17 April, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
17 April 1969: 05535240PE Lieutenant Willem Blignaut from the State Presidents Guard was killed in a private motorcycle accident on the Bronkhorstspruit to Middelburg Highway. He was 24.
17 April 1974: W39784R Lieutenant Edward Peter Swart from the South African Police Counter Insurgency Unit who was serving in Rhodesia, was Killed in Action after suffering fatal gunshot wounds during a contact with insurgents at Rushinga. He was 34.
17 April 1980: 63869909PE Sergeant Carel Petrus Greyling HC from 1 Reconnaissance Regiment was killed in a military motor vehicle accident in the Eastern Caprivi Strip. He was 27.
17 April 1981: 75452048BG Corporal Clive Fisher from Infantry School was killed in a private motor vehicle accident on the National road near Mossel Bay. He was 21.
17 April 1982: 77242501BG Rifleman Derek Jurgens Deysel from 5 SAI was accidentally killed at the Jozini Training Base when he was struck by a bullet resulting from the accidental discharge of a fellow soldier’s rifle. He was 20.
17 April 1984: 81051164BG Rifleman Johann Christiaan Rheeder from Infantry School was killed in a private motor vehicle accident on the Beaufort West to Richmond road. He was 19.
17 April 1984: Two members from 7 SAI were killed at Nehone in Southern Angola after suffering multiple shrapnel wounds in an accidental enemy rifle grenade explosion. While a patrol was resting on the verandah of the little church at Nehone, a member of the patrol was tampering with a captured M-60P1 Yugoslavian HEAP Pencil STRIM Rifle Grenade when it exploded, killing two members instantly and wounding four others. The casualties in this unfortunate incident were:
80413552BG Corporal Phillipus Botha. He was 20
81245854BG Rifleman Cecil Rhodes Dippenaar. He was 19.
17 April 1988: 73371957PE Colonel Daniel Jacobus Erasmus from Army Headquarters was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Pretoria. He was 40.
17 April 1992: Private Conrad Dannhauser from the Technical Service Corps was killed instantly in the early hours of Friday morning near Beaufort West while hitch hiking home on an Easter Weekend Pass. He was standing on the shoulder of the road when he was struck down by an ambulance when the driver of the vehicle swerved to avoid a collision after being temporary blinded by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. He was 20.
17 April 1994: Lance Corporal W.Z. Matwa from 61 Mechanised Battalion Group was accidentally killed during operations connected with Operation Jumbo. He was 22.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.