Today, 20 September, we salute and honor the following men & woman who sacrificed their lives whilst standing in the defence of what they held dear at the time and against evil and tyranny.
SOUTH AFRICAN BORDER WAR
20 Sep 1979: Rifleman S. Shangweni from 101 Battalion SWATF was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 24.
20 Sep 1981: Two members from 4 SAI were Killed in Action in Southern Angola when their Buffel troop carrier with 11 troops on board, detonated a landmine. The troops seated on the one side were all strapped into their seats while the 6 troops on the other side were not. The force of the explosion flipped over the vehicle, throwing out those who were not strapped in. Unfortunately, the vehicle landed on two of the soldiers, killing them instantly. The casualties were:
- 79465456BG Rifleman Roderick James Leonard MacIntosh. He was 18.
- 77507325BG Rifleman Edward Daniel van Rooyen. He was 20.
20 Sep 1987: 85212520BG Rifleman (Gunner) William George Beukman from 4 SAI, attached to 62 Mechanised Battalion Group was grievously wounded in Action near the Lomba River during Ops Modular when a 155mm G-5 High Explosive shell exploded in the breach of the gun, blowing out the breach block. It appears that the gun barrel was left with a half burnt charge in it and another projectile was rammed in that did not seat properly because of the debris already in the barrel. Despite the desperate attempts of Medics to save his life, he died from his wounds a short while later. He was 19. Another four members of the gun team were also severely injured, losing limbs and being grievously burned when the shell exploded.
RHODESIAN BUSH WAR
1978 – Dvr Bakayi, ADF, Intaf, was murdered by CTs.
1978 – DA Alexander Muvengwa GANDIWA, died on active service.
1979 – Theunis Christian DE KLERK, Army, killed in an ambush on his farm. In August 1977, he was elected the Rhodesian Front MP for Shabani. The ‘72’ computer prefix to his number would indicate that he was a regular. The number 4294 is early, possibly 1967/1968 enlistment. Wikipedia says he was killed in a rocket attack on his home on 20 September 1979. He was the Rhodesian Front MP for Lundi at the time.
1979 – Aux Cst Griffin Tembo PHIRI, BSAP, died on active service.
† Their names and sacrifices have not been forgotten †
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