06 September, let us pause for a minute to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Sunset call.
06 Sep 1975: 73553505N Rifleman Leon Johannes de Wit Scheepers from 2 SAI was part of a group of patrols that were clearing all the islands down-river from Calueque Dam. During this process, he accidentally fell into the Cunene River and drowned before he could be rescued. He was 18.
06 Sep 1977: 72338411PE Corporal Thomas John Lewis Jones from 1 Kavango Battalion SWATF was killed when the Bedford truck in which he was travelling on the Rundu / Bagani Road, left the road and collided with a tree some 60 km west of Ondangwa. He was 21.
06 Sep 1977: 01575786PE Commandant Johannes Petrus Human from Sector 70 Headquarters SWATF was killed in a private motor vehicle accident. He was 49.
06 Sep 1978: 75541946BC 2/Lieutenant Andre Leon Opperman from 32 Battalion was Killed in Action in Southern Angola when his patrol came under concentrated mortar, automatic weapons and RPG-7 anti-tank rocket fire when his patrol walked into a SWAPO/PLAN ambush close to Chana Omalapapa, North of Beacon 28. He was leading the patrol when he was shot dead at close range by an insurgent using a Soviet PKM machine-gun. He was 19.
06 Sep 1979: During an external operation in Moçambique, code-named Ops Uric, a SAAF Puma helicopter, Serial No. 164 carrying 3 SAAF Crew and 14 South African Nationals, all serving members of the Rhodesian Armed Force, was shot down near Mapai in Moçambique. Approximately 5km from the target area, the low-flying helicopter armada overflew a small satellite air-defence base that had been abandoned by most of the defenders as soon as the initial Hunter strikes had attacked the Brigade HQ at Mapai earlier that morning. A lone Frelimo soldier, armed with an RPG-7 rocket launcher who had remained at his post he took aim and fired his rocket towards the massed aircraft just as they drew level with his position. The RPG-7 Anti-Tank Rocket struck the right side of the last helicopter in the nearest formation and exploded between the pilot’s seats, simultaneously igniting the fuel in the tank situated behind the pilot as well as the explosives that were being carried on board. The stricken Puma rolled immediately to the right and plunged into the ground, exploding on impact in a huge ball of flame and oily black smoke. All on board perished in one of the greatest single tragedies of the Rhodesian Bush War. The bodies were never recovered but were later located in an expedition into the area on 13 April 2009. Memorial stones and a memorial cross was erected over the graves of all these casualties. The casualties were:
19 Squadron South African Air Force:
70388152PK Captain (Pilot & A/C Commander) Paul Denzil Velleman. He was 25.
74299181PS Lieutenant (Co-Pilot) Nigel David Osborne. He was 22.
Sergeant (Flight Engineer) Dirk Wilhelmus Marthinus Retief. He was 29.
1 Commando Rhodesian Light Infantry:
780949 Captain Johannes Matheus du Plooy.
729689 Corporal Gordon Hugh Fry.
124307 Trooper Jacobus Alwyn Briel.
730092 Trooper Aiden James Coleman.
123929 Trooper Jeremy Mark Crow.
119928 Trooper Brian Louis Enslin.
729937 Trooper Stephen Eric King.
123027 Trooper Colin Graham Neasham.
730099 Trooper David Rex Prosser.
1 Squadron and Directorate Rhodesian Corps of Engineers:
Captain Charles David Small.
2/Lieutenant Bruce Fraser Burns.
Sergeant Michael Alan Jones.
Corporal Leroy William Duberly.
Lance Corporal Peter Fox.
06 Sep 1980: 71536924BV Rifleman Alfred Gordon Smith from the Kimberley Regiment was killed in a military vehicle accident at Sishen. He was 58.
06 Sep 1985: 81196776PE Private Pierre Botha from 61 Base Workshops died in an accidental shooting incident at the Base. He was in the weapons armoury when a round was fired and the bullet ricocheted off a workbench and struck him, killing him instantly. He was 20.
06 Sep 1986: 81005514PE Lance Corporal Frederick Johannes Klaasen from Air Force Base Waterkloof was killed in a private motor vehicle accident in Paul Kruger Street, Pretoria. He was 20.
06 Sep 1987: 83249417BG Lance Corporal Melvin Ashley Beneke from 1 Parachute Battalion Pathfinders was Killed in Action during a contact with enemy forces at the Lomba River in Southern Angola during Ops Modular. His patrol walked into an ambush and he received a fatal gunshot wound to the head. He was 19.
06 Sep 1988: 76900380SP Sergeant N. Kibanguka from 32 Battalion was killed in a military vehicle accident. He was 35.
Their names and sacrifice have not been forgotten.