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Olivier , Johannes Gerhardus L (J G L)

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Photo of Olivier
Identity
Person No.
32372
Old ROH no.
1083
Service No.
72234123PR
Last Name
Olivier 69
First Name
Johannes Gerhardus L
Initials
J G L
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1957 (±1 yr) 431
Age at Death
22
Death Record
Date of Death
21 March 1979 194
Cause code
MVA 2,637
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in motor vehicle accident 1,764
Cause of death not established
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Lance Corporal
Regiment
1 Reconnaissance Regiment 14
Formerly 1 Reconnaissance Commando (1996)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,843
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
THABA TSHWANE (NEW) MILITARY CEMETERY 592
Grave Reference
Cremated at Stellawood Cemetery 1
Coordinates
-25.78214, 28.12179 OSM
Memorial
1978 SAA (Hitchens–Human, Wolmarans) to 1979 SAA (Akaando–Djolomien, Maarman–Saal)
Names on 1978-1979 SAA Hitchens-Saal
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
1978-1979 SAA Hitchens-Saal
On the panel
1979 Army. Right column. 18th name from the top (Olivier J.G.L.)
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.
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

No additional information known at this time

Research notes

SADF Wall of Remembrance (Voortrekker Monument): named on photograph "1978 SAA (Hitchens–Human, Wolmarans) to 1979 SAA (Akaando–Djolomien, Maarman–Saal)". 1979 Army. Right column. 18th name from the top (Olivier J.G.L.).
SASFA In Memoriam (operators): confirmed Special Forces operator. SASFA: Olivier Oel KIA 1979. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf SASFA nickname Oel. Matched to Johannes Gerhardus L Olivier, 1 Recce, 1979-03-21 Buffel MVA. Stub PN 32375 Olivier, Oel dated 1950-01-01 is not this death. 26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "Durban Light Infantry". SAWGP Regiment 1 Reconnaissance Regiment with no separate unit.
7 Sep 2026: CauseDeath was a forward-fill copy from PN 32371 (Olivier, Craig Rudolph (C R)), an unrelated record -- cleared as contamination (CauseDeath-contamination scan, data/causedeath-contamination-scan-2026-09-07.md), not a real cause.
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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