VERITAS RESULTS 2026

11 LIVING LEGENDS 2026

EDMUND LAKEY Edmund began his professional journey as a trained teacher, a profession that complemented his natural commitment to education and to helping others learn and grow. In 1993, he made an important career transition, leaving the school classroom to accept the position of Cellar Technical Officer in the Department of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University. What began as a new professional chapter, became an extraordinary 31-year journey of service. In his role as Cellar Technical Officer, Edmund was responsible for overseeing the cellar activities in the University’s Experimental Cellar, working with stalwarts like Professor Joël Van Wyk, Loftie Ellis and Charl Theron. His primary function was to oversee and support undergraduate and postgraduate students in winemaking activities. This work placed him at the heart of one of the most important aspects of winemaking education: transforming knowledge from the lecture room into practical experience. For generations of students, the university cellar was not simply a place where wine was made. It was a place where lessons became reality. It was where students learnt to work with precision, discipline, patience, and responsibility. And throughout those years, Edmund was there to guide, demonstrate and advise students to gain the practical experience needed to become competent professionals. He became an educator, mentor and familiar presence in the development of countless young winemakers, many of whom attended the Veritas Gala Dinner. Over the years, he played a key role in producing wines for Vititec and in developing and maintaining partnerships that connected the university cellar with the broader wine industry. The true measure of a career such as Edmund’s cannot be captured simply by a job title or the number of years served. It can be seen in the people who benefited from that service. In 2024, after 31 years of dedicated service, Edmund retired from Stellenbosch University, but this did not erase the impact of the many years he spent contributing to viticultural and oenological educa tion which will always be part of his professional legacy. He is a true Legend. ALTUS LE ROUX Altus le Roux obtained his Diploma in Cellar Technology at Elsenburg Agricultural College and studied Management Development at the Postgraduate Business School of the University of Stellenbosch. He held several winemaking posts before joining Boland International. Here he expanded the successes of Boland Wines for 17 years as Managing Director. During this time, he served for nine years on the Technical Committee of the Wine and Spirit Board and as Chairperson of Elsenburg’s alumni organisation, known as EKOV, for four years. He was a regular judge for the SA Young Wine Show, Veritas and the SA Terroir Wine Awards. Winemaking has always been a passion for Altus, not just a career, and he strongly believed in teamwork, ascribing his career highlights to this important management principle.