Thursday: 24 July 2003

This site will be updated on: 31 July  2003 at 17:00

People - Mense

• Paarliet wen groot fotoprys
• Oud-sersant slaan toe
• SA women wins battle for foreign lawyers in USA

DIE wêreld van professionele fotografie lê nou oop vir Paarliet Willem-Dirk du Toit (20), nadat hy as die wenner aangewys is van die "Dove Face in the Crowd" fotokompetisie in die tydskrif Marie Claire.

Du Toit, oud-Boishaaier en tans 'n derdejaar-fotografiestudent aan die Port Elizabeth Technikon, is een van die studente van technikons en fotograwe landswyd wat genader is om die skoonheid van 'n vrou op film vas te lê.

'n Soortgelyke projek is ook in die VK geloods.

"Ek was skoon deurmekaar toe hulle my bel en sê van die prys. Om wenner van hierdie kompetisie te wees, maak nou baie deure oop vir my.

"As deel van my prys, doen ek volgende jaar vir drie maande my indiensopleiding by Gerhard Turnley, 'n professionele fotograaf in Johannesburg. Ek het ook 'n hoop kontant van R20 000 gewen."

'n Goeie vriend van hom, Charl van der Merwe, ook 'n Paarliet en student by die technikon, was naaswenner.

Die onderwerp van Willem-Dirk se foto, Andrieta Wensel (41), 'n dosent in Beeldhou by die technikon, beskryf hy as "stralend met 'n natuurlike skoonheid" en dit is hoekom hy besluit het om haar te gebruik as model.

Die belangstelling in fotografie is geprikkel toe hy nog op Hoër Jongenskool Paarl was en 'n fotografieklub op die been gebring is.

Aan die begin het hy met pa Danie se kamera foto's geneem, maar deesdae spog hy met sy eie Hasselblad mediumformaat-kamera.

Hiermee neem hy veral mode- en argitektuurfoto's.

Sy groot droom is om eendag by Vogue tydskrif of die Sweedse publikasie Wallpaper te gaan werk.

En alhoewel hy nog steeds in ongeloof glimlag oor sy prys, is sy eindeksamen nou die eerste prioriteit op sy lys.

* A Paarlite has won a big national  photography competition for a soap advertisement.

EENKEER 'n polisieman, altyd 'n polisieman. Dit het die inbrekers wat die naweek John Cooke van Noorder-Paarl se kluis weggedra het, geleer.

Cooke en sy gesin het Saterdagaand om 21:00 tuis gekom en sy huis by Windmeul Eierboere "omgekeer" gevind. Hy is 'n drywer by dié onderneming.

Inbrekers het 'n gat in 'n venster geslaan, die knip oopgemaak, en in die hoofslaapkamer geklouter.

'n Kluis met byna R1000 kontant en 'n .22 rewolwer, is uit die muur gebreek. Kaste is oopgeruk en blikkies reukweerder, klere en lekkergoed is weggedra.

Die eienaar van die plaas, Gigi Passerini het die polisie in kennis gestel.

Saam met sy buurman, Zenzile Booi, het Cooke, wat tien jaar lank op Wellington 'n reservis-sersant was, die omgewing begin fynkam.

"So tien-uur het ons op die teerpad 'n man met 'n fiets gekry en ek het net geweet, hierdie man lyk verdag.

"Hy vra toe nogal vir my R20, en toe sê ek jy het dan al klaar al my geld gesteel, wat soek jy nog.

"Die man was ongemaklik en ons het hom vasgehou tot die polisie hom kon visenteer. Dis toe dat hulle van my goed in sy broek gekry het."

Saam met die polisie het hulle deur die nag verder gesoek.

Hulle het later op nog 'n verdagte afgekom en toe die vuurwapen in 'n toilet op 'n buurplaas ontdek. 'n Derde verdagte is ook vir ondervraging aangehou.

'n Sewentienjarige teen wie nog sake van huisbraak ondersoek word, is steeds in hegtenis.

"Die polisie was wonderlik. Ek wil baie dankie sê aan hulle, veral insp Jan Jensel van Wellington, hondegeleier insp Jan Burden en Paarl speur-insp Lucas Lourens."

* A former policeman has made a citizen's arrest of suspected burglars.

A GRADUATE of Stellenbosch University law school has successfully challenged the New York Board of Law Examiners Rules regarding eligibility of foreign students to take the New York Bar Exam.

She is Martina Swart (30), who matriculated with distinction from Huguenot High in Wellington and currently works in New York as Vice President in the Legal Department of Credit Suisse First Boston.

The NY Board requires that an applicant should have a law degree that is substantially and durationally equivalent to a law degree from an approved university in the United States.

 In other words, the applicant should be from a country whose jurisprudence is based on the principles of the English Common Law.

In terms of this policy graduates from a law school in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can take the bar exam without having to attend a US law school first, while law graduates from the rest of the world (including South Africa, India and Pakistan) need to take an LL.M. degree.

In New York this could cost 30 000 dollars in tuition alone, plus a further 30 000 dollars in living expenses.

In July 2002 it was reported that the Board had permitted a graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand Law School to sit the NY Bar Exam without requiring further study at a US Law School.

At that time, it was reported that all South African laywers would need a "good degree from a reputable full-time English-medium university and be able to pass the bar examination which all (US) attorneys have to take."

Swart, who received tuition in Afrikaans at Stellenbosch, challenged the Board on the grounds that students from Israel and Puerto Rico, who do not receive English instruction at university, are permitted to take the Bar Exam and therefore asserted that students from universities that use Afrikaans alongside English should also be permitted.

While doing English proficiency examinations, Swart worked for months researching the historical basis of SA Law and completed a comparative analysis between law degrees obtained from an approved law school in the US and a law degree from Stellenbosch.

In this way she factually supported the assertions in her application that her legal education at Stellenbosch was equivalent to that of an approved law school in the US both in terms of substance and duration.

The Board approved Swart's application for eligibility based on her extensive request for an evaluation, which contained citations of court decisions, law literature and letters of support.

She passed the Bar Examination in February this year.

In an e-mail to Swart, John McAlary (deputy executive director of the New York Board of Law Examiners) stated that the approval was based on individual merit.

He cautioned that "the Board's acceptance of Ms Swart's credentials for qualification to sit for the bar exam does not necessarily mean that the Board gives a blanket approval to law graduates".

By recognising Swart's eligibility, the Board has only agreed to look more favourably upon the applications of South African candidates for the NY Bar Exam.

Swart, daughter of Blackie and Kotie Swart of Wellington, confirmed that she has been contacted by various South Africans regarding her application.