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Cape Town - Media24 joined DA leader Helen Zille, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and others in paying tribute to Professor Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, who died at his home on Friday evening.
Botman, 60, was a board member of Media24.
Media24 CEO Esmaré Weideman said Botman was “a highly regarded member of our board whose quiet authority and sharp intellectual and philosophical insight into the role and strategic course of Media24 were deeply valued”.
“His death, so shortly after the passing of Professor Jakes Gerwel, our previous chairperson, comes as a double blow for Media24,” she said.
Botman served as a director of Media24 since April 2005.
His wife had a regular column in Kuier magazine in which she answered parents and pupils’ questions.
Media24 chair Professor Rachel Jafta, who knew Botman well, both as a fellow board member and a colleague at the university, also conveyed her sadness at his passing.
Jafta said she would never forget his “respectful, warm and approachable nature and delightful sense of humour”.
Professor Botman was rector and vice-chancellor of Stellenbosch University since 2007 and was reappointed for a second five-year term in 2012.
During his early career he made his mark as a church leader and champion of socioeconomic rights. He served as dean of the University of the Western Cape’s theology faculty before joining Stellenbosch University in 2000 where he was vice-rector of the Centre for Teaching and Learning until 2007.
He served on many boards and was the motivating force behind the university’s HOPE Project which drives its transformation and positioning in the 21st century. Under his leadership Stellenbosch University has made three rankings of the world’s top universities.
“We have lost a true mentor and role model. Our thoughts are with Beryl and their children. We will miss him,” said Weideman.
- News24 is a part of the Media24 group.
Botman, 60, was a board member of Media24.
Media24 CEO Esmaré Weideman said Botman was “a highly regarded member of our board whose quiet authority and sharp intellectual and philosophical insight into the role and strategic course of Media24 were deeply valued”.
“His death, so shortly after the passing of Professor Jakes Gerwel, our previous chairperson, comes as a double blow for Media24,” she said.
Botman served as a director of Media24 since April 2005.
His wife had a regular column in Kuier magazine in which she answered parents and pupils’ questions.
Media24 chair Professor Rachel Jafta, who knew Botman well, both as a fellow board member and a colleague at the university, also conveyed her sadness at his passing.
Jafta said she would never forget his “respectful, warm and approachable nature and delightful sense of humour”.
Professor Botman was rector and vice-chancellor of Stellenbosch University since 2007 and was reappointed for a second five-year term in 2012.
During his early career he made his mark as a church leader and champion of socioeconomic rights. He served as dean of the University of the Western Cape’s theology faculty before joining Stellenbosch University in 2000 where he was vice-rector of the Centre for Teaching and Learning until 2007.
He served on many boards and was the motivating force behind the university’s HOPE Project which drives its transformation and positioning in the 21st century. Under his leadership Stellenbosch University has made three rankings of the world’s top universities.
“We have lost a true mentor and role model. Our thoughts are with Beryl and their children. We will miss him,” said Weideman.
- News24 is a part of the Media24 group.
