Dr. Andries Jerrick Daniels has made history this week as he became the first black South African man to receive a Ph.D. in Viticulture.
A Ph.D. in Viticulture from Stellenbosch University is a remarkable achievement in its own right, but few are as deserving of the title as Dr. Daniels for the road he has had to walk to get where he is today.
“I have always wanted to study at Stellenbosch University”, says Dr. Daniels “Initially, I wanted to study medicine, but my marks were not good enough in matric, so I had to go back to school.”
After bettering his marks, Daniels was accepted at Stellenbosch University to study Human Life Sciences, with the idea of eventually going into medicine. During his early years at Stellenbosch University, he worked as a night watchman at the Visual Arts building to supplement his mother’s unstable income as a domestic worker.
When Daniels was later afforded a bursary by SATI (South African Table grape Industry) to study viticulture, it was an offer he could not refuse.
"Viticulture was not the initial idea, but when I started studying it, I absolutely fell in love with it."
Dr. Daniels has since decided to share his knowledge with previously disadvantaged farmers in a project funded by WineTech.
The project focuses on teaching anything related to the cultivation of wine grapes and the making of wine.
This includes the pests and diseases that appear on wine grapes, how to prune, how to graft, and “anything related to wine grapes”.
“I really enjoy giving back to the community in this way.”, says Dr. Daniels.
Although he is a qualified winemaker, he does not currently practice as a winemaker. He is, however, working on various viticulture-based projects.
“My main focus at the moment is the evaluation of new cultivars and selections for raisin grapes.”, the project is funded by RaisinsSA.
“I’ve always been able to juggle several things at the same time.” says Dr. Daniels, “Even now, I’ve got a side network business to supplement my income so I live a comfortable life and take care of my family, as that has always been the ultimate goal.”
