User:Bloublasie79/sandbox

Background
Dr the Hon. Schalk Willem van der Merwe, was a South African politician that served the National Party an various portfolios from 1965 to 1984. He served as Minister of Health, and served on the Presidents Council in the latter part of his career.

He was born on September 18, 1922, in Citrusdal, 160 km north of Cape Town. Educated at Citrusdal Primary School, then matriculated at the Boys’ High School Paarl in 1940. He then attended University of Cape Town where he graduated as a medical doctor in 1946.

Medicine
His medical career began at Groote Schuur Hospital. In 1947 he went to Keimoes on the Orange River, 100km from the South-West Africa border (now Namibia), as a general practitioner and the District Surgeon. In private life, Dr van der Merwe devoted much time to the study of politics, science, and race relations. He also had an interest in gardening and in physical fitness.

His future interests were foreshadowed when in 1964 he acquired a B.A. degree from the University of South Africa in economics, government administration and political science; in 1968 he obtained a B.A. Honours degree in political science from the same university.

Politics
His political career began in 1965 when he won a seat on the Keimoes City Council. From 1957 to 1960 he was Mayor of Keimoes and had a second term from 1963 to 1966. In 1960 he was appointed as member of the Executive Council of the Cape Municipal Union and in 1963 he became a member of the Management Committee of the United Municipal Association of South Africa.

He entered Parliament by winning the seat for Gordonia, in the Northern Cape, at the general election on March 30, 1966. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Social Welfare and Pensions and of Coloured and Rehoboth Affairs in May 1970.

On 23 August 1972 he returned to medical affairs as Minister of Health; on 26 January 1976 Dr van der Merwe's title was changed to include planning, the environment and statistics, only to change once more on 20 November 1978 to Minister of Health, Welfare and Pensions. His portfolio was widened on 20 June 1979 to include industry, trade and consumer affairs while he continued as Minister of Health, Welfare and Pensions. Dr Van der Merwe was awarded the Decoration for Meritorious Service by the State President in March 1980.

A further step in his career came on 6 October 1980 when he was appointed Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee of the President's Council, and on 1 January 1981 he was nominated as Deputy Chairman of the Council. He held the Health, Welfare and Pensions portfolios, along with F.W De Klerk, L.A.P.A Munnik and Cornelis van der Merwe in the first Cabinet of P.W Botha. On 2 August 1982 he became Chairman of the Constitution Committee.

Family
He married Petra Rocher on 30 August 1947 and they settled in Keimoes, ad then later in Bloubergstrand, South Africa and had five children and 15 grand-children.

Death
Whilst visiting his family in Rundu, Namibia, he passed of a stroke at the age of 61, on 24 July 1984.