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Marais , Stephanus (S)

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Photo of Marais
Identity
Person No.
31601
Old ROH no.
892
Service No.
70264544R
Last Name
Marais 87
First Name
Stephanus
Initials
S
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1955 (±1 yr) 397
Age at Death
19
Death Record
Date of Death
29 August 1974 100
Cause code
DROW 1,203
Drowned
Cause of Death
Drowned 1,085
Drowned in Mossel Bay
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Lance Corporal
Regiment
1 Reconnaissance Commando 15
Later renamed 1 Reconnaissance Regiment (1996)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,832
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,874
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
SPRINGS (GEDULD) CEMETERY 20
Grave Reference
Alternative Commemoration until grave found 11
Unit History
Role at time of death
Special Forces (Reconnaissance)
Status
Permanent Force (Regular), some sub-units Citizen Force
The first South African Special Forces unit, established at Oudtshoorn, Cape Province, 1 October 1972. Special Forces operate as their own branch within the SANDF (not part of the Army/Navy). Some Reconnaissance Commandos had Citizen Force (reserve) components alongside the standing Permanent Force structure -- needs further research to determine which applies to a specific record/era.
Notes

No additional information known at this time

Research notes

SASFA In Memoriam (operators killed in training): confirmed operator; died in training (SASFA: Operators killed in Training). SASFA: Marais Fanie 1974. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf 26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "2 Squadron"; Regiment was "1 Reconnaissance Regiment". SAWGP Regiment 1 Reconnaissance Commando with no separate unit.
Col (rt) Graham du Toit, Last Post, 29 Aug 2026: L/Cpl S. Marais, 1 Reconnaissance Commando, drowned in a diving accident in Mossel Bay Harbour during a training exercise (body recovered next day), age 19. Matches ROH record.
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Navy" was CLEARED. It was not a sub-unit, it was a service-branch word, and it CONTRADICTED this record's own Branch, "Army". Across the roll 787 records carried such a contradiction; judged against Corps and Regiment -- independent of both columns -- the evidence backed Branch 744 times and Unit2 not once. Branch is therefore kept and the contradicting word removed. Nothing is guessed: this man's branch of service is already recorded, and his sub-unit, if any, is simply not known.

Citations
Unknown
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