23 January, let us pause to remember these young men and women from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
23 Jan 1975: WP197 Woman Police Officer Marsha Odette Brown, a South African National serving in the British South Africa Police CID Narcotics Division, was accidentally killed in Salisbury while on official duty when a truck with an intoxicated driver, skipped a red traffic light and collided with her motorcycle, killing her instantly. She was 19. Marsha was accorded a full Military Funeral and was Cremated on 28 January 1975, the day she would have celebrated her 20th birthday.
23 Jan 1978: 75379131BG Rifleman Jan Hendrik Nicolaas Kruger from the State Presidents Guard died from myocarditis in 1 Military Hospital. He was 18.
23 Jan 1979: 26006R Field Reservist Thomas Lionel Scott, a South African National serving in the Rhodesian British South Africa Police Reserve, collapsed and died after apparently suffering a fatal heart attack. He was 72.
23 Jan 1981: 77374536BG Rifleman Aubrey John Botha from 11 Commando Regiment died from a gunshot wound accidentally sustained while on special duty at Umtata. He was 19.
23 Jan 1981: 77309953BG Rifleman Dieter Otto Haase from the South West Africa Infantry Battalion SWATF was killed in a private motor vehicle accident approximately 20 km South of Kalkrand in South West Africa while on a weekend pass. He was 20.
23 Jan 1982: 81542375PE Private (Miss) Karen Mona van Rensburg from the Administrative Service Corps was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Voortrekkerhoogte while on authorised official duty. She was 19.
23 Jan 1984: 81059750BG Corporal Johannes Hendrik Roets from 4 SAI was Killed in Action when his Buffel Troop Carrier detonated a landmine near Techamutete in Southern Angola. After Ops Askari, some SADF elements remained at Techamutete and the road to Cuvelai would be swept for mines on a daily basis. One Sapper team would sweep from Techamutete and the other from Cuvelai, meeting in the middle. The Sapper teams each had a Buffel Troop Carrier with a second Buffel Troop Carrier carrying an Infantry protection element. The Buffel in which Corporal Roets was travelling had been fitted to carry a Milan rocket system that was not mounted on this particular day. Corporal Roets was standing upright in the back of his Buffel Troop Carrier when the vehicle turned around on a section of unswept road and triggered the mine. The force of the mine blast threw him back against the roll bar and broke his neck. He was 19.
23 Jan 1984: Two members from 7 SAI were killed in a motorcycle accident near Tzaneen while returning from Rustenburg to their Unit in Phalaborwa after a weekend pass. The casualties were:
Rifleman Gerhard Vorster. He was 19. (Driver)
82447764BG Rifleman Abel Johannes Erasmus. He was 18. (Passenger)
23 Jan 1984: 80573629PE Lance Corporal Grant Bailey from 5 Reconnaissance Regiment died after suffering cardio respiratory failure in 1 Military Hospital. He was 24.
23 Jan 1986: 82423070BG Rifleman Deon Francis Du Toit from 3 SAI was killed instantly when the Buffel Troop Carrier he was driving, was involved in a head-on collision with a Koevoet Casspir. A Military convoy was in the process of ferrying troops from Opuwa to Alpha Base when a Koevoet Casspir attempted to overtake the convoy despite the thick dust and very poor visibility and collided head-on with his Buffel Troop Carrier that was returning from Alpha Base after off-loading troops. The collision was so violent that the Buffel Troop Carrier virtually disintegrated on impact. He was 19.
23 Jan 1987: 83348276BG Corporal Marthinus Petrus van Loggerenberg from 4 SAI died from injuries received when his Buffel Troop Carrier overturned in the Kabokweni Township near Nelspruit during anti-riot patrol duties. Despite all efforts to revive him, he succumbed to his injuries approximately 2 hours later. He was 19.
23 Jan 1988: Four members from the South African Cape Corps training Unit attached to 54 Battalion, were Killed in Action during a fierce engagement with a numerically superior force of FAPLA and SWAPO/PLAN troops in South Eastern Angola. The casualties were:
85092385PC Corporal Dawid Petersen. He was 22.
87954533CK Rifleman Joseph Brian Harker. He was 21.
87092383CK Rifleman Phillip Dawid Matroos. He was 22.
87959771CK Rifleman Alfred Snyders. He was 23.
23 Jan 1989: 88031091AK Seaman Marine Pooventharan Thangavalu from the South African Marine Corps was killed instantly in a shooting incident while stationed at Wenela Base. Earlier in the day, a fellow Marine had entered the bungalow, removed the magazine from his rifle without carrying out proper safety checks to ensure the rifle chamber was clear, put the rifle down on his bed before going off on an exercise run. The same Marine together with Thangavalu later returned to the bungalow from their exercise run whereupon he picked up the weapon and they both proceeded to joke round and play games with it. Despite calls from their fellow Marines to desist, the two of them continued to joke and play around with the rifle until a shot went off, hitting Thangavalu in the head, killing him instantly. He was 18.
23 Jan 1991: 90065129CK Rifleman Fanie Johan Jeneke from the South African Cape Corps was killed when his Buffel Troop Carrier overturned at Scottburgh. He was 18.
23 Jan 1994: 90064171PE Corporal Clinton Angelo Johannes from 6 SAI was Reported Missing when he disappeared while swimming with fellow Unit members in the sea at Port Alfred. After an intensive search, his body was discovered on 02 February 1994 and recovered after it washed ashore at the mouth of the Great Fish River. He was 22.
23 Jan 1997: 95082327PV Rifleman Ngeda Coboza from 9 SAI was killed at Nyanga while traveling as a passenger when his Buffel Troop Carrier was involved in a collision with a private civilian vehicle. He was 23.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.