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Van Wyk , Jacobus Cornelius (J C)

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Photo of Van Wyk
Identity
Person No.
33629
Old ROH no.
1518
Service No.
67260869PE
Last Name
Van Wyk 139
First Name
Jacobus Cornelius
Initials
J C
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1952 (±1 yr) 288
Age at Death
27
Death Record
Date of Death
23 May 1979 102
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action 14,654
Killed in action, at Shona Mutamanjamba in Southern Angola while carrying out reconnaissance mission to locate a suspected SWAPO/PLAN Base in the area. The three-man Team was tracked and ambushed by a numerically superior force of SWAPO/PLAN insurgents and in the ensuing fire-fight, two Team members were killed and the third member, although wounded, successfully evaded capture until the helicopter arrived to extract the Team. Upon hearing the approaching helicopter, the SWAPO/PLAN force broke contact and withdrew from the area
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Lieutenant
Regiment
5 Reconnaissance Regiment 72
Later renamed 5 Special Forces Regiment (1995)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,838
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,873
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
KRUGERSDORP (STERKFONTEIN) CEMETERY 47
Grave Reference
Alternative Commemoration until grave found 22
Coordinates
-26.06757, 27.76241 OSM
Operation
Operation
Savannah
Dates
1975-10-14 to 1976-03-27
About
SADF intervention in the Angolan Civil War following Portugal's withdrawal, in support of UNITA and the FNLA against the Soviet/Cuban-backed MPLA. South African armoured columns (Task Force Zulu and others) advanced deep into Angola, reaching within striking distance of Luanda, before withdrawing by late March 1976 amid international and domestic political fallout. South Africa's first large post-WWII conventional deployment and the opening chapter of the Border War's Angola phase.
Unit History
Role at time of death
Special Forces (Reconnaissance)
Status
Permanent Force (Regular)
5 Special Forces Regiment operates as one of the standing/permanent operational regiments of South African Special Forces, established from the same 1972 lineage as 1 Reconnaissance Commando. Special Forces are their own branch within the SANDF, not part of the Army.
Awards
Honoris Crux (1975)
Honoris Crux (1975) (HC)
South Africa · awarded 1975-10-18
Awarded the Honoris Crux (1975) for actions on 18 October 1975 with 1 Reconnaissance Regiment during Operation Savannah. Wikipedia lists Lt J.C. van Wyk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoris_Crux_(1975)
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

Awarded Honoris Crux for action 18 October 1975, with 1 Reconnaissance Regiment

Research notes

Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 23 May 2024: 67260869PE Captain Johannes Cornelius van Wyk HC, 5 Reconnaissance Regiment, Killed in Action at Shona Mutamanjamba in Southern Angola while on a reconnaissance mission to locate a suspected SWAPO/PLAN base. Three-man team tracked and ambushed; two killed, third wounded and extracted by helicopter. Age 27. Graham FirstName is Johannes; ROH is Jacobus Cornelius (initials J C fit both) — not overwritten. Graham rank Captain; ROH Lieutenant — not overwritten. HC not placed in Name; Citation filled from Graham (Bravo Group, Operation Savannah 1975/76). AddInfo already had HC for 18 October 1975 with 1 Recce — not overwritten. Unit was 8 SAI — corrected to 5 Reconnaissance Regiment (regiment was already 5th Recce). Cause already matched this Last Post.
SASFA In Memoriam (operators): confirmed Special Forces operator. SASFA: Van Wyk Connie HC KIA 1979. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf 26 Aug 2026: Regiment was "5th Reconnaissance Regiment". SAWGP Regiment 5th Reconnaissance Regiment with no separate unit. | Willem Steenkamp, Borderstrike! South Africa into Angola 1975–1980, 3rd ed. (Just Done Productions, 2006, ISBN 978-1-920169-00-8): Appendix B Honoris Crux recipient no. 4, Lieutenant J. C. van Wyk, 1 Reconnaissance Commando (67260869PE), for a Savannah-era action. Killed later (22 May 1979). | Diedericks, André. Journey Without Boundaries: The operational life and experiences of a SA Special Forces Small Team Operator. Just Done Productions, Durban, 2007 (ISBN 978-1-920169-58-9): Connie van Wyk led the three-man recce; killed with Cpl Kloosterziel at the pickup ambush. Sgt Nick du Toit escaped wounded. Diedericks calls him a mentor and brilliant tactician. Book rank Lieutenant; Graham Last Post had Captain — not overwritten. OperationID Savannah is the earlier HC action, not this 1979 death — left as-is.
Jack Greeff, "A Greater Share of Honour: The Memoirs of a 'Recce' Officer" (3rd edition, September 2023, ISBN 978-1-920702-37-3), p. 27: "My platoon leader at the time was Lieutenant Connie van Wyk who later became one of the top officers in the Recces, but who was sadly killed in a contact with SWAPO terrorists during a recce on a SWAPO guerilla base." Greeff served under him in 5 SA Infantry before either joined the Recces (p. 47: "Connie van Wyk and Jack Dippenaar served with me in 5 SAI before joining the Recces"). "Connie" is the familiar form of this record's Cornelius, and the circumstances -- killed in a contact while on reconnaissance of a SWAPO base -- match the stored cause exactly.
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

Awarded the Honoris Crux for actions with Bravo Group during Operation Savannah, 1975/76.

External References
Stories

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Dedications 1
by undefined:undefined on 16 May 2017 · via War in Angola
Connie, dit voel soos gister, sal jou koel kalm optrede onder vuur nooit vergeet