Apart from the Jakes Gerwel Foundation’s accommodation programme for writers in KwaNojoli, we also undertake the following projects annually:
Blue Crane Book Project
The Jakes Gerwel Foundation offers intensive reading support to Grade 1 to 4 learners in the primary schools of the Blue Crane Municipality – including the towns of Pearston, KwaNojoli, and Cookhouse. The Greater Stellenbosch Trust, through the Social Employment Fund, enables the Foundation to annually employ forty reading assistants who provide support during school hours to learners with the greatest reading backlogs. The Foundation has set up colourful classrooms in all the schools in our catchment area, equipped with appropriate storybooks and word games. In these safe and creative spaces, we invest in the future – the Jakes Gerwels of tomorrow.
We also annually take a theatre production to the rural Eastern Cape in collaboration with the Suidoosterfees to expose children to the wonders of the arts.
This project is financially supported by the Greater Stellenbosch Trust (GST), the Social Employment Fund (SEF), the National Arts Council (NAC), and the LW Hiemstra Trust.
Cape to KwaNojoli
The Jakes Gerwel Foundation, in collaboration with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is looking for new writing talent. Emerging poets and prose writers were therefore invited to submit their written work (or poems, short stories, or a chapter from a novel) in Afrikaans or English by 1 December 2025.
Successful candidates will be taught basic writing techniques and will meet various role players in the book industry – from established authors, editors and publishers. These free workshops will be held from 15 to 17 January 2026, at the CPUT-university’s Mowbray campus. Outstanding participants will be selected to further hone their skills at Paulet House in KwaNojoli.
This project is made possible by the Western Cape Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport.
If you are an aspiring writer who missed this opportunity, do not stress too much. We hope to offer more workshops in future. Please keep an eye out for more information.
Jakes Gerwel Discussions
The Jakes Gerwel discussions is an annual highlight of the Suidoosterfees programme, held at Artscape in Cape Town. In the spirit of Prof. Gerwel, the Foundation aims to facilitate open and thought-provoking discussions on various current issues. Urgent local and global matters are discussed by various influential stakeholders, and new books are launched. This series is free, but reservations are essential. Keep an eye out for the programme!
The Jakes Gerwel Discussions is presented in collaboration with ATKV and Netwerk24, as well as various publishers including Jonathan Ball, Penguin Random House SA, Protea Book House, Jacana, and Pan Macmillan.
