On 05 August, let us pause to remember these young men from our generation who answered the Sunset call.
05 Aug 1949: MPO144146 Private Johannes Hendrik Visser, a mason employed by the South African Army, died of tuberculosis in 1 Military Hospital. He was 29.
05 Aug 1983: 81169468BG Rifleman Johannes Jacobus Christoffel Stols from 3 SAI Support Company was Killed in Action while attached to 52 Battalion when his Buffel Troop Carrier detonated a boosted Yugoslavian TMA-3 Cheese Mine while on patrol near Ogongo. He was 20.
05 Aug 1985: 81233033BG Gunner Riaan Jakob Rautenbach from 61 Mechanised Battalion Died of Wounds on 05 August 1985 in an accidental motor bomb explosion during a live-firing exercise at Omuthiya while using 120mm M5 Mortars. A 120mm Mortar Pipe exploded when the tail of the mortar bomb apparently broke off inside the mortar pipe causing the pipe to burst. He was mortally wounded by the shrapnel from the exploding mortar pipe and died a few minutes later. He was 20.
05 Aug 1986: Four members from the Intelligence School in Kimberley were killed when their SAMIL 50 vehicle overturned approximately 500m from the Unit Headquarters. Two more members were critically injured and admitted to the Universitas Hospital where they sadly succumbed to their injuries on 06 and 24 August 1986 respectively, bringing the total casualties for this incident to six. The four initial casualties were:
83359851BG Lance Corporal Alan Bernard Clarke. He was 18.
84376177BG Lance Corporal Jacob Johannes de Jager. He was 18.
82525840BG Lance Corporal Jacques Delport. He was 18.
83234799BG Lance Corporal Jacobus Frans Hamman. He was 18.
05 Aug 1987: 79874921SC Lance Corporal Vingentius Mariu Ruhl from 101 Battalion SWATF was killed in a military motor vehicle accident near Ondangwa when a tyre burst causing the vehicle to overturn. He was 29.
05 Aug 1998: Two members from the South African Engineer Corps were shot dead by the members of the South African Police Service during crime prevention operations in Bloemfontein. Both members were Absent Without Leave (AWOL) at the time of the incident. The casualties were:
94096724 Sapper C A Hendile. He was 26.
94670460 Sapper S C Mathabatha. He was 27.
05 Aug 1998: 94081676 Private P M Mashigo from the South African Army died of disease at Kanyamazane. He was 29.
05 Aug 1998: 94816006 Staff Sergeant M P Plaatjie from 1 SAI died of disease in the Bloemfontein Hospital. He was 35.
05 Aug 1999: Two members from 6 SAI were killed in a military motor vehicle accident when their Samil 50 overturned at Mount Frere. The casualties were:
95719217PV Rifleman Pumlani Nkompela. He was 24.
94804978PE Rifleman Michael Mafu Nqweniso. He was 34.
Their names and sacrifices will not be forgotten