With Stellenbosch University's (SU) focus on social impact awareness in July, this series of profiles celebrate remarkable individuals and teams who make a meaningful contribution beyond the University's walls. The recent inaugural Social Impact Awards recognised academic and professional administrative support services (PASS) staff at SU who are driving positive change in diverse spheres of life. Janine Myburgh, senior administrative officer at the Department of Civil Engineering, was one of the winners in the Team Leader category of the Social Impact Awards.

When Myburgh received a Social Impact Award for her outstanding contribution to promoting and preserving the culture and heritage of Pniël, she spoke movingly about her love for her community. “Everything I do is out of passion for my community and because I love people," she remarked.

Last year Myburgh received the prestigious Phenomenal Woman in Management Award from the Cape Winelands District Municipality for her commitment to the Pniël Heritage and Cultural Trust. She also received an honorary award from the e'Bosch Heritage Project for her contribution to preserving the culture and heritage of Pniel.

The purpose of the Trust is to protect, develop and promote the cultural and historical heritage of Pniël and to build bridges between the communities of the Dwarsriver Valley, Myburgh explains. “The Trust is the only body of its kind in the valley. Beyond heritage initiatives, the Trust also organises cultural events such as the Adam Small Literary Festival and the Annual Chrysanthemum Show in May. We also manage an art school for primary school pupils, a writing school for primary and high school learners, and a writing school for adults in collaboration with the ATKV."

With deep family roots in Pniël, Myburgh embodies the resilience, faith and community spirit of the close-knit village she grew up in. She's always been passionate about celebrating the cultural heritage of the 4 000 strong community nestled at the foot of Simonsberg.

“I was born and bred and got married in Pniël," she says proudly. “Both my parents were from families who were descendants of slaves. After slavery was abolished in 1834, two farmers gave the freed slaves a piece of land to establish a missionary settlement."

Pniël was formally established in 1843 by the Apostolic Union, a non-denominational protestant group. After more than a century of self-governance, the village now forms part of the Stellenbosch Municipality, 10 km away.

Childhood memories

Myburgh's father died when she was still a toddler and her brother only three months old. “I was raised by a single mom, but the community basically helped raise us and supported my mom through thick and thin. Back then everybody knew everybody, that's the best part of growing up in a village. Since Pniël used to be a mission station, there is only one church. When a child gets baptised, the whole community stands up and say we're going to help raise the child. We take the responsibility very seriously, although some kids don't like it!" she laughs.

It's happy childhood memories of walking along oak-lined avenues and through people's houses to the orchards and past historical buildings that inspired her to preserve the village's unique character, Myburgh says. She's always been involved in community initiatives and over the past few years, her leadership responsibilities evolved naturally. She was nominated by the church to serve on the Pniël Heritage and Cultural Trust and was elected Chairperson in 2019. She also served the community as a ward committee member for a few years.

“Some neighbours think I'm still the ward committee member. They'll message me and ask why is there no water or why is the power off? At first, I would tell them, listen, I'm not on the committee anymore. But now I just find out and let them know. I like to know what's going on."

Myburgh was instrumental in helping to establish a museum dedicated to the history of Pniël after the old church manse was moved to a new building in 2010. “We contacted Dr Matilda Burden at the SU who helped us to furnish the museum and gather information. Some of her students assisted with research. A former Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU, Prof Andreas van Wyk, was also a great help to get things off the ground." The Pniël Museum opened in 2012 and now boasts professionally laid out photos, stories and artefacts that transport visitors back in time.

Beyond her fascination with history, a course in advancing engaged citizenship Myburgh completed at SU also deepened her thinking about what kind of difference she wants to make in her community. Engaged citizenship aligns perfectly with her own ethos. “You have to be engaged with your environment and make the most with what you have. If I sweep in front of my house and it's clean and everybody does so, all of us benefit. Pniël's people are very proud, but also humble. We're very self-reliant."

Qualified radiographer

Although she initially trained as a radiographer, Myburgh's career in the medical field was short-lived. “I started working at Tygerberg Hospital and later moved to a hospital in Paarl, but when I became pregnant, I had to stop working as a radiographer because of the radiation risk. Unfortunately, there wasn't an administrative position available at the hospital. After the birth of our third child, I got bored being a fulltime housewife. When an administrative position opened in 1997 at SU's civil engineering that allowed me to work flexi-hours, it was a perfect fit."

In 1999, she was appointed at SU as secretary for TRAC SA, and in 2003, she received a permanent appointment within the Department of Civil Engineering. She currently manages the postgraduate short courses offered by the department. Working with students and witnessing the transformation at SU over the past two decades, has been a privilege and pleasure, Myburgh says.

Having a supportive work environment and an encouraging family enables her to make meaningful social impact. She likes to be busy and often works until midnight. Most of her weekends are filled with community work. “I believe in the saying that when you need to get something done, give it to someone who is busy. I'm fortunate that my husband William is retired and able to do most of the housework when I'm busy. He does the washing, and we all take turns cooking. We're close to our two sons, daughter and son in law and grandchild. We're quite a social family."

Myburgh talks enthusiastically about the events that are still planned for the rest of the year in Pniël. “There's always a Heritage Day celebration in September, and on every 1 December, we commemorate freedom from slavery on Die Werf next to the museum where you'll find the slave monuments. This year is quite a milestone, because it's 190 years since the slaves in the Cape were freed. We have a full programme on Die Werf and will lay wreaths and ring the original slave bell at exactly 12:00."

A big priority is obtaining funding to appoint a full-time manager and staff for the Pniël Museum, Myburgh says. Because of limited funds the museum is only open to visitors four days a week. The Trust is constantly looking for funding to support their projects. Currently they're looking for ways to provide a local entrepreneur with the opportunity to run a tea garden at the museum.

In the long-term, Myburgh is keen to trace and document the history of the slaves and their descendants, a project which SU is supporting the Pniel community with. “Prof Johan Fourie at SU's Economics Department is doing research into the effects of slavery on the economic history of South Africa. The research has opened access to records that have not been available before. Progress is slow, because slaves' names often were changed, and people didn't always keep records. I hope that this partnership will grow and assist us in tracing our slave ancestry and that other institutions will also come on board."

An aunt of Myburgh who recently died aged 102 highlighted the need for recording the stories of the older Pniël residents before it's too late. “The slave history is not yet complete. There's so much research we still want to do. My auntie started working when she was a 13-year-old girl. There are many similar stories of elderly people in our community that we need to record and preserve for the generations to come."

• The Pniel Museum is open from Tuesdays to Fridays from 10:00 to 16:00. Special visits can be arranged outside of these hours. 

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