Identity
Person No.
33943
Old ROH no.
36066
Service No.
Unknown
Last Name
First Name
Mondli Joseph
Initials
S W
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
20
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
DOW 2,733
Died of wounds
Cause of Death
Injured when the SAMIL-20 he was travelling in overturned on a corner in wet weather during Ops Humane (monitoring the KwaZulu-Natal border to help contain the spread of swine flu). Most of those on the back of the vehicle were thrown out, some landing on rocks beside the road; Zondi was among them. He was taken to a local hospital, then transferred to Prince Msheni Hospital in Durban, where he died of his injuries a few days later.
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
Durban Light Infantry 30
Later renamed
1st Infantry (Durban Light Infantry)
(1912)
Unit
Unknown
Secondary Unit
Army
Defence Force
SANDF 1,021
South African National Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Grave Reference
Memorial
Memorial
Location
Durban Light Infantry Headquarters, Durban
Address
Coordinates
Panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
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
Mechanised Infantry
Status
Army Conventional Reserve
Part of
Notes
No additional information known at this time
Research notes
Firsthand account from Rifleman Zondi's platoon commander, John Dovey (email 28 Aug 2026), who was present on Ops Humane -- confirms and adds detail to the vehicle-accident narrative already on file (SAMIL-20, other passengers thrown clear and injured on rocks).
John Dovey, 1 Sep 2026 (Durban Light Infantry Chapel memorial panel review): Regiment moved from Unit field (was incorrectly stored as this record's Unit) -- confirmed Durban Light Infantry, no Unit known.
Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 2
Rifleman Zondi was in the back of a Samil-20, having just been picked up with the rest of his section after doing twelve hours duty at one of the border posts with the Eastern Cape. He was involved in "OPS HUMANE" to prevent the spread of Swine-Flu. It was late in the afternoon and slightly misty. The driver of the Samil was going to fast and lost control of the vehicle while going around a corner. The vehicle left the road and hit a rock. It flew through the air, spewing soldier's out the back, and landed fifteen meters away. Three soldiers were badly injured, and the rest slightly injured to some extent. Rifleman Zondi unfortunately never recovered from his wounds and died in Prince Msheni hospital a few days later. At the morning parade held at Cedarville the morning after we heard the news, I made a speech to the assembled soldiers, where I promised them, amoung other things, that Zondi's name would go on our Roll of Honour (on the wall). I was very pleased when this was finally made a reality last year (2010) during the Regimental birthday celebrations at the memorial parade/service. A photo of the plaque is attached. RIP.
I was Zondi's platoon commander, deployed on Ops Humane, where we were responsible for monitoring the KwaZulu-Natal border to help stop the spread of swine flu. Zondi had finished his duty at one of the border crossings and had been picked up by the duty driver in a SAMIL-20. On the way back to base, the SAMIL went around a corner too fast and went off the road. Most of the people on the back of the vehicle were thrown out and some landed on rocks next to the road. Zondi was one of them. He was taken to the local hospital, then transferred to a hospital in Durban, where a few days later he died of his injuries. RIP Zondi!
Dedications 1
I was honoured to have served with and known such a fine soldier .Rifleman Zondi's promising career in the military was sadly cut short , , At the time of his death I was his company quartermaster , having known him from his basic training with our regiment , his death was a blow not only to myself but to the whole regiment as a whole, he will be missed each day!