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Staged in the Sanlam Auditorium on the campus in Potchefstroom on 30 and 31 August and on 1 and 2 September, the much-loved musical Fame was a thrilling, unforgettable feast for the senses.

 

The creative team responsible for Fame, namely members of Artéma, Alabama Productions and NWU Potch Arts, took the audience on a glorious journey filled with great performances by talented performers who included students and lecturers.

 

Alumna Nacia Kruger directed and choreographed this exciting production, while Pieter de Bruin, the artistic director of the Artéma recording studio, was in charge of the music. A nine-piece orchestra provided the accompaniment.

 

On the front page photograph, Stephen Bogatsu (as Tyrone Jackson) dances with Lyrinda Venter (in the role of ballet dancer Iris Kelly).

 

 

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﷯ Wynand Harmse wrote a book about the SABC, covering the first 60-year period of the broadcaster (1936–1996). The first part is about the history – the growth, new programme services, people, management and expertise. The political part covers the scars of apartheid and its heritage, and the impact on the mandate of the SABC, as well as the political influence, interference and attempts to control. Transformation, of which the SABC was an intense part, constitutes a prominent part of the book. In his conclusion Wynand refers to the “right to exist” as public broadcaster against the background of today’s new needs in the country and a new media environment.

Alumnus chats about new

SABC book

While the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) commenced a series of public hearings on its editorial policy in July, a new book on this broadcaster will be on the shelves one of these days.

The NWU & U talked to alumnus Wynand Harmse, who was with the public broadcaster for 31 years, of which nearly seven years were as executive head. What do you remember from your childhood? My mother and I lived on a smallholding near Randfontein with my sister and brother-in-law; my father died before I was born. I remember a very busy, but productive plot life that had to keep a poor family alive. Hard work therefore became a part of who I am. You could clearly rise above your circumstances? Yes, I am very grateful for opportunities. A teacher, Pierre du Plooy, convinced me to go to university – something that was foreign to the smallholding folk. He arranged everything and I studied with the aid of a teacher’s bursary. Was it hard work, especially when you started studying for your BCom degree? Yes it was, especially because I had to work on the trains as waiter every July and December holiday; that helped me to survive financially. But my student years were also enjoyable and very enriching. People underestimate the value of student life, especially if you are lodging in a residence. As stones grind one another, my grinding at the former Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PU for CHE) and the Potchefstroom Teachers’ Training College (POK) changed my views on life. I grew as a person. To be able to serve on the Student Council of the POK and fill other leadership roles did a lot for my “growing up”. Potchefstroom’s student life, together with the Bult’s regular snooker sessions and my participation in sport, was one big enjoyment. And above all there were beautiful girls all around you! Did the lecturers contribute to your career? Lecturers have a major influence on a person, and not only in conveying knowledge. Lecturers who meant a lot to me were Prof Fred du Plessis (economics), Prof Faul (accountancy), and especially Prof De Wet, who taught me mathematical statistics.

Wynand and Ninnie Harmse live in Plettenburg Bay. Ninnie (née Oosthuizen) is also an alumna. She obtained a BA degree in psychology and Afrikaans at the former PU for CHE between 1961 and 1964, as well as a teacher's diploma from the POK.

And how did you end up at the SABC? A friend, Barend du Plessis, who was chairperson of the POK’s Student Council, told me about a position in the finance department. Were you bitter when you had to leave as a result of transformation? I left my job amicably; I managed the process because I wanted an orderly transition. After I left the SABC, they contracted me for work on various projects. I regularly dropped in for a cup of coffee with Dr Ivy Matsepe-Cassaburi, the chairperson for the board, and Zwelakhe Sisulu was a friend until his death. I have no bitterness in me. My innings was over. Now that you live in Plettenberg Bay, how do you keep yourself busy? My wife and I like walking, I read a lot of non-fiction and we also like to utilise the beautiful Southern Cape and Little Karoo, which is literally on our doorstep. We love nature a lot. We have three children and four grandchildren and we like to visit them in Pretoria, Cape Town and Stellenbosch.

