Home   

Rykie and Lindo Webb were close friends 14.3.1991 on Lindo's 80th birthday Photo by Johann Webb

Rykie van Reenen 1923 - 2003 Journalist of renown and author of several books

Rykie: 'n Lewe Met Woorde, Tafelberg, 2011 by Lizette Rabe

Rykie van der Byl van Reenen, was born on 31 December 1923, on the farm Waterkloof near Darling. She studied at Stellenbosch University from 1941 until 1945 (BA in English, Latin and Afrikaans, and MA in English, all cum laude).
She began to work for Die Burger in 1945. Later she farmed for a while on Waterkloof and taught part-time school. In 1965 she joined Die Beeld in Johannesburg and was later a senior journalist and deputy editor for Rapport. She wrote the columns Van alle kante for Die Burger and Randakker for Die Beeld and Rapport. A collection of her articles was published in 1980.
Rykie enjoyed hikes and mountain climbing. She retired in 1981, moved to Wynberg and, when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, settled in Yzerfontein, "Darling se strand" (Darling's beach). She died on 28 December 2003, shortly before her 80th birthday.

...undoubtedly the most outstanding Afrikaans journalist of the century (with Pienaar a close second)... (Hermann Giliomee)

... haar woorde-erfenis, waar haar sprankelende persoonlikheid deur haar vingertoppe gevloei het, maak haar in vele koerant-tydgenote se oë die voorste Afrikaanse koerantskrywer van die twintigste eeu. (Johannes Grosskopf)

    Books