MRS BEECH
Well in 1980 we came to South Africa from Zimbabwe and in 1980 my son joined the SADF.  He was in the Recci and path finder unit.
 In the beginning of 1982 he was transferred to another unit and in August the 3rd he left our home for the last time, in 1982.  From then on we heard nothing from him.  When he died, we were told on the 21st, they knocked on our door and they said, I am very sorry your son, Rob, had been killed.   We were told to keep our mouths shut.  We were to talk to nobody in Zimbabwe.  We were to go to no trade mission.  We were just to keep ourselves to ourselves. And that is what we did.
 So, really, you know, the whole thing is totally unacceptable to us, because we do not know what happened to him, we do not know where he is and we would like to have his body brought back to us so that we can bury him, put in the right place, so that all my family can rest in the future days.   And ourselves we have all suffered from family problems, we have had ill health, just because we do not know.  We hear this, we hear that and it is just not fair.
 The Death Certificate showed us that he was killed of multiple injuries in Pretoria.  Well, he was supposed to be killed in Zimbabwe.  So where was he killed?
 You know it is just not fair.  And I mean they emphasised the situation that he was killed in Zimbabwe on an unauthorised mission.  But how did he get a Propatria medal?  
 I mean I have got extra newspaper pieces that I got and yesterday's newspaper, saying that they never sent anybody on unauthorised missions.   And here I got another piece of newspaper of only a few days earlier, saying that that is what they were doing.   I have got it with me to give you.
 I have also got pay slips.  I have also got his tax form.  When he filled in his tax forms in 1981 he filled in a form with his father, because he hated forms.  I posted them.  He got a rebate.  When he was killed, a year 
later we were still waiting for the estate to be sorted out, telling us that they had never heard of him.  His tax papers had disappeared, they said, lost.
 We would like to know actually - now they came and told us on the morning of the 21st of August, that they had to tell us that our son had been killed, because the Zimbabwean press were going to release it that night on television or whatever it was.   
 Now, how did they identify the bodies?  And who identified them and where are they?  What happened to them?   
 .... he said that they were unauthorised, I mean it is totally untrue.  I mean, he must have known.   There was also a group of black soldiers with him on this mission.  We believe that they all returned.   We do not know.  We actually do not know what happened to him, where he went to or anything.
 What we have got, is what we have picked up from the press or stories what people said, you know what happened to our brother, do you know what happened to your son...   That is it.
 So I do not know.  We also, my sons, I have got five other sons and people would say, oh, you have got other children.  I would say, yes I have got two daughters and five sons.  Oh, that is fine.  So you won't... I mean how does that feel.   You will miss your son forever.  And the other kids miss him too.  It is not fair on them.  I feel for them that this must be put right because my kids also deserve a life that are living here today.  
 And I feel that this is a fair request.  And I would like you to help us please.