The NWU & U

 

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 Why did you decide to write a book about the SABC? Because I was appointed at top management level when I was still relatively young, I got to know the planning and strategic parts and the political pressure in the front line. The SABC was very far ahead regarding the transformation process in the country and later, as executive head, I was right in the middle of everything – and that deserves to be told, doesn’t it? My successor, Zwelakhe Sisulu, whom I recruited for the SABC myself, encouraged me to write about the history and especially transformation after he himself had also left the SABC. “Because only you can do it,” he said. This was the real trigger, but initially I worked on the book only now and then – I only started working on it in all seriousness over the past two or three years. The book should be available at the end of the year or early in 2018.

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 Why did you decide to write a book about the SABC? Because I was appointed at top management level when I was still relatively young, I got to know the planning and strategic parts and the political pressure in the front line. The SABC was very far ahead regarding the transformation process in the country and later, as executive head, I was right in the middle of everything – and that deserves to be told, doesn’t it? My successor, Zwelakhe Sisulu, whom I recruited for the SABC myself, encouraged me to write about the history and especially transformation after he himself had also left the SABC. “Because only you can do it,” he said. This was the real trigger, but initially I worked on the book only now and then – I only started working on it in all seriousness over the past two or three years. The book should be available at the end of the year or early in 2018.
﷯ Wynand Harmse wrote a book about the SABC, covering the first 60-year period of the broadcaster (1936–1996). The first part is about the history – the growth, new programme services, people, management and expertise. The political part covers the scars of apartheid and its heritage, and the impact on the mandate of the SABC, as well as the political influence, interference and attempts to control. Transformation, of which the SABC was an intense part, constitutes a prominent part of the book. In his conclusion Wynand refers to the “right to exist” as public broadcaster against the background of today’s new needs in the country and a new media environment.
The NWU & U talked to alumnus Wynand Harmse, who was with the public broadcaster for 31 years, of which nearly seven years were as executive head. What do you remember from your childhood? My mother and I lived on a smallholding near Randfontein with my sister and brother-in-law; my father died before I was born. I remember a very busy, but productive plot life that had to keep a poor family alive. Hard work therefore became a part of who I am. You could clearly rise above your circumstances? Yes, I am very grateful for opportunities. A teacher, Pierre du Plooy, convinced me to go to university – something that was foreign to the smallholding folk. He arranged everything and I studied with the aid of a teacher’s bursary. Was it hard work, especially when you started studying for your BCom degree? Yes it was, especially because I had to work on the trains as waiter every July and December holiday; that helped me to survive financially. But my student years were also enjoyable and very enriching. People underestimate the value of student life, especially if you are lodging in a residence. As stones grind one another, my grinding at the former Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PU for CHE) and the Potchefstroom Teachers’ Training College (POK) changed my views on life. I grew as a person. To be able to serve on the Student Council of the POK and fill other leadership roles did a lot for my “growing up”. Potchefstroom’s student life, together with the Bult’s regular snooker sessions and my participation in sport, was one big enjoyment. And above all there were beautiful girls all around you! Did the lecturers contribute to your career? Lecturers have a major influence on a person, and not only in conveying knowledge. Lecturers who meant a lot to me were Prof Fred du Plessis (economics), Prof Faul (accountancy), and especially Prof De Wet, who taught me mathematical statistics.
And how did you end up at the SABC? A friend, Barend du Plessis, who was chairperson of the POK’s Student Council, told me about a position in the finance department. Were you bitter when you had to leave as a result of transformation? I left my job amicably; I managed the process because I wanted an orderly transition. After I left the SABC, they contracted me for work on various projects. I regularly dropped in for a cup of coffee with Dr Ivy Matsepe-Cassaburi, the chairperson for the board, and Zwelakhe Sisulu was a friend until his death. I have no bitterness in me. My innings was over. Now that you live in Plettenberg Bay, how do you keep yourself busy? My wife and I like walking, I read a lot of non-fiction and we also like to utilise the beautiful Southern Cape and Little Karoo, which is literally on our doorstep. We love nature a lot. We have three children and four grandchildren and we like to visit them in Pretoria, Cape Town and Stellenbosch.

