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Liebenberg , Rowland Ridgard (R R)

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Identity
Person No.
31334
Old ROH no.
814
Service No.
76465673PK
Last Name
Liebenberg 41
First Name
Rowland Ridgard
Initials
R R
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1960 (±1 yr) 417
Age at Death
25
Death Record
Date of Death
21 May 1985 107
Cause code
KIA 14,779
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action 14,653
Killed in action, during a recce in Angola near Cabinda, during Operation Argon. His body was not recovered but was returned to South Africa later after negotiations
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Corporal
Regiment
4 Reconnaissance Regiment 10
Later renamed 4 Special Forces Regiment (1995)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,828
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Northern Cape 808
Cemetery
DOUGLAS CEMETERY, HERBERT 3
Grave Reference
A7 1
Coordinates
-29.06562, 23.75757 OSM
Operation
Operation
Argon
Dates
1985-05-21
About
Special Forces sabotage raid on Gulf Oil's Cabinda facilities by a small seaborne team. The raid was compromised; Captain Wynand du Toit was captured (the rest of the team killed or extracted), and his capture and subsequent trial publicly exposed South Africa's covert military role in Angola for the first time, becoming a major international embarrassment for the SADF and the government.
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.
Awards
Pro Patria Medal
Pro Patria Medal
South Africa
Pro Patria Medal warrant, Government Gazette No. 5171 (25 Jun 1976), Rule 5, as amended by GG No. 5575 (3 Jun 1977); discontinued by GG No. 25213 (25 Jul 2003, Schedule corrected by GG No. 26778, 17 Sep 2004) for service on/after 27 Apr 2003. Gazette extracts: https://rohsa.co.za/award.php?id=24
Notes

Son of Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Liebenberg

Research notes

SASFA In Memoriam (operators): confirmed Special Forces operator. SASFA: Liebenberg Roland KIA 1985. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf 26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "HQ, Pretoria". SAWGP Regiment 4 Reconnaissance Regiment with no separate unit. | Diedericks, André. Journey Without Boundaries: The operational life and experiences of a SA Special Forces Small Team Operator. Just Done Productions, Durban, 2007 (ISBN 978-1-920169-58-9): records the Cabinda Gulf Oil raid in which Capt Wynand du Toit of 4 Recce was captured and two operators killed; Diedericks does not name the two dead. This record is the ROH identification of one of them (Operation Argon, 21 May 1985).
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
Stories 2
on 18 November 2001 · via source
Corporal R.R. Liebenberg was killed, and du Toit nearly so, though he remained conscious. The contact was over, and two of South Africa's finest soldiers were dead. While du Toit lay on his stomach, FAPLA soldiers approached thinking he was also dead. While stripping his equipment, they realized he was alive and shot him through the neck. He remained awake with wounds in his neck, shoulder and arm as the FAPLA soldiers began to savagely beat him. The soldiers ranted that he was a mercenary, while du Toit explained that he was in fact a South African officer, which surprised the soldiers greatly, though they were unaware he was a member of the notorious Recces. After being abused, he was finally taken to Cabinda for medical treatment then to a Luanda hospital. The remaining six Recce operators carefully made their way north where they regrouped and made contact with their plane. They were picked up and returned safely to South Africa. Their escape was due in part to being ignored after the Angolans captured du Toit.
on 17 August 2026 · via source
On May 13 1985, a South African Navy strike craft carrying the Recce team as well as a back-up team left Saldanha Bay and traveled to a spot 160 kms off the Angolan coast near its border with Zaire. The mission was to confirm the existence of ANC terrorist bases and SWAPO bases near Cabinda. Reports indicated this area as containing a major ANC training base from which insurgents returned to South Africa. The area contains oil storage installations run by the Angolans and Gulf Oil, and because of this, several large military bases are in the vecinity. Speculative reports had mentioned US Veterans and ex-SAS guarding the installations. The plane brought the soldiers close to the coast in the darkness of May 19. An advance scouting party was sent to gather intelligence on terrain where the party would land, rowing ashore in rubber dinghies. No hostile movement or activity was noticed so the rest of the team landed on the night of May 20th. Under ideal cloudy skies, the Recce teams trip was slowed by the need to launch their boats farther from shore than anticipated. The longer journey, as well as rough seas threw off the precise timing of the mission. Near shore, Capt. du Toit noticed a small fishing vessel in the area of the landing zone and the occupants were on shore around a fire. This forced the team to wait off-shore until the boat left the area. They were now three hours behind schedule, and the danger of being detected grew. Upon landing the boats were hidden and a rendezvous point set up. The men climbed a bluff and followed a route that skirted a small village and led to a road. They miscalculated the distance to the road and turned back losing an hour of valuable time. Du Toit decided to continue and reach the lay over position in a densely wooded area within the two hours prior to dawn. South African Intelligence and aerial photographs showed an uninhabited area, but in fact it was surrounded by camouflaged FAPLA bases. The hide was finally reached as day broke. This proved to be far from ideal as a hiding place as it was not part of the jungle but an island of dense growth some distance from the jungle. The Recce's hid in the undergrowth and spread into a defensive perimeter, one man at an observation post several yards to the North with a view of the course they had traveled. As dawn broke, the features of a well hidden FAPLA base became clear some 1,000 yards from the hide pos
Dedications 6
by Rob on 30 May 2001 · via source
You died as you lived - bravely.
on 02 February 2005 · via source
Roland, ek het jou nooit geken nie,was in standard 5 saam met jou sussie die dag toe ons van jou gehoor het.Ek sal nooit die hartseer in haar oe vergeet nie.Jy was n geliefde dorpseun van Douglas Schalk Labuschagne
by de Villiers on 10 May 2008 · via source
Liepie, ek onthou baie jare gelede was ons saam in St. 7 of so. Ek het op 'n geroeste spyker getrap en kon nie op die voet trap nie a.g.v. bloedvergiftiging. Jy't my op jou skouers gedra tussen klasse. Dis die soort ou wat jy was... J.
on 20 November 2012 · via source
Boetie ek mis jou meer en meer elke dag. Baie lief vir jou Z Lynn (Liebenberg)
on 16 March 2013 · via source
Ja liepie, 1981 in douglas was lekker dae, lekker stout gewees, saam dinge gedoen, man dis was great om jou maat te wees, saam vakansie gaan op jeffreys, die liebenberg huis was soos my eie huis, oom Roland, hy was great en almal net lief vir hom, miss jou my maat, jaco Jaco Kruger
by Johan Schoeman on 30 July 2020 · via War in Angola
Lede van die Staatspresidentswag marsjeer met die oorskotte van kpl Louis van Breda en kpl Rowland Liebenberg nadat dit by die Lugmagbasis Ysterplaat in Kaapstad aangekom het.

BRON: PARATUS • APRIL 1988

Sien hoofartikel onder Operasie Argon.