Six years after losing his life in an act of valour, Henro ter Borg was decorated posthumously with the highest decoration of bravery in the South African National Defence force.
The Golden Leopard Medal – formerly the Honoris Crux Gold – was awarded to Henro by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Armed Forces Day held in Richards Bay last month.
This medal is awarded to officers for exceptional bravery during military operations.
In a touching moment, Henro’s parents, Bouwe ter Borg and Gerda Maritz, was handed the medal by the President. He shook their hands, took a minute to speak to them, then bowed his head in a gesture of respect and placed his hand on his heart.
“We remember and pay tribute to all our men and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty,” Ramaphosa said during his key address.
Seaman Ter Borg, who hailed from Brackenfell, was only 21 when he died, attempting to save the lives of three men during a tour of duty in Durban to attend the 2017 Armed Forces Day celebrations.
He died as he lived his life; no holding back, a quality that earned him a place in the elite unit of the South African Marine Corps, something he dreamt of since childhood.
Friends remember him as a fearless adventurer at heart.
He matriculated at Brackenfell High School in 2014 and after a gap year joined the South African Navy.
A tragic accident
On the tragic day the Marine Reaction Squadron bus was passing by a site where three workers from the public works department was working on a sewage valve when they were overwhelmed by toxic gas fumes and passed out.
One contractor ran to the bus seeking help.
“Ter Borg along with seaman Amrithall Ramdin (41) from the naval base in Durban, and Francois Mundell from SAS Makahanda, residing in George, immediately responded to the cries of help,” said General Solly Shoke, chief of the National Defence Force at the time.
“They descended down the pit, where they too were overcome with the fumes and passed out. As more assistance arrived, other officers sank down into the pit with a compressed air breathing apparatus to bring the six people to the surface. Resuscitation attempts failed and all three seamen and the three workmen were declared dead on the scene.”
Henro’s father says receiving the medal has given the family closure.
“Getting the recognition for what he had done, has closed the circle for us. The words the president spoke to us were very endearing. He said it was his privilege to bestow the medal for what Henro had done for South Africa. He said he was very sorry for what had happened and if there was anything he could have done to prevent it, he would have,” says Bouwe.
Henro’s sister Maruschka says she is incredibly proud of her brother for his selfless act of bravery.
“He offered his life to save strangers. I miss him every day of my life and although the sadness of living without him will never go away, he is my inspiration,” she says.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis honoured Henro’s memory.
“Capetonians can take pride in the bravery shown by this young man, who will be remembered as a hero in the City of his birth,” Hill-Lewis said to TygerBurger last week.
