Judge van der Merwe obtained a BA degree in Law and an LLB (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria. During his student years he served on the Sonop Residence house committee.

He worked full-time as a senior lecturer in the Department of Roman-Dutch Law from 1966 to 1967, and part-time from 1968 to 1969.

 
After a successful career as an advocate, he was appointed as a judge at a relatively young age.

During his long career he has dealt with various high-profile cases, both civil and criminal, and is held in high esteem by his colleagues and other legal practitioners. Since his appointment as Deputy Judge President in April 2010, he has made a major contribution to law by instituting measures for compiling a comprehensive practice manual regulating the presentation of cases in the Pretoria High Court.  The practice manual helps reduce the waiting time for civil action trial dates from two years to a few months, as well as expediting trials, and finalising both unopposed and opposed motions.

Judge van der Merwe served as the Transvaal Chairperson and later as the National Chairperson of NIMRO, and currently serves on various other community councils.

The Laureate Awards are organised by the TuksAlumni Office, which maintains channels of communication with alumni and creates opportunities for alumni to continue playing an active role in the University of Pretoria.   The Laureate Awards have been presented to distinguished alumni and friends of the University since 1974.

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