10 April, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
10 April 1956: Petty Officer John George Bold from the Frigate SAS Transvaal, accidentally drowned shortly before the ship’s departure from Marion Island. The rough seas in Transvaal Cove off Boulder Beach caused the ship’s whaler and motor boat to collide and capsize while landing stores on the Island. The crews of both boats were thrown into the sea and Petty Officer Bold, who was in charge of the whaler, got into difficulties in the water and unfortunately drowned before he could be brought ashore. He was buried at sea with Full Naval Honours on 16 April 1956 in position 43 28S 32 55E. He was 31.
10 April 1975: 05564125PE Sergeant Nicolaas Johannes Steyn from the Technical Service Corps Detachment at Rundu Military Base, was killed instantly while travelling between Rundu and Katima Mulilo when, approximately 20 km from Rundu, the rear tyre on his vehicle burst, causing the vehicle to leave the road and overturn. He was 27.
10 April 1978: 76928134SP Rifleman Jose Manuel Chicoto from 32 Battalion was accidentally killed in a friendly fire incident when artillery shells fell short near Mamuandi during a contact with enemy forces in Southern Angola. He was 27
10 April 1982: Major Helmuth Adolf Kessler from 1 South West Africa Air Commando Squadron SWATF was Killed in Action during Operation Yahoo while flying in support of Koevoet anti-insurgent operations in the Elundu area. His PA28-235 Cherokee Pathfinder aircraft, Registration ZS-EXT had been fitted with 2 x AKM Assault Rifles under the wings that could be operated from inside the cockpit plus a grenade launching tube that was fitted between the pilots legs. His aircraft suffered engine failure (Bent Valve) while assisting Koevoet in a follow-up operation and he had to carry out a forced landing in a mahangu field. Unfortunately, the aircraft undercarriage dug into the furrows and the aircraft flipped over causing primed grenades in the launch tube inside the aircraft, to fall out and explode. Major Kessler was killed instantly. He was 52. His passenger, Sergeant Frederick Albertus Francois Claasen from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) survived the accident and was pulled from the aircraft wreckage grievously burned. He sadly succumbed to his injuries on 20 April 1982.
10 April 1982: Special Constable Shitelgipo Hamukwaya, an Owambo tracker from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN Special Forces Typhoon Unit insurgents during Ops Yahoo. Koevoet Combat Team ZG-1, under the command of Lieutenant Goosen was following the spoor of approximately 100 insurgents that were in the process of infiltrating into the white farming areas around Tsumeb and Otavi. Lieutenant Goosen was driving the Casspir with Shitelgipo sitting in the gunner’s seat alongside him. At some point during the patrol, Shitelgipo noticed something and immediately stood up in his seat to cock the Machine Gun. As he did so, a Soviet RPG-7 Anti-Tank Rocket, fired by a SWAPO/PLAN Typhoon insurgent, hit and detonated against the side of the Casspir. The metal slug from the rocket passed through the Casspir, clipping and seriously wounded Lieutenant Goosen but unfortunately, striking Shitelgipo fully in the head, killing him instantly. He was 27.
Lieutenant Goosen was evacuated back to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria where he underwent life-saving surgery. After successfully recovering from his injuries, he returned a few months later to continue leading his Koevoet Combat Team once more.
10 April 1983: 82074394CK Rifleman John Kerneels Samson from the South African Cape Corps died from a gunshot wound accidentally sustained while he was stationed in the Operational Area. He was 19.
10 April 1985: 82518556BG Rifleman Douw Gerbrand Du Plessis from 4 Reconnaissance Regiment accidentally drowned during a training exercise. He was 19.
10 April 1986: 74740671PC Petty Officer Desmond John Pekeur from SAS Wingfield was killed near Schmidtsdrift, Kimberley when the rear tyre of his Landrover burst causing the vehicle to overturn. He was part of a Joint SADF Team engaged in locust extermination in the area when the accident occurred. He was 29.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.