Introduction
Professor Jakes Gerwel (18 January 1946 – 28 November 2012) 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 that saw Lockerbie bombing suspects extradited to Scotland. 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.
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 University of Brussels. On his return to South Africa, Gerwel first taught at Grassy Park High School and then returned to UWC as a lecturer.
Legacy
In 2015 Vanguard Drive, a major road running from Cape Town's southern suburbs to the Cape Flats, was renamed in Jakes Gerwel's honour.Jakes Gerwel was a family man, who was kind natured and had a deep sense of care for people from all paths of life.