Uwc 360 issue 8 web by University of the Western Cape

UWC 360 Issue 8-Final 2/27/14 4:42 PM Page 5 C

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THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 8/MARCH 2014

UWC was a blessing Professor Johann van der Merwe likes to venture where angels fear to tread. As a white person with a BA LLB in the early 1970s, he had opportunities aplenty, but he chose to lecture at the University of Fort Hare. His decision to go to a black homeland university was rejected as “mad” by some in his community. “I could have gone to practice law and even had the opportunity to join one of the top white universities, but I just got this feeling that I was more needed there,” Van der Merwe remembers. “It was a challenge but I enjoyed every moment of it.”

Albert Fritz is happy that his son has come to UWC.

Family footsteps UWC has an interesting track record of children following in the footsteps of their parents to study at the University. Among many such first-year students this year is Charlton Fritz, son of Albert Fritz, the Western Cape MEC for Social Development. “I’m very happy that my only son chose UWC to study,” commented Fritz, when he and his wife attended the University’s Orientation Programme this year. “This is one of the really excellent universities on the continent. Days of looking down on UWC are long gone. This institution has produced the best lawyers and judges in South Africa.” He was quick to point out that his son chose the University on his own “though of course I encouraged him to do so.” What makes Fritz even happier is the University's tradition of contributing

BOOK REVIEW

So near and yet so far In 2013, the Afrikaans Department’s Prof Wium van Zyl collaborated with two Dutch academics to edit Zo ver & zo dichtbij, literaire betrekkingen tussen Nederland en

to the betterment of disadvantaged communities. “Whatever we learnt here we go and practice in the poor communities.” Fritz remembers the “horrific and interesting” days in the late 1980s when he used to hitch-hike from the Cape Flats to attend classes, which were often disrupted by security police. “There was a popular term ‘hek toe’ on campus which students used to shout before gathering at the Modderdam Road (now Robert Sobukwe Road) gate to stage protests.” Fritz was the third-year coordinator for the People's History Project in the 1980s. He completed his BA Honours in the early 1990s and his LLB in 2009 at the University. He was a Chief Inspector in the Judicial Inspectorate Office of the Inspecting Judge for 10 years. In 2009 he became a Member of the National Parliament. He was appointed as Western Cape MEC for Community Safety in 2010 and moved to his current position in June 2011.

In 1974, Johannesburg-born Van der Merwe accepted a senior position at UWC – a move he describes as a blessing. His fourteen-year spell at the University saw him eventually head the Department of Private Law. He continued his studies and became UWC's first LLD graduate in 1984. UWC sensitised Van der Merwe to the realities of apartheid, and he was part of the “big march” to the Bellville Magistrate Court led by Professor Jakes Gerwel and other prominent academics. “Those were turbulent years”, he says. One morning they found the prefab building that housed the Faculty of Law destroyed by a bomb. They were forced to combine classes and teach more than 500 students in a hall. In 1989, Van der Merwe joined Cape Technikon (now CPUT) to head the Department of Public Relations Management. Due to retire this July, he says he will miss interaction with, and the appreciation of, the students.

Zuid-Afrika, a book that explores the literary relations between the Netherlands (Dutch literature) and South Africa (South African Dutch and Afrikaans literature). Prof Van Zyl also contributed an article on the reception and evaluation of the body of humorous poems in the history of Afrikaans literature and the relations of this cultural manifestation within the context of 19th century European cultural nationalism. The article also examines the genre's connections with the broader Dutch and international literary landscape of the time.

Professor Johann van der Merwe felt appreciated when lecturing at UWC.

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