toivo ya ToivoGCOT
Jennifer DavisCOT
Anna AbdallahGCOT
Rev. William Cullen WilcoxGCOT
Ida Belle WilcoxGCOT
José Eduardo dos SantosSCOT
Joseph BlatterSCOT
Jacques RoggeGCOT
Issa HayatouGCOT
Herbert KaiserGCOT
Joy KaiserGCOT
Vernon BerrangéGCOT
George HouserGCOT
Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaSCOT
Hélène PasstoorsGCOT
Viacheslav ShiryaevGCOT
Edward M. KennedySCOT
Prof. Apollon B DavidsonGCOT
Randall RobinsonGCOT
Linden Forbes Sampson BurnhamSCOT
Percival Noel James PattersonSCOT
Enuga Screenivasulu ReddyGCOT
Rev. Jesse Louis JacksonGCOT
Dina FortiCOT
Giuseppe SonciniCOT
Lord AttenboroughGCOT
Prof. Gwendolen Margaret CarterGCOT
Jeanne-Martin CisséGCOT
Jerry David DammersGCOT
Danny GloverGCOT
Quincy Delight JonesGCOT
Thomas KarisGCOT
Lord KinnockGCOT
Alexander MoumbarisGCOT
Ruth NetoGCOT
Alfre WoodardGCOT
Brian MulroneySCOT
Hashim MbitaSCOT
Gareth EvansGCOT
Lord HainGCOT
Vladimir KazimirovGCOT
Gay McDougallGCOT
Lars NordboGCOT
Andrey UrnovGCOT
Dr. Lim Kok WingGCOT
Sam NujomaSCOT
Walter Khotso Makhulu

Refusals

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.