On 14 July, let us pause to remember these young men and women from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
14 Jul 1976: Two members from 11 Squadron and two ground crew personnel from 19 Squadron were killed when an 11 Squadron Cessna 185A, Serial No. 712 crashed at the Umtali River Mouth. The casualties were:
70264742PK 2/Lieutenant (Pilot) Mario Almeroe Janse van Rensburg from 11 Sqn. He was 21.
69250231PE Corporal Charles Lloyd van der Merwe from 11 Sqn. He was 23.
745725767PE Private Izak Jacob Joubert Geyser from 19 Sqn. He was 18.
7227390BA Private Gerhard Nicholaas van Rooyen from 19 Sqn. He was 19.
14 Jul 1976: 73420044BA Private Wihelm Jacobus Kruger from Orange Free State Command Headquarters was Killed in a military vehicle accident in Bloemfontein. He was 18.
14 Jul 1976: Two members from 31 Battalion (201 Battalion SWATF) were killed during an argument that turned violent. They were:
Rifleman Alberto Matendi. He was 25
Rifleman Prato Matoko. He was 26
14 Jul 1982: Three crew and five passengers of a SAAF 21 Squadron Swearingen Merlin 4A, Registration ZS-JLZ and four members of a civilian Piper Navajo, Registration ZS-KTX were killed when the aircraft were involved in a mid-air collision at night over the residential area of Swartkops with most of the wreckage falling near the Swartkops Drive-in. The Merlin aircraft was returning from South West Africa and was descending onto a wide left hand base-leg to land at AFB Waterkloof when it collided with a civilian Piper Navajo that had just taken off from Lanseria and was in the climb while routing towards Wonderboom airport. The casualties were:
CREW OF MERLIN ZS-JLZ:
73262883PM Captain (Pilot) Jan Izak Tobias de Villiers. He was 25
76318641PE Lieutenant (Co-Pilot) Leon Goldstein. He was 21
77011971PE Flight Sergeant (Miss) (Air Hostess) Annerie Niemand. She was 23.
MERLIN PASSENGERS:
01221530PEMajor General Dirk Johannes van Niekerk was Chief Director, Logistical Support of the SAAF. He was 53. (Major General van Niekerk was also a Korean War Veteran)
01215524PE Major General Jacobus Marthinus Crafford SM (Deputy Chief of Staff, Finance, SADF. He was 48
01166180PE Colonel Johan Adam Coetzer from the Danie Theron Combat School. He was 48.
Mr K.K. Pretorius (Secretary to the Treasury, Department of Finance. He was 55
Mr Neels Bothma (Accountant-General, Department of Defence). He was 49.
CREW AND PASSENGERS OF PIPER NAVAJO ZS-KTX:
Mr E van der Walt
Mr C. Marais
Master J. van der Walt
Master M. van der Walt
4 Jul 1982: Three members from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K (Koevoet) were Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents. They were:
Special Warrant Officer H. Elengwa. He was 38
Special Constable M. Hakonya. He was 28
Special Constable W. Timotheus. He was 32
14 Jul 1983: One member from 8 SAI was Killed in Action and one critically wounded when the claymore mine exploded near Beacon 35 after being accidentally triggered while in the process of being rendered safe. The casualties were:
79498671BG Corporal Johannes Adolf Bruwer was killed instantly in the explosion. He was 20.
81187023BG Rifleman Johannes Petrus Wessels Groenewald was critically wounded and paralysed. He was evacuated to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria. Although discharged from hospital, he unfortunately died four years later on 30 July 1987 when complications set in as a direct result of these injuries. He was 24.
14 Jul 1983: 75257071PE Captain Abraham Albertus van Zyl from the Military Academy was killed in a military vehicle accident at Saldanha. He was 24.
14 Jul 1984: Two members from 32 Battalion were killed in a hand grenade explosion in the Kimbo Hall at Buffalo. They were:
76908433SP Rifleman Louis Antonio Da Silva. He was 23.
76926781SP Rifleman Rodrigues Gabriel. He was 27.
14 Jul 1990: 89060867CK Rifleman Franklin Patrick Louw from the South African Cape Corps was Killed in a Military Vehicle Accident in Strand Street in Cape Town. He was 20
14 Jul 1993: Captain (SAN) Pieter Carl Crathorne, the Officer Commanding of S.A.S. Saldanha, sadly lost his battle with Cancer while still serving at Saldanha. He was 42.
14 Jul 1996: Captain (Miss) Pauline Hoekstra, an Air Traffic Controller at Air Force Base Langebaanweg, died after suffering multiple injuries in a private motor vehicle accident while she was travelling from Cape Town back to Langebaanweg. She was 31.
14 Jul 2016: 68385616BV Staff Sergeant Johannes Jacobus De Lange, an Ops Medic attached to the 1st Battalion Regiment Noord Transvaal, died in NETCARE Moot after contracting Klebsiella while in hospital that resulted in heart failure. He was an active member of the Reserve Force at the time of his death. He was 64
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten