OBITUARY
Dr Piet Roux ( 94 ), a founder member of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa , passed away on 30 June 2021 . Dr Roux was born in Cradock in 1927 and matriculated in 1944 . In 1955 he started his career in the Department of Agriculture at the Karoo Regional office in Middelburg , Eastern Cape . From 1978 until his retirement in 1987 he was the Director of the Karoo Region .
In 1968 he obtained a doctorate at the former University of Natal investigating the ecology of Tetrachne dregei . Being both an avid botanist , as well as an agriculturalist and environmentalist , Dr Roux contributed tremendously to our current understanding of Karoo ecology .
His vegetation survey data , collected over many years , currently form the basis for long term monitoring of vegetation change in the Karoo . He was involved in the development of grazing systems as well as vegetation survey techniques contributing to sustainable farming as a whole .
Dr Roux was a mentor to many young scientists , but also inspired farmers with his willingness to share his knowledge . Till the end , he was continuously identifying new projects to investigate some of his “ suspicions ” and shared them with the scientific community . His impact as a rangeland scientist , agriculturalist and mentor will not be forgotten .
In Memoriam : Piet Roux
8 / 5 / 1927 – 1 / 7 / 2021 Loraine van den Berg
Current Address : Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute
47 Grassroots Vol 21 No 3 November 2021