Wilhelm Johannes Verwoerd (born 21 February 1964) is a South African facilitator and researcher based at

Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...

and a social activist. The grandson of

Hendrik Verwoerd Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of ''Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...

, known as the architect of the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

regime, Verwoerd has disavowed the views with which his family is widely associated and joined the

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election installe ...

Early life and education

Born in Pretoria to Wilhelm and Elise (née Smit) Verwoerd on 21 February 1964, Wilhelm is a member a prominent ''

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

'' family. His grandfather was South African Prime Minister

. Although raised in a family and environment that frowned on racial integration, he changed his stance on apartheid after studying in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He holds an MA in Philosophy from

in 1989, an

Oxford MA In the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts are promoted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts (MA) on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university (including years as an u ...

automatically awarded after reading for a BA in PPE from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and a PhD in Applied Ethics from the

University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the Te ...

Academic career and later life

Verwoerd's research focuses largely on reconciliation, forgiveness and apology, on which he has written several articles. He was a researcher in the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...

. He worked as a programme co-ordinator and a co-facilitator in Ireland, within the

Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation The Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation is a non-governmental charitable organisation located in the Republic of Ireland. Its goal is to promote peace and reconciliation within and between communities through facilitated dialogue and l ...

's Survivors and former Combatants Programme between 2002 and 2011. He is a former co-director of Beyond Walls Ltd. From 2019 he is a senior researcher and facilitator within Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University. In 1992, Verwoerd formally joined the

, which drew a lot of criticism and threats from militant Afrikaners - given his family roots. This brought strife with his own family.

Personal life

Verwoerd married Melanie Fourie in 1987, with whom he had two children, Wilmé (born 1990) and Wian (born 1992). They divorced in 2005. Wilhelm later married his second wife Sharon, who is Australian.

Select publications

Books

*Wilhelm Verwoerd (1996). Viva Verwoerd?: kronieke van 'n keuse. Human & Rousseau. *Wilhelm Verwoerd (2018). Bloedbande: 'n Donker tuiskoms. Tafelberg. * Wilhelm Verwoerd (2019). Verwoerd: My Journey through Family Betrayals. Tafelberg.

Edited books

Journal articles

* * *

References

External links

Is it time to forgive? - Dr Wilhelm VerwoerdDr. Wilhelm Verwoerd Speaks on Apartheid and Conflict Resolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verwoerd, Wilhelm 1964 births South African Rhodes Scholars South African social scientists South African philosophers South African political philosophers Members of the African National Congress Academic staff of Stellenbosch University Alumni of the University of Oxford University of Johannesburg alumni Living people