Identity
Person No.
29736
Old ROH no.
209
Service No.
80024151PP
Last Name
First Name
Reginald
Initials
R
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
24
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
Unknown
Cause of Death
Died in a parachute accident. Parachute failed to open during a training jump at the Training area "Suikerkop", near Hoedspruit, Eastern Transvaal
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
5 Reconnaissance Regiment 72
Later renamed
5 Special Forces Regiment
(1995)
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
Army
Defence Force
SADF 3,820
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Unit History
Role at time of death
Special Forces (reconnaissance)
Status
Regular Force
Each numbered Reconnaissance unit was renamed over time: "X Reconnaissance Commando" -> "X Reconnaissance Regiment" (1981) -> briefly a Parachute Battalion designation (1992/93, under "45 Parachute Brigade", a Special-Forces-only designation distinct from the real 44 Parachute Brigade) -> "X Special Forces Regiment" (1995). The parent formation itself changed name several times before 1995 (Special Forces Headquarters, then Directorate Reconnaissance(Forces)) with disputed exact dates between sources -- 1995 is the one date sources agree on. Corps classified as SAIC (South African Infantry Corps) per this site's own records; no independent source found confirms that for Special Forces units specifically -- treat as owner-asserted pending a better citation.
Notes
Son of Chivovo, of Chipinga, Rhodesia. Husband of Mrs. Monse Nelly Chivovo, of the Special Forces Base, Phalaborwa.
Research notes
SASFA In Memoriam (operators killed in training): confirmed operator; died in training (SASFA: Operators killed in Training). SASFA: Chivovo R 1982. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf 26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "32 (Buffalo) Battalion". SAWGP Regiment 5 Reconnaissance Regiment with no separate unit.
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
SADF.info Border Roll of Honour
open source ↗
SADF.info Border RoH
- South African War Graves Project open source ↗
-
The War in Angola
open source ↗
War In Angola Roll of Honour (warinangola.com, tabid=1175), page 20 of 143: confirmed, no changes.
-
Unit veterans association
open source ↗
SASFA In Memoriam: Chivovo R 1982 — confirmed operator; died in training (SASFA: Operators killed in Training)
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