Van Der Merwe , Johannes Stephanus (J S)

14 Sep 2026: Pro Patria Medal added -- database-wide sweep for SADF Border War operational-area deaths within the medal's gazetted window (25 Jun 1976 - 27 Apr 2003), per the warrant's died-before-qualifying-period provision. See PersonAward.Citation for the gazette references.
14 Sep 2026: Pro Patria Medal added earlier today REVERTED -- John obtained the actual Government Gazette (GG 5171/5575); the "died before completing the qualifying period" provision relied on does not exist in the primary text (it was a secondary-source claim). Actual Rule 5 requires (a) combat/enemy-caused incident, (b) a Ministerially-acknowledged operation (clasp), or (c) 55+ continuous/90+ non-continuous days in an operational area -- none of which this record's cause of death clearly demonstrates.
25 Sep 2026, SWATF sector numbering: this record's sector was corrected from "Sector 1" to "Sector 10". The SADF and SWATF numbered their sectors in South West Africa in tens -- 10 (Owambo and Kaokoland, headquarters Oshakati), 20 (Kavango and Western Caprivi, headquarters Rundu), 30 (headquarters Otjiwarongo), 40, 50 and 70. There was never a Sector 1, 2, 3 or 5, so the stored value was a truncation. The correction does not rest on that: his cause of death places him at Oshakati, which was Sector 10's headquarters.