Trainee dies in SAAF 'gogga'
Date: 15 February 2007
The following is a (very) rough extract from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:
An air force candidate officer died and another broke her ankle this week during a tough initial training period known as the "gogga". The "gogga" involves 24 hours of continuous physical exercises to test the students' endurance.
Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano, chief of the air force, said a board of inquiry had been appointed on Thursday to investigate the events at a military training camp outside Pretoria.
Beeld was told that the dead student had not been declared 100% fit before the course. Prior to the course, FSgt L. Marthinus was a junior officer at the Mess at the Central Flying School Langebaanweg. He was in his mid-30's.
during the same phase, Gagiano said that Sgt Jonker complained of pain in her leg. She was later taken to 1 Military Hospital in Thaba Tshwane where she was diagnosed with a broken ankle. Adv. Pikkie Greeff of the South African National Defence Force Union sent an enquiry to the Department of Defence to enquire if the neccessary medical tests were performed on the students prior to the strenuous course.
According to Gagiano, the students began their training at the Ditholo Training Grounds near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday. They had just returned from a 2.4km training run when the instructors told them to eat.
Marthinus did not feel well and did not want to eat. He was seen by medical personel. Gagiano said that 'they did not want to take any chances and took him to the hospital in Hammanskraal'. Marthinus died in the hospital, most likely from a heart attack.
'The training is performed with the neccesary rest and warter breaks. Medical attention and an ambulance is always available' Gagiano said.
Greeff said that the airforce owe the families of the students an answer as to what really happended during the training. According to him, it is vitally important that the commanding officer speak to the students immediately after the incident if they request it.
