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Chivovo , Reginald (R)

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Identity
Person No.
48937
Service No.
80024458PP
Last Name
Chivovo 2
First Name
Reginald
Initials
R
Date of Birth
02 June 1958 93
Age at Death
24
Death Record
Date of Death
30 August 1982 120
Cause code
ACC 1,587
Accident
Cause of Death
PHALLABORWA FREAK ACCIDENT PARACHUTE ACCIDENT M 1
Killed when his parachute failed during a training practice jump at Suikerkop, near Hoedspruit
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Rifleman
Regiment
5 Reconnaissance Regiment 72
Later renamed 5 Special Forces Regiment (1995)
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
SADF 3,857
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Unknown
Cemetery
Unknown
Grave Reference
Unknown
Unit History
Role at time of death
Special Forces (reconnaissance)
Status
Regular Force
Each numbered Reconnaissance unit was renamed over time: "X Reconnaissance Commando" -> "X Reconnaissance Regiment" (1981) -> briefly a Parachute Battalion designation (1992/93, under "45 Parachute Brigade", a Special-Forces-only designation distinct from the real 44 Parachute Brigade) -> "X Special Forces Regiment" (1995). The parent formation itself changed name several times before 1995 (Special Forces Headquarters, then Directorate Reconnaissance(Forces)) with disputed exact dates between sources -- 1995 is the one date sources agree on. Corps classified as SAIC (South African Infantry Corps) per this site's own records; no independent source found confirms that for Special Forces units specifically -- treat as owner-asserted pending a better citation.
Notes
Unknown
Research notes

Mike Sandham reference, 25 Aug 2026, sourced to pantser.cmvo.org.za's "Lys van Weermaglede wat aan diens gesterf het" (SADF deaths 1962-2001, excl. 1993). Source columns as transcribed -- Rang: "RFN", Eenheid (unit, truncated in source): "5 RECCON", Plek/Oorsaak/Detail/next-of-kin (run together by the source's column layout): "PHALLABORWA FREAK ACCIDENT PARACHUTE ACCIDENT M. N. CHIVOVO SPOUSE". Additional wrapped text: " VAN NAAM RANG MAGNR. EENHEID GEBORE STERF PLEK OORSAAK DETAIL BEGRAWE GRAF NAASBESTAANDE VERWANTSKAP". Unit left blank rather than inserting the truncated PDF unit text as a guess -- "5 RECCON" wasn't confidently mappable to an existing Unit record.
Col (rt) Graham du Toit, Last Post, 30 Aug 2026: Rfn Reginald Chivovo, 5 Reconnaissance Regiment, killed when his parachute failed during a training practice jump at Suikerkop near Hoedspruit, age 23. Resolves the 25 Aug 2026 note on this record ('5 RECCON' truncated PDF unit text, previously left unmapped) -- confirmed as 5 Reconnaissance Regiment. Age and clean CauseDeath filled in from Graham's account (previously blank Age and a garbled truncated-PDF CauseDeath fragment).
Mike Sandham's research log ("List 1"), imported 16 Sep 2026, credited to The South Africa War Graves Project unless his entry says otherwise: gives Age 24 against this record's 23. RESOLVED IN MIKE'S FAVOUR and CORRECTED -- this record carries a real date of birth (1958-06-02), and against the date of death (1982-08-30) the age at death computes to 24, matching Mike. Age 23 -> 24; EstBirthYear set from the date of birth.

Citations
Unknown
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