Solly Hassen: A community pillar at 78

From humble beginnings as the son of a taxi owner in the old Pietersburg, local former teacher Solly Hassen is indeed a colourful character who still impresses with his command of the Afrikaans language and knowledge of the history of the city, dating back for eight decades.

- Barry Viljoen

Hassen (78) was born in the then Pietersburg where he spent the first years of his life in the family home in Bok Street until he moved to Nirvana in 1970.

He attended Pietersburg Indian and Coloured School and passed matric in 1966.

His passion for the Afrikaans language led him to further studies and he was subsequently appointed as senior Afrikaans teacher where he taught HOD Languages since 1970. He is a Unisa graduate with majors in Afrikaans Nederlands and was later promoted to the position of Principal of the prestigious Taxila Secondary School, where he served until his retirement in 2007, a tenure of nearly four decades.