Lance Corporal S. Luke and Private S. Seti, both members of 1 Parachute Battalion, died after falling into an abandoned vertical mine shaft while pursuing suspected illegal miners during an anti-illegal mining operation under Operation Prosper in western Johannesburg.
The South African National Defence Force(SANDF) will hold a memorial service in Soweto on Thursday to honour four soldiers who died in separate incidents, including two troops who werekilled after falling into an abandoned mine shaft during an anti-illegal mining operation in western Johannesburg.
The memorial service will be held at 9:30 a.m, at Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto, Johannesburg.
The incident occurred at about 6a.m. on Friday, July 17, 2026, at the abandoned CRD Mine during Operation Prosper, a joint operation targeting illegal mining activities.
According to the SANDF, soldiers deployed at the site spotted suspected illegal miners emerging from the underground workings before giving chase into a tunnel.
