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Bekker , Harry Albert (H A)

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Photo of Bekker
Identity
Person No.
29386
Old ROH no.
68
Service No.
73511776KT
Last Name
Bekker 30
First Name
Harry Albert
Initials
H A
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1957 (±1 yr) 431
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
26 August 1976 79
Cause code
MVA 2,625
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in motor vehicle accident 1,758
Died in Vehicle Accident, vehicle he was travelling collided with a truck near Rundu
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
South African Commandos 98
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,341
Unit
Boksburg Commando, B Group at Woodpecker Base 1
Defence Force
SADF 3,815
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,847
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
BOKSBURG CEMETERY 96
Grave Reference
Unknown
Coordinates
-26.21977, 28.27423 OSM
Unit History
Role at time of death
Infantry (area defence)
Status
Commando (Area Bound Reserve)
Part of
SADF Commando System category
Generic Regiment-field text used across hundreds of records whose actual unit is a specific local Commando (e.g. Rustenburg Commando, Boksburg Commando -- captured in Unit). Post-WWII, "Commando" is its own force-component category alongside Regular/Permanent Force and Active Citizen Force -- area-bound, part-time reserve units tied to a specific district, mobilised for local counter-insurgency/area protection duties during the Border War era. Not a single regiment; this Status applies to the whole category.
Notes

Son of J. G. Bekker, of Boksburg North.

Research notes


14 Sep 2026: Pro Patria Medal added -- database-wide sweep for SADF Border War operational-area deaths within the medal's gazetted window (25 Jun 1976 - 27 Apr 2003), per the warrant's died-before-qualifying-period provision. See PersonAward.Citation for the gazette references.
14 Sep 2026: Pro Patria Medal added earlier today REVERTED -- John obtained the actual Government Gazette (GG 5171/5575); the "died before completing the qualifying period" provision relied on does not exist in the primary text (it was a secondary-source claim). Actual Rule 5 requires (a) combat/enemy-caused incident, (b) a Ministerially-acknowledged operation (clasp), or (c) 55+ continuous/90+ non-continuous days in an operational area -- none of which this record's cause of death clearly demonstrates.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 1
by Ann Tiran on 02 July 2009 · via source
Harry was killed on the border at RUNDU in SWA. His brother Charles was in the front vehicle and he in the second one. They detonated a land mine in the road and the second vehicle was blown up. 7 young white men, 2 coloured and 2 black men were killed. After much deliberation this was the first time that news was released to the press concerning our many young men who had perished on the border. Harry and Charles had signed up for a second stint on the border just a few days before his death.
Dedications 1
on 05 June 2007 · via source
I think this is Harry Bekker who was a good friend of my younger brother. Apparently he was killed when the vehicle he was travelling in rolled somewhere in the operational area. He was a 3-month camper, on his first tour I believe, and my brother and I attended his funeral in Boksburg. Harry was a nice youngster taken from his loved ones in the prime of his life. We shall remember him at the coming up of the sun and at it's going down. RIP M Haupt (S/Sgt SAEC)