01 May, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
01 May 1965: Sergeant Cornelis Jansen Uys from 1 Air Depot collapsed and died after suffering a fatal heart attack. He was 51.
01 May 1982: Corporal Marthinus Johannes Geyser from the Air Force Gymnasium was critically injured in an accident and died as a result of blood loss. He was 22.
01 May 1982: Lieutenant Gary Dickson from F-Troop, School of Engineers was accidentally killed in the Caprivi Strip near Fort Doppies when the Engineer Troop was engaged in building Heli-pads to facilitate helicopter operations in the area. While photographing a herd of elephants, he inadvertently positioned himself between a female elephant and her calf and she charged him and he was trampled to death. He was 23.
01 May 1982: Four members from Infantry School were killed in a private motor vehicle accident between Edenburg and Bloemfontein while on weekend pass. The casualties were:
79231676BG Rifleman Marnes van Jaarsveld. He was 18.
80230519BG Rifleman Jurgen Swaak. He was 18.
78226743BG Rifleman Marius Pieter Ferreira. He was 19.
79482527BG Rifleman Hans Jurie Storm. He was 19.
01 May 1982: Two members from 201 Battalion SWATF were Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents. The casualties were:
Rifleman Jose Jtembo. He was 31.
Rifleman Swingo Shakoy. He was 26
01 May 1984: 80225808BG Corporal Johannes Gerhardus Terblanche from 1 SAI was killed instantly when his Ratel overturned during exercises at the De Brug Training Area. He was 20.
01 May 1987: W87636H Sergeant Egbertus Bletterman Brink from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) was killed in action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 30.
01 May 1992: 87769980HL Rifleman Malefetsane Joseph Ramabodu from 31 Battalion was stabbed in the chest at Lenasia Station by an unknown civilian while on his way home on leave. He was 35.
01 May 1993: At precisely 22h10 on Saturday evening 01 May 1993, three gunmen carrying AK-47 Assault Rifles, Hand Grenades and Teargas Grenades, entered the Highgate Hotel in East London. Two of the gunmen went into the men’s bar and one gunman went into the ladies bar and immediately opened fire on the patrons, killing five of them and severely wounding seven more, three of them being left permanently disabled. All three gunmen then withdrew throwing teargas and hand grenades into the hotel to avoid being followed. To date, nobody has ever been apprehended for this incident in what appears to have been a politically motivated attack. The five casualties were:
Mr Douglas Gates
Mr Stanley Hacking
Mr Deon Harris
Mr Dave (Royce) Wheeler
Mr Deric John Whitfield
Seriously Wounded Survivors:
William Baling
Neville Beling
Charles Bodington
Megan Boucher
Nkosinathi Alfred Gontshi (Barman on Duty)
Doreen Rosseau
Karl Andrew Weber.
01 May 1998: 87560856 Able Seaman S G Adams from Naval Base Simonstown was killed while on a weekend pass when he was struck by a civilian motor vehicle while hitchhiking home on the N1 Freeway near Klapmuts. He was 24.
01 May 1998: 94653078 Private M. M. Mazinyo from the Technical Service Corps died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head while at TEK Base in Pretoria. He was 26.
01 May 1998: 93661361 Rifleman K. M. Mochoeneng from the South African Infantry Corps was shot dead in Pretoria by persons unknown while he was off duty. He was 27.
01 May 1998: 94684365 Seaman M. P. Motsie from Naval Base Simonstown was killed when he was thrown out of a moving train near Bloemfontein during an altercation. He was 23.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.