Identity
Person No.
32843
Old ROH no.
1276
Service No.
74429036BG
Last Name
First Name
Jan Jurgens Roets
Initials
J J R
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
20
Military Service
Rank
Trooper
Regiment
Secondary Unit
attd. 61 Mechanised Battalion Group
Defence Force
SADF 3,287
South African Defence Force
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,311
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, during the early hours of the morning when the bungalow in which they were sleeping at Katima Mulilo received a direct hit from a Soviet GRAD-P 122mm High Explosive Katyusha Rocket. SWAPO/PLAN insurgents operating from Zambia fired 20 x 122mm GRAD-P Katyusha Rockets into the town. 18 rockets exploded harmlessly in the veld, one struck a school in the Katima Mulilo Township and the other demolished the Bungalow in which the soldiers were sleeping
Grave Reference
Location
Country
Locality
Cemetery
Coordinates
Notes
Son of Stefanus Johannes Bester Schutte and Johanna Susanna Maria Venter. He was unmarried. ("South Africa's Border War, 1966 - 1989" deur Willem Steenkamp bl. 80).
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
SADF.info Border Roll of Honour
SADF.info Border RoH
- South African War Graves Project
Stories 2
Jan Jurgens Roets SCHUTTE, 16 Aug 1958 Springs - 23 Aug 1978 Katima Mulilo, seun van Stefanus Johannes Bester SCHUTTE en Johanna Susanna Maria VENTER. Hy is oorlede tydens die Grens-oorlog toe PLAN (Swapo se gewapende vleuel) Katima Mulilo met 122mm vuurpyle vanuit Zambia aangeval het in die vroee oggend ure van 23 Augustus 1978. Dertig vuurpyle is afgevuur op die dorp waarvan slegs 2 skade aangerig het. Die een vuurpyl het 'n skool in die swart woonbuurt beskadig en die ander een het 'n bungalow in die militere basis getref. In die bungalow is 10 soldate gedood (waarvan Jan Jurges Roets Schutte een was) en 10 ander verwond ("South Africa's Border War, 1966 - 1989" deur Willem Steenkamp bl. 80). Hy was ongetroud. Sy naam verskyn op die ere-rol van gesneuweldes by Fort Klapperkop in Pretoria.
My name is Bobby Thomson. I was in Katima Mulilo that night. I was a gunner and served at the mortar locating radar (32 Loc Battery) which was situated on a tower next to the heli pad. The second red eye landed between us and the heli-pad . We then directed fire onto pre-listed targets along the river and in Sesheke and the guns at golf wiped out all their long and medium range weapons within the first 10 - 15 minutes after the attack. I remember that we were in a direct line between Golf firebase and some of the targets in Zambia. We would see the firing of the guns, then hear the shells come overhead and hear the explosions when they landed. Lt Schalekamp gave mopping-up fire orders the next day. The next day we went to look at the bungalow and what we saw remained with me for many a
Dedications 1
Jan Jurgens Roets SCHUTTE, 16 Aug 1958 Springs - 23 Aug 1978 Johan Le Grange