CONTENTS

﷯ Wynand Harmse wrote a book about the SABC, covering the first 60-year period of the broadcaster (1936–1996). The first part is about the history – the growth, new programme services, people, management and expertise. The political part covers the scars of apartheid and its heritage, and the impact on the mandate of the SABC, as well as the political influence, interference and attempts to control. Transformation, of which the SABC was an intense part, constitutes a prominent part of the book. In his conclusion Wynand refers to the “right to exist” as public broadcaster against the background of today’s new needs in the country and a new media environment.
 Why did you decide to write a book about the SABC? Because I was appointed at top management level when I was still relatively young, I got to know the planning and strategic parts and the political pressure in the front line. The SABC was very far ahead regarding the transformation process in the country and later, as executive head, I was right in the middle of everything – and that deserves to be told, doesn’t it? My successor, Zwelakhe Sisulu, whom I recruited for the SABC myself, encouraged me to write about the history and especially transformation after he himself had also left the SABC. “Because only you can do it,” he said. This was the real trigger, but initially I worked on the book only now and then – I only started working on it in all seriousness over the past two or three years. The book should be available at the end of the year or early in 2018. The NWU & U talked to alumnus Wynand Harmse, who was with the public broadcaster for 31 years, of which nearly seven years were as executive head. What do you remember from your childhood? My mother and I lived on a smallholding near Randfontein with my sister and brother-in-law; my father died before I was born. I remember a very busy, but productive plot life that had to keep a poor family alive. Hard work therefore became a part of who I am. You could clearly rise above your circumstances? Yes, I am very grateful for opportunities. A teacher, Pierre du Plooy, convinced me to go to university – something that was foreign to the smallholding folk. He arranged everything and I studied with the aid of a teacher’s bursary. Was it hard work, especially when you started studying for your BCom degree? Yes it was, especially because I had to work on the trains as waiter every July and December holiday; that helped me to survive financially. But my student years were also enjoyable and very enriching. People underestimate the value of student life, especially if you are lodging in a residence. As stones grind one another, my grinding at the former Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PU for CHE) and the Potchefstroom Teachers’ Training College (POK) changed my views on life. I grew as a person. To be able to serve on the Student Council of the POK and fill other leadership roles did a lot for my “growing up”. Potchefstroom’s student life, together with the Bult’s regular snooker sessions and my participation in sport, was one big enjoyment. And above all there were beautiful girls all around you! Did the lecturers contribute to your career? Lecturers have a major influence on a person, and not only in conveying knowledge. Lecturers who meant a lot to me were Prof Fred du Plessis (economics), Prof Faul (accountancy), and especially Prof De Wet, who taught me mathematical statistics.
And how did you end up at the SABC? A friend, Barend du Plessis, who was chairperson of the POK’s Student Council, told me about a position in the finance department. Were you bitter when you had to leave as a result of transformation? I left my job amicably; I managed the process because I wanted an orderly transition. After I left the SABC, they contracted me for work on various projects. I regularly dropped in for a cup of coffee with Dr Ivy Matsepe-Cassaburi, the chairperson for the board, and Zwelakhe Sisulu was a friend until his death. I have no bitterness in me. My innings was over. Now that you live in Plettenberg Bay, how do you keep yourself busy? My wife and I like walking, I read a lot of non-fiction and we also like to utilise the beautiful Southern Cape and Little Karoo, which is literally on our doorstep. We love nature a lot. We have three children and four grandchildren and we like to visit them in Pretoria, Cape Town and Stellenbosch.

NWU & U