“Oom Danie!” echoes the voice of the young woman from across the street. For a second, eclectic Stellenbosch, where he is walking around, comes to a halt as Danie Hefer turns around. Only a few moments before he was scanning his surroundings for a restaurant, unaware that his lanky frame had attracted the attention of the woman who is now running towards him. With endearing resolve she gives him a hug. Then, after she has relinquished her grip, she thanks him for the role he played in helping her obtain her degree. The once destitute student is now a high-ranking professional in the financial sector.
Stories like these abound where Daniël Jacobus Hefer is concerned, and on Friday, 24 June this manager of the Central Bursary Office at the North-West University (NWU) was awarded the NWU Chancellor’s Medal in recognition of the exceptional contribution he has made to the NWU and its students through the way he has administered NSFAS bursaries and other instances of financial support to students over the past 16 years. He is further lauded for his dedication in walking the extra mile to seek funding opportunities by liaising with possible outside sponsors, for his passion for students and for his demonstration of this by leaving no request unattended. Finally, the Chancellor’s Medal acknowledges the recognition he enjoys in national structures such as the Financial Aid Practitioners of South Africa committee.
“It is a great honour and I am humbled in my acceptance of it. I see it as recognition for the hard work we as a team at Financial Support Services do across the university’s three campuses. You are only as good as the team in which you function. It is an amazing privilege,” says Danie.
Danie and his team are renowned for the unrelenting hours they put into their work, as well as an open-door policy that keeps them well and truly occupied.
“I do what I feel any NWU staff member should be willing to do and that is to always try and give our best. I have come a long way with the students. I could not study full-time, there simply was not money for it, so I understand where they are coming from. I also enjoy working with young people. I see so much potential. This country has a bright future.”
Danie was born in the small Karoo town of De Aar in 1961 and grew up in Pretoria, where he matriculated at the Hoërskool Langenhoven in 1978. In 1979 he was called up for two years’ military service, and in 1981 he started working at the then Volkskas Bank. In 1982 he completed a Diploma in Marketing and Sales Management at the Pretoria Technikon, followed by a Diploma in Banking from the Institute of Bankers, an Advanced Diploma in Banking, and an Advanced Management Diploma. In 2010 he obtained his MBA from the NWU.
In 2005 he was appointed as the manager of Financial Support Services at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus, and in 2018 he was appointed as the manager of the Central Bursary Office of the NWU, taking responsibility for the bursary administration of all three campuses. In 2021 alone the Central Bursary Office was responsible for the administration of R2,7 billion in bursary funding on behalf of the NWU.
“My profession gives me so much satisfaction. I do not think there has been one day that I did not want to come to work. I recently went to the Kruger National Park for a holiday and, as my wife can attest, the laptop went with me. It is also a big responsibility, as you have the students’ futures in your hands. I always tell students that I can open the door for them, but they have to do the rest. They have to grab the opportunity with both hands and put in the hard work to graduate.”
Danie will be retiring in five years and his hopes for his legacy are as pragmatic as the man himself.
“I want to be remembered for the effective functioning of the Central Bursary Office and I want to help and mentor the person who will take over from me. I want it to be a smooth transition, because the most important thing is always the students and the NWU.”
Danie Hefer.
