28 March, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
28 Mar 1957: P8480 Air Corporal Daniel Adriaan van den Berg from 35 Squadron accidentally drowned in Durban Harbour when he slipped and fell into the water while carrying out an inspection of seaplane tenders. He was 45.
28 Mar 1978: 75523621BG Sapper Michael Andries Stephanus Nel from 101 Field Engineer Regiment was Reported Missing while swimming in the Okavango River after being attacked by a crocodile. He has no known grave and remains unaccounted for. He was 19.
28 Mar 1979: 05514153PE Sergeant Robert Daniel Burt from Sector 70 Headquarters SWATF was killed in a private motor vehicle accident. He was 26.
28 Mar 1979: 75249631BG Rifleman Dennis Colin Golden from 1 Parachute Battalion Died of Wounds after being accidentally shot by own forces near Otavi. The Section Leader, Lance Corporal Johannes de Wet ordered the men to fan out in a half-moon formation and wait in ambush for three SWAPO/PLAN insurgents that were known to be operating in the area. At first light, the members of Rifleman Goldman’s group decided to change positions and as they did so, they were mistaken for insurgents and other members of the ambush position opened fire. Two members of the Section were also wounded in this incident but survived. He was 19.
28 Mar 1979: 74592940BG Rifleman Nikos Pavlakis from Infantry School Died of Wounds when his patrol, while moving along the Cut-line, was ambushed by a numerically superior force of SWAPO/PLAN insurgents between Beacon 11 and Beacon 12. He was hit in the head by mortar bomb shrapnel and although every effort was made to resuscitate him, he succumbed to his wounds without ever regaining consciousness. Nikos was part of the Infantry School COIN training phase and was with a platoon of Junior Leader candidates that were deployed to the Operational Area. He was 20.
28 Mar 1980: 77493260BG Trooper Leon Oosthuizen from 1 Special Service Battalion was killed after suffering multiple shrapnel wounds in an accidental hand grenade explosion at the General De Wet Training Area. He was 18.
28 Mar 1981: Three members of 1 Parachute Battalion died of multiple shrapnel wounds at the Barracks in Bloemfontein. There were twin Brothers in the barracks and the one brother, who had picked up an unexploded “dud” 60mm High Explosive mortar bomb on the range as a souvenir, dropped the mortar bomb in the middle of a crowded bungalow just after supper and the bomb exploded, mortally wounding the three. His twin Brother lost his leg in the same incident and many others were wounded. The bungalow walls were also riddled with shrapnel. The casualties in this most unfortunate incident were:
78442050BG Rifleman Petrus Jacobus Pieterse. He was 18.
77518702BG Rifleman Johannes Daniel van der Westhuizen. He was 19.
78395324BG Rifleman Elias Jacobus Nicolaas Beukes. He was 18
28 Mar 1983: Special Constable Nghiwaniva Nghiyayela from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 26.
28 Mar 1985: 83898973SW Rifleman Kleopas Mbango from 101 Battalion SWATF was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents just North of the Cut Line. He was 23.
28 Mar 1987: Special Sergeant Martin Lukas from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 32
28 Mar 1987: 85531978BG Airman Abram Johannes van Aswegen from the Air Force Gymnasium was killed in a private motorcycle accident in Valhalla. He was 19.
28 Mar 1988: Special Constable Manuel Sevelenu from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 25.
28 Mar 1988: W411536P Constable Cyril William Pearce from the South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Wing: Ops-K Division (Koevoet) was killed when his Combat Team Z4W Casspir overturned while operating in the Rundu area. He was 21.
28 Mar 1990: 68232560PE Commandant John Orr, Officer Commanding 2 Squadron suddenly collapsed at the Squadron Headquarters not very long after arriving at work. He was evacuated to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria where he sadly passed away. The subsequent post mortem determined that he had suffered a rupture in his esophagus. Whether the rupture was caused as a result of high G-Forces exerted during a training air combat manoeuver sortie that he had flown three days earlier, or whether it was due to natural causes could not be precisely determined. He was 36. He was cremated and his ashes were later scattered over the Kruger National Park from the air brakes of 2 Squadron Mirage IIICZ 807.
28 Mar 1998: 96083324 Corporal D E Ramontsho from the South African Army died at Klipgat from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 24
28 Mar 1998: 88731385 Rifleman C E Semenya from the SA Army died of disease in the Pietersburg Sickbay while off duty. He was 32.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.