When you first meet Heinrich Gerwel, you cannot help but be moved by his cool yet energetic passion for his research and teaching at Stellenbosch University's (SU's) Department of Agricultural Economics in the Faculty of AgriSciences.
Believing in academic freedom, open dialogues and encouraging people to be their true selves, Gerwel says his unique career background has helped him to have a more holistic, yet reality-based approach to teaching his students.
“Stellenbosch University has been very good at creating spaces for open dialogues and offering academic freedom to students. I'm hoping that my current research in agricultural economics can help give students a realistic view of what is happening in our industry."
In 1997, during his final year at Rhodes University, Gerwel decided to leave his Bachelor of Science degree studies. He later went on to study at the Institute of Culinary Arts in Stellenbosch and worked as a professional chef at some of the top restaurants in the Western Cape until 2005.
“Cooking was actually a detour. I left formal academia in 1997 for mainly personal reasons and a search for deeper meaning. Thinking that the new South Africa was going to be this rosy rainbow nation, which it didn't turn out to be, was a big disappointment for me."
Being the son of the late South African academic and anti-apartheid activist Jakes Gerwel, being involved in politics, community work and activism naturally became part of his life too.
Born and bred in the Cape Flats township of Belhar, Gerwel matriculated from Garlandale Senior Secondary in Athlone, where he still to this day does a lot of community work. He is also active with the promotion of the arts through his association with the Suidoosterfees and by assisting numerous informal grassroots initiatives in Delft, Bonteheuwel and Bonnievale.
While working as a chef, Gerwel started a family, but knew that working long strenuous hours, as a chef was not a viable option for him and his family in the long term. He eventually married his varsity sweetheart in 2013, who also attended the same high school as he.
“I had some good experience working as a chef, but it is hard work. I decided to return to university and as they say the rest is not history, but my story in the end."
When he left the hospitality industry, Gerwel returned to academia in 2006 and went on to complete a Bachelors in Economics in Development Studies, as well as a Honour's and Master's in Economics in Development Studies (both cum laude) at the Institute for Social Development at the University of the Western Cape.
He is currently completing a PhD through the Department of Agricultural Economics at SU, while also teaching Rural Development, Agribusiness & Agrarian Reform.
“I think life just brought me back to academia, to help make me the person that I am today. I've always resisted this whole academia thing and never planned to go this route, but when I think of my journey in retrospect, everything I've studied and done before, ultimately links to what I'm currently doing and hope to still do in the future."
Photo by Stefan Els.
