Board members

Christianne Bouwens is Head of the Special Unit: Geriatric Medicine at the Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Stellenbosch University.

Matilda Burden is an Emeritus Professor of Stellenbosch University (SU), where she also obtained her DPhil with the dissertation titled Die Afrikaanse volkslied onder die bruinmense. She taught cultural history at the SU for many years and concluded her career as researcher and designer of cultural historical exhibitions at the University Museum. She also provides training in the form of short courses in heritage conservation, museology and architectural styles throughout the country. She furthermore fills the position of Professor Extraordinaire at the North-West University, Potchefstroom campus, and acts as promoter for Master’s and PhD candidates in cultural history. She frequently publishes articles in academic journals. Her book Ou-Kaapse meubels. Studies in style was published in 2013 (English translation in 2015), the book Historical Homes 50 years was published in 2016 and De Hoek – Unshakeable through a century, 1921 – 2021 in 2022. She serves on various international, national and provincial boards of organisations related to culture and heritage, and, amongst others, as vice-president of the International Folksong Society.

After undergraduate studies at Stellenbosch University, Gawie de la Bat completed an MA in Clinical Psychology at the University of the Free State (1991) and a Master’s degree in Business Leadership at the University of South Africa (1997). He became involved with selection and recruitment during his military service in the Army, as well as with training and development. He did similar work in different organisations and was involved in management development and change management. He was head of training at First National Bank in the Western Cape where he did financial training. In 2011 he completed a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning at Stellenbosch University. He is a  Director at Dalebrook Capital in Bellville, where he works as portfolio manager.

Peter Hesseling was born in Veenendal, the Netherlands, in 1943 and immigrated to South Africa in 1950. He is Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at Stellenbosch University (his alma mater), where he taught for 30 years. His field of specialisation is paediatric oncology, which involves the development of cancer treatment programmes for children in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa (Cameroon, Malawi and Ghana). He was the first president of the African branch of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology. Since 1990, he has exerted himself in establishing exchange programmes for medical students with universities in the Low Countries. Amongst the awards he has received are an honorary degree – FCPSA (Ped) – from the College of Medicine and the GA Oettlé Medal, presented by the Cancer Association of South Africa. Furthermore, he is a Paul Harris fellow of the Rotary Club. He has published more than 200 academic articles. As of 2017 he once again has a NRF rating. He received a “Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Oncology” from the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) in 2019.

Sonja Loots is a senior lecturer in School of Languages at that University of Cape Town, where she lectures at undergraduate and postgraduate level. In 2016 she obtained her PhD at Stellenbosch University on encyclopedic fiction in the prose oeuvre of Marlene van Niekerk. She furthermore is a columnist for the national Sunday paper Rapport and a novelist. Her novel, Sirkusboere (2011), was awarded the Eugène Marais Prize, the M-Net Prize for Afrikaans Fiction, the UCT Book Prize and the K. Sello Duiker Memorial Award. She is co-compiler of Die nuwe Afrikaanse prosaboek (2019). She served on the board of the convocation of Stellenbosch University and the board of the Afrikaans Literature Association, and is a former president of PEN Afrikaans. At present she is the secretary of the Southern African Association for Dutch Studies and president of the Cape Forum for Dutch Studies.

Harry Molenaar started his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1980 and worked in Bangkok, Harare, Athens and The Hague. From 1997-2001 het acted as Consul-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cape Town. Thereafter he was Dutch Ambassador in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbeijan (2001-2005), Inspector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague (2005-2007), Chargé d’Affaires in Rwanda and Burundi (2008), Ambassador in Zambia and Malawi (2008-2012), in Iraq (2012-2013) and in Malaysia (2013-2016); and finally Advisor, Human Resources Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague (2016-2017). He retired in 2017.

Chris van der Merwe is an Emeritus Professor of the University of Cape Town, where he taught Afrikaans and Dutch Literature for 34 years. He has also been a visiting lecturer at various universities abroad. He obtained his Doctorandus at the University of Utrecht. His doctoral dissertation deals with Die dramatiese element in die dramas van Hugo Claus (Rand Afrikaans University). He has written many academic articles and is author or co-author of nineteen books on literature, for example Die houtbeen van St Sergius. Opstelle oor Afrikaanse romans (2014). In 2019 Twyfelaars wat glo – ʼn Nederlands-Afrikaanse tweegesprek (with Hans Ester) was published. His latest research focuses on trauma and spirituality in literature. He is also the author of a number of theological books, among them Ancient tales for modern times (2008) and Die wonder van die goddelike liefde (2014). The latter was published in the USA under the title of Splendors of Godly Love (2017). He received the South African Book Journalist of the Year award in 1994 for a series of radio programmes about South African literature. In 2009, the South African Academy for Science and Arts awarded him the Gustav Preller Prize for his contribution to South African literary criticism.

Wium van Zyl is an Emeritus Professor of the University of the Western Cape, where he lectured from 1981 to 2013. He has also been a visiting professor at various universities abroad. He obtained his Doctorandus at Utrecht University and his DLitt at Stellenbosch University, the latter on the work of the Dutch author WF Hermans. He has written many academic articles and books. He is a committee member of the Cape Forum for Dutch Studies and of the Friends of the Dutch Library in Pinelands. He was a founder member of the South African Society for General Literary Studies, as well as the Literary Support Committee. He also acted as editor of Tydskrif vir Nederlands en Afrikaans. In 2014 he received the Van Riebeeck Medal from the Nederlands-Zuid-Afrikaanse Vereniging in Amsterdam for his role in the cultural exchange between South Africa and the Netherlands. He is a translator, poet and writer of short stories.

Andries Visagie is professor of literature in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch at Stellenbosch University (SU). He completed his studies at SU and the University of Utrecht. His research interests include gender and sexuality in Afrikaans and Dutch prose; autobiographical literature; and human-animal relationships in literature. His interest in poetry finds expression in his lecturing and in reviews. He has contributed to publications such as Perspektief en profiel, Criticism, Crisis, and Contemporary Narrative and The Cambridge History of South African Literature. He is co-editor of the book Antjie Krog: An Ethics of Body and Otherness. Andries Visagie chairs the Afrikaans Literature Association and served in the past as review editor of Tydskrif vir Letterkunde. He serves on the advisory board of the journal Internationale Neerlandistiek and is a member of the Literary Commission of the South African Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is vice-chair of the board of the cultural centre SASNEV (Suid-Afrikaanse Sentrum vir Nederland en Vlaandere) in Cape Town.

Marike Snyman van der Watt is the Office Manager and Financial Officer at the Buro van die Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (WAT – “Dictionary of the Afrikaans Language”). She was awarded the B Accounting (Stellenbosch University) and B Compt Hons (UNISA) degrees before completing her SAICA articles. In 2014 she received a master’s degree in Translation Studies (cum laude) at Stellenbosch University. She continued her translation research, focusing on translated prose between Afrikaans and Dutch from an Imagological perspective, while also living in Leuven, Belgium in 2018. During this time she took part in various international conferences. In 2021 and 2022 she was appointed as part-time lecturer at the Stellenbosch University Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, presenting courses in translation and editing. Marike has contributed to Tydskrif vir Nederlands en Afrikaans, Literêre Terme en Teorieë, and the book Translation and Interpreting Practice Revisited. Situatedness and Performativity (2021, Leuven University Press). She co-edited a special issue of the international journal Translation Spaces (2021) and has acted as reviewer and correspondent for LitNet, Voertaal, Maandblad Zuid-Afrika, Tydskrif vir Letterkunde and Literator.