Father-figure and mentor passes
“Wessel was one of the most beautiful human beings on earth, not because of his features, but because of his inner being. The lesson I learned from him is that outside features have no real meaning.
Colleagues, students and friends were shocked to learn of the death of Mr Wessel Jansen, who was head of the Student Support section of the Gert Sibande FET College Ermelo campus.
Mr Jansen (62) died in the Pretoria East Hospital on Sunday morning after undergoing leg surgery.
He was also previously well known at Ermelo High School where he taught religious studies and history. He was later appointed as Department Head of Social Sciences.
He also coached rugby and for a while he served as rugby organiser. Wessel also served as monitoring teacher at the boy’s hostel, Huis Veltman.
After sustaining serious injuries in a motorcar accident, he left the teaching profession and in May 1998 joined the GS College as marketing agent.
There he endeared himself to the students and staff alike by taking their interests to heart and showing a genuine concern in the well-being of the students.
He was subsequently appointed to the post of Integrated Student Support Officer (ISSO) where he worked in close conjunction with students, arranging bursaries, giving fatherly advice and encouraging students to excel.
“His generosity was almost legendary, so much so that at times I found it necessary to scold him for being a little bit too generous.
Despite sometimes having great difficulty in moving about on his crutches, he would often go out of his way, even as far as giving money from his own pocket, to help anyone in need without expecting anything in return,” said Ermelo Campus manager, Ms Andri Steyn.
Speaking on behalf of the Student Support Clerks, Mr Andile Dlamini said Mr Jansen will be sorely missed by all the students.
“He was truly like a father to us. We looked up to him and respected him greatly. I can say he was our Nelson Mandela. We are surely going to miss him,” said Andile.
A close friend, Mr Herman Leuschner, had this to say about Mr Jansen.
“Wessel was one of the most beautiful human beings on earth, not because of his features, but because of his inner being. The lesson I learned from him is that outside features have no real meaning.
“Everybody experienced him as a very positive person, as he connected with all types of personalities. He never judged anybody – regardless the reputation.”
As far as could be established, Mr Jansen, who was a bachelor, is not survived by close family. He leaves an elderly aunt who lives in Port Elizabeth.
A memorial service for Mr Jansen will be held today (Thursday) at 1pm at the GS College Ermelo campus.
