Andries Naude, known to and respected by many CSIR colleagues across units, passed away peacefully after a long struggle with cancer. Based at CSIR Built Environment in Stellenbosch, Andries tackled every task – professionally as well as personally – passionately and with vigour, even after he was diagnosed with cancer 18 months ago.
True to his nature, he kept himself updated with work activities right until the end. Having received several awards for his work and innovation over the years, Andries was again rewarded at the 2009 Excellence Awards of the Built Environment unit when he received the special recognition award for his contributions to the CSIR throughout his career. At the same event, he was also part of a team recognised for its contribution to socio-economic development in South Africa. During the past year, Andries was nominated for the JD Roberts award.
In various situations, Andries brought his outstanding spatial economic analysis skills and passion for socio-economic and sustainable development to bear on a range of research projects. This includes investigating, early in his career, the inefficiency and inequity of apartheid settlement and commuting patterns. He also did research on rural accessibility and developed a new accessibility-focused approach to rural transport, enterprise clustering and logistics.