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Van Heerden , Willem Georg (W G)

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Photo of Van Heerden
Identity
Person No.
33532
Old ROH no.
1709
Service No.
70272224KT
Last Name
Van Heerden 99
First Name
Willem Georg
Initials
W G
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1955 (±1 yr) 397
Age at Death
25
Death Record
Date of Death
29 February 1980 26
Cause code
MVA 2,633
Motor vehicle accident
Cause of Death
Died in motor vehicle accident 1,765
Died in Military Vehicle Accident, Buffel rolled at Musese Nkurunkuru, near Rundu
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Regiment
South African Commandos 98
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Noordvaal Commando 2
Formerly Orkney Commando
Secondary Unit
"D" Coy. Oudtshoom
Defence Force
SADF 3,832
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,874
Locality
Western Cape 2,137
Cemetery
WELLINGTON CEMETERY, Western Cape 9
Grave Reference
Block J, Grave 544 1
Coordinates
-33.65164, 19.00075 OSM
Unit History
Role at time of death
Infantry (area defence)
Status
Commando (Area Bound Reserve)
Part of
SADF Commando System category
Part of
Group 30
Generic Regiment-field text used across hundreds of records whose actual unit is a specific local Commando (e.g. Rustenburg Commando, Boksburg Commando -- captured in Unit). Post-WWII, "Commando" is its own force-component category alongside Regular/Permanent Force and Active Citizen Force -- area-bound, part-time reserve units tied to a specific district, mobilised for local counter-insurgency/area protection duties during the Border War era. Not a single regiment; this Status applies to the whole category.
Notes

Son of Mr. A. G. van Heerden, of Wellington.

Research notes


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.

Citations
Unknown
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