04 June, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
04 Jun 1963: Flight Sergeant Gotlieb Rudolph Palk from 1 Air Depot was found dead at his home in Pretoria resulting from carbon monoxide poisoning. No foul play was suspected. He was 46.
04 Jun 1965: P/21543 Major Roelof David Johannes Combrinck from the Technical Service Corps Training Centre (formerly 34 Field Workshop Squadron) died of heart failure in Pretoria. He was 48.
04 June 1978: 65943037PE Warrant Officer Class II Joseph Johannes Burger HCS from 2 SAI was killed when his Gladiator vehicle overturned on the Tshipise to Messina road. He was 38.
04 Jun 1979: 67456053BT Rifleman David Johannes van Heerden from Eastern Province Command was critically wounded at M’pacha in a shooting Incident when he was struck by a bullet resulting from an accidental discharge of a fellow soldier’s rifle on 29 April 1979. He was evacuated to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria where he Died of Wounds on 04 June 1979. He was 28.
04 Jun 1979: 75273375PE Trooper Gideon Cornelius van Niekerk from 1 Special Service Battalion was killed in a private motor vehicle accident on the Brandfort to Bloemfontein Road while returning to the Unit from weekend leave. He was 19.
04 June 1980: Three members from 32 Battalion were Killed in Action South of Mutuanjamba (approximately 80 km inside Angola) during the first phase of Operation Sceptic while carrying out area clearing and domination operations in order to establish a Tactical Headquarters at Mulemba. When their patrol crossed a gravel road in the kill zone of a vehicle ambush, they walked into a large SWAPO/PLAN insurgent force that were dug in with mortars and machine guns and were able to inflict casualties and pin down the patrol. 2/Lieutenant van der Walt was killed instantly after being shot multiple times by a Soviet PKM machine gun. Staff Sergeant Braz immediately went to his aid and was hit multiple times by the same dug in PKM machine gun. He was still alive when the Casevac Helicopter arrived but succumbed to his wounds a short while later. 32 Battalion reinforcements arrived on the scene and successfully attacked and dislodged the ambushing force but elected to secure the immediate area and attend to casualties rather than pursue the retreating enemy force. Rifleman Joao was critically wounded in the initial exchange of fire and attempted to return to a temporary TB but apparently became lost and subsequently died of wounds. He has no known grave and remains unaccounted for. 2/Lieutenant Van Der Walt had narrowly escaped death on a previous occasion when he was wounded in the head by enemy small arms fire while flying as a passenger on a C160Z Transall after the aircraft was shot at by a SWAPO/PLAN patrol between Eenhana and AFB Ondangwa. Another member of this same 32 Battalion patrol was later Killed in Action North of Mulemba on 06 June 1980. The casualties in this action were:
77263739BG 2/Lieutenant Pieter van der Walt. He was 19
76928100SP Staff Sergeant Simao Domingos Braz. He was 27
79830626SP Rifleman Joshua Joao. He was 24
04 Jun 1983: 82900457SWK Corporal I.S. Kamunoko from 201 Battalion SWATF was Killed in Action during a contact with SWAPO/PLAN insurgents in Northern Owamboland. He was 22
04 Jun 1984: 78221132BG Bombardier Hendrik Vivier from 4 Artillery Regiment was killed in a private motor vehicle accident. He was 21.
04 Jun 1988: 78911898SP Rifleman Antonio Wimba from 32 Battalion was killed after being accidentally knocked down and driven over by a Buffel Troop Carrier. He was 26.
04 Jun 1989: Sergeant Johan Henry Grové from the South African Medical Service was killed in a private motor vehicle accident just outside Heidelberg only 5 months after completing his initial National Service when his vehicle slid off the road and overturned during a severe hail storm. He was 20. During his service, he was the personal driver and Aide to the then Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Neil Knobel.
04 Jun 1991: 87078598BW Rifleman Karel Augustus Fairland Kok from the Cape Regiment died as a result of a fractured skull sustained during a bar fight at the Inanda Base. He was 24.
04 Jun 1992: 05500608PE Colonel David Frederik Strauss from Air Force Headquarters died in 1 Military Hospital from health complications resulting from Brain Cancer. He was 49.
04 Jun 1994: 89245948PY Rifleman Kenneth Harold Fairland Kropf from 115 Battalion was critically injured in a private motorcycle accident on 31 May 1994. He was admitted to 1 Military Hospital where he sadly succumbed to his injuries on 04 June 1994. He was 21.
04 Jun 1998: 95088423 Sapper S W Khomo from the South African Engineer Corps was shot dead by robbers at Hammarsdale. He was 26.
04 Jun 1998: 94761483 Lance Corporal P L Letsoku from the South African Infantry Corps died as a result of gunshot wounds inflicted by persons unknown. He was 29.
04 Jun 1998: 94814530 Lance Corporal M Mbulawa from the South African Army died of disease at Murrayfield. He was 33.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten.