19 March, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
19 Mar 1961: Captain Jacob Abraham Storm from the South African Army died from cancer in 1 Military Hospital, at Pretoria. He was 42.
19 Mar 1974: 5103478E Chief Petty Officer Christopher Arthur David Wilson from SAS Chapman suffered a heart attack and later died in 2 Military Hospital. He was 57.
19 Mar 1977: 73515926BA Private Ben Jacobus Haywood from the SADF Dog Training Centre died after receiving grievous head injuries in a private motor vehicle accident in Boksburg. He was 19.
19 March 1979: 74260910BC Private Louis Gerhard Nel from 85 Advanced Flying School, Air Force Base Pietersburg was critically injured when the aircraft ejection seat he was working on accidentally activated in the aircraft hangar. He was evacuated by air to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria where he sadly succumbed to his injuries later in the day. He was 20.
19 Mar 1979: 72235625BG Able Seaman Nicholaas Johannes van Wyk from Naval Base Simonstown was killed in a private motorcycle accident in Pretoria. He was 23.
19 Mar 1981: 76358498PE Sapper Abraham Johannes Britz from 47 Survey Squadron, South African Engineer Corps was killed in a private motorcycle accident on the Ben Schoeman Highway near Pretoria. He was 20.
19 Mar 1981: 80150964HB Pioneer Themba Posselt Maziba from the Northern Transvaal Command Auxiliary Services Pioneer Unit was found hanged. No foul play was suspected. He was 24.
19 Mar 1981: 78508801BG Private Erasmus Albertus Oosthuizen, from the School of Technical Training was critically injured in a private motor vehicle accident on 28 February 1981 and admitted to 1 Military Hospital where he sadly succumbed to his injuries on 19 March 1981. He was 18.
19 Mar 1981: 77573145BG Gunner Cornelius Johannes Janse van Rensburg from 14 Field Regiment died in 1 Military Hospital after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was 19.
19 Mar 1983: 78205796BG Rifleman Wernicht Francois Steyn from 1 SAI was admitted to the Conradie Hospital in Parow, one of the top treatment Centres for Spinal Neurodegenerative Disease where he remained for 22 months until his death on 19 March 1983. He was 21.
19 Mar 1988: 70334258PE Major Jan Willem van Coppenhagen from 1 Squadron was Reported Missing over Southern Angola when his Dassault Mirage F1AZ, Serial No. 223 failed to return from a low level night diversion strike on enemy installations at Baixa Longa with radio silence being enforced. The two Mirage F1AZ's flown by Cmdt Johan Rankin and Maj Willie van Coppenhagen were en-route back to Air Force Base Grootfontein from the target when the lead saw a bright flash in the darkness and thought it was a bomb exploding. Upon landing back at base, Johan Rankin realised that his wingman had not returned. After a 5-day search, the wreckage of the aircraft together with the body of the pilot was located and recovered on 24 March from an area just inside Angola and not far from the Cut Line. The subsequent Board of Inquiry concluded that the aircraft had been descending over a period of time at a very shallow angle until it struck the tree tops, killing the pilot instantly. The possibility that a corroded fuel pipe may have caused the aircraft engine to experience a flame-out at low-level that resulted in the fatal crash was also not ruled out. He was 33.
19 Mar 1993: Three civilians, two of them scholars, were killed and two others, Mr Norman Mitchley and Mr Craig Lamprecht were wounded at Eikenhof when two APLA operatives, Phila Martin Dolo and Ethan Frome opened fire on their private motor vehicle using AK-47 Assault Rifles. The APLA Cadre had initially tried to target a school bus but when this failed, they opened fire on the vehicle instead. These APLA operatives were convicted and sentenced to prison during June 1994 but were were later granted amnesty in 1998. The casualties in this act or terror were:
Mrs Zandra Mitchley. She was 35.
Master Shaun Nel (Stepson of Zandra Mitchley). He was 14.
Miss Claire Silberbauer. She was 13.
19 Mar 1994: 92655273PK Rifleman Phethiso Simeon Makhatha from 115 Battalion was killed after suffering multiple head injuries when his Buffel Troop Carrier overturned while on Township Patrol. He was 27.
19 Mar 2000: 96067574PE Corporal Michael Ndlovu from the General Support Base in Kimberley, died of disease in the Kimberley Hospital He was 50.
19 Mar 2012: 00038838 Corporal Samuel Danzil Blom from Air Force Base Waterkloof was killed in a private motor vehicle accident. He was 27.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.