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Zeelie , Freddie Johannes (F J)

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Photo of Zeelie Photo of Zeelie
Identity
Person No.
33927
Old ROH no.
1686
Service No.
68343599PE
Last Name
Zeelie 3
First Name
Freddie Johannes
Initials
F J
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1952 (±1 yr) 288
Age at Death
22
Death Record
Date of Death
23 June 1974 80
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action 14,654
Killed in action, at Bwabwata Western Caprivi. While under attack by machine gun fire, he stormed the emplacements and overpowered one gun crew and forced the other to retreat. He was killed in the process
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Lieutenant
Regiment
1 Reconnaissance Commando 15
Later renamed 1 Reconnaissance Regiment (1996)
Corps
South African Infantry Corps 10,347
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,848
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
ALBERTON CEMETERY 16
Grave Reference
Alternative Commemoration until grave found 4
Coordinates
-26.2661, 28.13346 OSM
Unit History
Role at time of death
Special Forces (Reconnaissance)
Status
Permanent Force (Regular), some sub-units Citizen Force
The first South African Special Forces unit, established at Oudtshoorn, Cape Province, 1 October 1972. Special Forces operate as their own branch within the SANDF (not part of the Army/Navy). Some Reconnaissance Commandos had Citizen Force (reserve) components alongside the standing Permanent Force structure -- needs further research to determine which applies to a specific record/era.
Awards
Louw Wepener Decoration
Louw Wepener Decoration (LWD)
South Africa · awarded 1974-06-23
Posthumously awarded the Louw Wepener Decoration (LWD), gazetted 6 December 1974. Lieutenant F.J. Zeelie, 1 Reconnaissance Regiment, single-handedly stormed an enemy position at Bwabwata, Western Caprivi, on 23 June 1974. He was the first SADF combat casualty of the 1966–1989 Border War, and one of only seven LWD recipients (two posthumous). Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louw_Wepener_Decoration
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

First official Border War death

Research notes

SASFA In Memoriam (operators): confirmed Special Forces operator. SASFA: Zeelie Fred LWD(p) KIA 1974. https://www.recce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4.1.-Memoriam.pdf 26 Aug 2026: Regiment was "1 Reconnaissance Regiment". SAWGP Regiment 1 Reconnaissance Commando with no separate unit. | 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): first army soldier and first Special Forces operator killed in action on the borders, during Recce training at Fort Doppies (1974). Book rank Lieutenant (matches).
Ian (troopie at Bwabata that week), ROH story 28 Oct 2017: corrected the death date to 23 June 1974 (site then showed 29 Aug 1974) -- this correction was already applied; DateDeath here already reads 1974-06-23, matching.
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

Posthumously awarded the Louw Wepener Decoration (LWD), gazetted 6 December 1974. Lieutenant F.J. Zeelie, 1 Reconnaissance Regiment, single-handedly stormed an enemy machine-gun position at Bwabwata, Western Caprivi, on 23 June 1974. He was the first SADF combat casualty of the 1966–1989 Border War, and one of only seven LWD recipients (two posthumous). Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louw_Wepener_Decoration

External References
Stories 1
by Ian on 28 October 2017
Lt Zeelie was killed on 23 June 1974 (not on the date listed in the post). I was a troopie passing through Bwabata Camp that week and recall the discussion about the first South African soldier being killed in action. We never got to see anything as the inner stockade at Bwabata was accessible only to a few people.
Dedications 1
by Androu09 on 23 June 2020 · via War in Angola
Fred’s father received Fred’s posthumously awarded Louw Wepener Decoration. On the photo (left to right) Magnus Malan, Fred’s mother, Jan Breytenbach DVR SM, Fred’s father, unknown and Dewald de Beer VRM.