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Kotze , Johannes Tobias (J T)

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Photo of Kotze
Identity
Person No.
31148
Service No.
Unknown
Last Name
Kotze 41
First Name
Johannes Tobias
Initials
J T
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1950 (±1 yr) 232
Age at Death
34
Death Record
Date of Death
18 July 1984 359
Cause code
DOAS 7,466
Died on active service
Cause of Death
Died on active service 6,447
Died on active service
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Unknown
Regiment
Unknown
Unit
61 Mechanised Battalion Group 12
Defence Force
SADF 3,832
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,874
Locality
Western Cape 2,137
Cemetery
CAPE TOWN (DURBANVILLE) CEMETERY 8
Grave Reference
Alternative Commemoration until grave found 2
Unit History
Role at time of death
Mechanised Infantry (combined-arms battalion group)
Status
Regular Force
Part of
South African Defence Force (1957–1994) — I South African Corps (1 SA Corps) — Battlegroups
Formed 1978 as Battle Group Juliet (SWAPO counter-insurgency, Ovamboland); formally named 61 Mechanised Battalion (Group) January 1979; disbanded 2005 at Lohatla. "Battalion Group" reflects its integral combined-arms structure: two Ratel-20-mounted infantry companies, an armoured car/tank squadron (Eland/Ratel-90, later Olifant), an integral G5 howitzer artillery battery, an 81mm mortar platoon, an anti-tank platoon, and an anti-aircraft troop -- not merely units attached for one operation. Fought at the Battle of the Lomba River, 1987. No evidence found that it was ever subordinated to or redesignated as a "61 Mechanised Brigade" -- see the note on that separate OrgEntity record.
Notes

No additional information known at this time

Research notes

SN CORRECTION 25 Aug 2026: ServiceNo 77422806BG cleared -- the pantser.cmvo.org.za SADF deaths PDF lists that number under "KOTZE, JACOB JOHANNES" (PTE, Sterf 09 04 81), matching PersonNumber 31147 (Kotze, DateDeath 1981-04-09) by surname and exact date, not this record. Original value: "77422806BG". Left as an unresolved collision otherwise -- this correction is specific to this one PDF-confirmed case, not a general claim this record's other data is wrong.
4 Sep 2026: Regiment leftover "South African Army" cleared -- that's the service branch (Army, as distinct from Navy/Air Force), not a specific regiment; the actual unit ("61 Mechanised Battalion Group") is already captured in Unit. Per John's decision, the 52 records with no better Unit info were left as-is.
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Army" was CLEARED as a duplicate. It was not a sub-unit, it was a service-branch word repeating what the Branch column already says. Secondary Unit is for sub-units -- a company, a squadron, a commando -- and this record's branch of service is unchanged at "Army".

Citations
Unknown
External References
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