SA men die in Iraq
2006-05-10 09:50
Cape Town - Two Cape Town families have reacted with shock to the news that two of their family members have died in Iraq.
Richard Kolver, 43, from Hout Bay and David Dobson, 27, from Constantia, died in separate incidents.
Dobson was killed in Basra on Saturday under mysterious circumstances after a British military helicopter crashed. It is unclear whether the crash was an accident or if the Lynx Mark 7 helicopter was shot down. Four other people died in the incident.
Dobson, also known in the army as Dobbo, was a former pupil of the Waldorf school in Cape Town. His father Howard said his son had joined the British military and was trained at Sandhurst military academy. At the time of his death, he was a captain in Iraq.
"Flying was his passion and he joined the military to gain experience. He almost assured me that he would not be shot down... that it would be the exception to the rule if it happened."
Dobson will travel to Britain to identify the body. He will be buried in England, where he was born, but a memorial service will be held in Cape Town.
The other man, Kolver, was working in Iraq as a security guard for an American company that built power stations. He could apparently not find work in SA. According to his mother, he was in an armoured car that was hit by a bomb in Baghdad on Monday. He died immediately.
She said, "One does not expect to bury your children."
Kolver got married in January this year and just before he died, spoke to his wife Trudie, telling her he had to go out for a bit.
Kolver was due to come back to SA on Sunday. He will be buried in Hout Bay as soon as his body is sent home. He had a four-year-old daughter.
The men knew each other and were apparently friends, both travelling to Iraq on British passports.