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Mbopane (D M)

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No photograph available — remembrance poppy
Identity
Person No.
31755
Service No.
Unknown
Last Name
Mbopane 1
First Name
Unknown
Initials
D M
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1963 (±1 yr) 330
Age at Death
28
Death Record
Date of Death
20 August 1991 95
Cause code
DROW 1,203
Drowned
Cause of Death
Drowned 1,085
Drowned in the Fish River during a Ciskei Defence Force parachute training exercise. Daily Dispatch 21 August 1991: eight paratroopers drowned; a squad of sixteen carrying 60 kg of equipment dropped near the river, ten landed in the water
Military Service
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
Ciskei Defence Force
Unit
Ciskei Parachute Battalion 8
Secondary Unit
Army
Defence Force
CDF 8
Ciskei Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,874
Locality
Eastern Cape 971
Cemetery
SADF WALL OF REMEMBRANCE, VOORTREKKER MONUMENT, PRETORIA 1,926
Grave Reference
Alternative Commemoration until grave found 1,612
Memorial
Memorial
SADF Wall of Remembrance
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Voortrekker Monument, Eeufees Road, Groenkloof, Pretoria, 0181, South Africa
Coordinates
-25.77639, 28.17583 · OpenStreetMap
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Notes

Ref SANDF 1998 RoH

Research notes

Mike Sandham 20 Aug 2026 omissions: SANDF 1998 RoH DateDeath 1991-01-01 / Died on active service; Mike Date of Death 2 = 1991-12-31. DateDeath set to 1991-08-20 from Daily Dispatch 21 August 1991 (eight Ciskei Defence Force paratroopers drowned in the Fish River; sixteen jumped carrying 60 kg of equipment, ten landed in the water; official version a strong wind near the ground). Daily Dispatch 26 September 1991: conservation officer (ex-SADF Para) warned against dropping on a 150–200 m wetland strip; ignored; no safety precautions. Mail names seven; newspaper says eight — eighth not named, not invented. Gqozo, Autobiography of Oupa Joshua Gqozo (Europa Edizioni, 2022), ISBN 979-1220116589. Booksellers list a chapter: My Speech at the funeral of death of Seven Paratroopers who tragically died on Exercise training at Fish River. Speech text not retrieved. Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9791220116589 Unit was Koevoet / SA Army (neighbour pollution) — set to Ciskei Parachute Battalion / Ciskei Defence Force. FirstName Mafaladi Joseph cleared (neighbour cluster). ServiceNo 88717970 cleared (also on Cpl Mbokazi PN 31754, 1998-06-27 Koevoet); left on Mbokazi. Initials D M left.

Citations
Unknown
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