​23 April 2021

Dear ColleagueIt is with great sorrow that we inform our University community of the recent passing of Prof Marius de Waal. Prof De Waal was a former Dean of the Faculty of Law at Stellenbosch University (SU). Most recently, he was the Chairperson of the Private Law Department. He was dedicated to academia and was a scholar who enjoyed considerable local and international renown for his major contributions to the law of succession and the law of trusts. He contributed to several prominent publications in these fields, most notably as co-author of the standard work, Honoré's South African Law of Trusts.

He was the recipient of the SU Chancellor’s Award for research in 2017 and was also awarded a fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. His colleagues will remember him as a gifted and sympathetic teacher, who went to great lengths to guide students through complex areas of law with remarkable clarity of exposition and dedication. As a person, he was known for his extraordinary integrity, collegiality and humility.

As a University community, we are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and immediate colleagues.

In this time of shared grief and mourning, we remind colleagues that there is support available. Please see the Employee Wellness webpage for contact details. Yours in compassionate solidarityProf Nico Koopman Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel​