Identity
Person No.
48601
Service No.
Unknown
Last Name
First Name
Pravin
Initials
P
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
19
Military Service
Rank
Marine
Regiment
Secondary Unit
attd. Wenela Base
Defence Force
SADF 3,287
South African Defence Force
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
SHOT 537
Shot
Cause of Death
Died in Shooting Incident, at Wenela Base. A fellow Marine removed the magazine from his rifle without clearing the chamber, left the rifle on his bed, then later picked it up; while the two were playing with the weapon a shot went off, hitting Thangavalu in the head and killing him instantly
Location
Notes
Unknown
Research notes
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 23 Jan 2026: Marine Pravin Thangavalu, South African Marine Corps, killed instantly at Wenela Base on 23 January 1989 when a fellow Marine, who had removed the magazine without clearing the chamber, later played with the rifle and a shot hit Thangavalu in the head. Age 19. Graham gave no service number. New ROH record (not on SAWGP at research time).
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post
Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 23 Jan 2026: Marine Pravin Thangavalu, South African Marine Corps, killed instantly at Wenela Base on 23 January 1989 when a fellow Marine, who had removed the magazine without clearing the chamber, later played with the rifle and a shot hit Thangavalu in the head. Age 19. Graham gave no service number. New ROH record (not on SAWGP at research time).
Stories
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Dedications
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