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Teffo (A L)

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No photograph available — remembrance poppy
Identity
Person No.
33226
Old ROH no.
1402
Service No.
81539702PB
Last Name
First Name
Unknown
Initials
A L
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
24
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
ACC 1,584
Accident
Cause of Death
Died in Freak Accident, instantly after being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm during operations, in Southern Angola
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Corporal
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,839
South African Defence Force
Memorial
Memorial
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Coordinates
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
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
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

SASFA In Memoriam (operators): confirmed Special Forces operator. SASFA: Teffo AL KIA 1985. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf 26 Aug 2026: Unit was leftover "32 (Buffalo) Battalion". SAWGP Regiment 5 Reconnaissance Regiment with no separate unit.
5 Sep 2026, FirstName-contamination revisit (folding into the 31 Aug 2026 scan): SASFA In Memoriam names him "Teffo AL" -- initials only, matching stored Initials "A L" exactly. Cleared rather than guessed -- correct first name still unknown.
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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Dedications

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