The South African honours system consists of orders, decorations, and medals which are conferred on citizens, and others, to recognise a range of services and achievements. The system has developed since 1894. Historical development The British honours system became applicable to South Africa as colonial rule was established in the region during the nineteenth century. From the 1870s onwards, colonial politicians and other public figures featured in the semi-annual honours lists, and during colonial wars and the Anglo-Boer War, the colonial military forces received decorations from the British government. 1894 to 1952 From 1894, the colonial governments were allowed to award military long service medals themselves. This system continued after the colonies became the Union of South Africa in 1910, and after World War I the Union government extended it to create entirely new medals, for Anglo-Boer War veterans (in 1920), the prisons department (in 1922), the police (in 1923), and the railways police (in 1934). Between 1937 and 1952, King George VI, as the Union's head of state, instituted several civil and military decorations and medals for the Union, including the King's Medal for Bravery. During World War II, British military decorations were again awarded to the South African forces. 1952 to 2002 In 1952, to mark the 300th anniversary of European settlement, the South African government established its own honours system. It consisted of the existing civil, police, railways police and prisons medals, and a new series of military decorations. They were given precedence over British honours. The honours system was enlarged during the 1960s, after South African had become a republic. New decorations were instituted for the police in 1963, for the railways police in 1966, for sports stars in 1967, for the prisons service in 1968, and for civilians in 1970. Evidently the government was not satisfied, because during the 1970s and 1980s, it virtually re-created the honours system, scrapping most of the existing awards and creating new ones in their place. The number of decorations and medals granted was increased substantially. New military decorations were introduced in 1975. They were followed by civil defence medals in 1976, additional police decorations in 1979, new prisons service medals and railways police decorations in 1980, and decorations for the intelligence service in 1981. During this period too, the ten African homelands inside South Africa were granted self-government or, in four cases, independence. Each of them had its own