Jakes_Gerwel

Jakes Gerwel

Jakes Gerwel

South African politician (1946–2012)

Gert Johannes Gerwel (18 January 1946 – 28 November 2012) known mononymously as Jakes, was a South African academic and anti-apartheid activist. He served as Director-General of the Presidency when Nelson Mandela was in office. In 1999 Gerwel was instrumental in brokering the deal under which Lockerbie bombing suspects were extradited to Scotland.[1] Following Mandela's presidency, Gerwel chaired the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, and also took up a number of academic and business positions until his death in November 2012.[2]

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Teaching career

Gerwel matriculated from Paterson High School in Port Elizabeth, and in 1967 earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He then lectured at the Hewat Teachers' Training College in Crawford, Cape Town for a short time before receiving a scholarship, in 1971, to study at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). On his return to South Africa, Gerwel first taught at Grassy Park High School and then returned to UWC as a lecturer.[3]

Legacy

In 2015 Vanguard Drive, a major road running from Cape Town's southern suburbs to the Cape Flats (the M7 road), was renamed in Jakes Gerwel's honour.[4]

Jakes Gerwel Technical School in Bonnievale, Western Cape is named in after him.[5]

References

  1. [1]
    "Jakes Gerwel, South African academic who was a friend and aide to Nelson Mandela, dies at 66". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 November 2012.[dead link]
  2. [2]
    "Rhodes mourns the passing of its Chancellor". Rhodes University. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  3. [3]
    Sapa (29 November 2012). "Sagacious Gerwel leaves rich legacy". The New Age.
  4. [4]
    Jan Cronje (18 January 2015). "Vanguard Drive named after Jakes Gerwel". Weekend Argus. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  5. [5]
    "FEEL GOOD | How a tiny rural village came together to build a top Cape high school". Parent. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
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