Professor SE (Steph) van der Merwe was born in Cradock on 24 May 1953. He matriculated at the Hoër Jongenskool Worcester in 1970. At the end of 1973, he obtained his B Juris degree with six distinctions at the University of Port Elizabeth. In 1974, he was employed as district prosecutor at the Department of Justice and completed his first year of LLB studies at Unisa. He was promoted to regional prosecutor in the Eastern Cape division in 1975, while he also obtained his LLB (cum laude) from Unisa.
In 1976, he is admitted as advocate of the High Court of South Africa and serves until the end of 1977 as state advocate with the attorney general of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. He is appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Criminal- and Procedural Law at Unisa in 1978 but is promoted to senior lecturer in 1979. He becomes the editor of the Codicillus and serves as editorial assistant for the Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Strafreg en Kriminologie in 1980. Professor Van der Merwe is appointed as an associate professor in the Department of Public Law at Rand Afrikaans University in 1981. In 1982, he accepts a chair in the Faculty of Law at the University of Zululand where he heads the Department of Criminal and Procedural Law.
In 1984, Professor Van der Merwe is appointed as a professor at the University of Western Cape. Thereafter, Professor Van der Merwe joined Stellenbosch University on 1 July 1988 (Department of Public Law) where he was a colleague until his retirement on 31 July 2013. Professor Van der Merwe specialised in criminal law, law of evidence and criminal procedure law. He was a co-author of standard works such as the Commentary on the Criminal Procedure Act and The Law of Evidence, and he was still involved with the updating of these works after his retirement. He was a well-loved lecturer amongst students and colleagues and had an excellent sense of humour. His passing is a great loss for South African legal academia.
Professor SE (Steph) van der Merwe is op 24 Mei 1953 in Cradock gebore. Hy matrikuleer in 1970 aan die Hoër Jongenskool Worcester. Aan die einde van 1973 verwerf hy sy B Juris-graad met ses onderskeidings aan die Universiteit van Port Elizabeth. In 1974 was hy werksaam as streekshofstaataanklaer by die Departement van Justisie en voltooi sy eerste jaar LLB aan Unisa. In 1975 word hy bevorder tot staatsaanklaer in die Oos-Kaapse afdeling, in dieselfde jaar verwerf hy ook sy LLB (cum laude) aan Unisa.
In 1976 word hy toegelaat as advokaat van die Hooggeregshof van Suid-Afrika en dien tot einde 1977 as staatsadvokaat by die prokureur-generaal van Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Hy word in 1978 aangestel as dosent in die Departement Straf- en Prosesreg aan Unisa, maar word in 1979 bevorder tot senior dosent. In 1980 word hy die redakteur van die Codicillus en dien hy as redaksionele assistent vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Strafreg en Kriminologie. Professor Van der Merwe word in 1981 aangestel as medeprofessor aan die Departement Publiekreg aan die Rand Afrikaanse Universiteit. In 1982 aanvaar hy ʼn leerstoel in die Fakulteit Regsgeleerdheid aan die Universiteit van Zululand, waar hy as departementshoof van die Departement Straf- en Prosesreg dien.
In 1984 word Professor Van der Merwe aangestel as professor aan die Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland. Daarna is Professor Van der Merwe op 1 Julie 1988 by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch (Departement Publiekreg) betrokke, waar hy ʼn kollega was tot en met sy aftrede op 31 Julie 2013. Professor Van der Merwe het in strafreg, bewysreg en strafprosesreg gespesialiseer. Hy was medeskrywer van standaardwerke soos die Commentary on the Criminal Procedure Act en The Law of Evidence, en hy was steeds betrokke by die opdatering van hierdie werke na sy aftrede. Hy was ʼn geliefde dosent onder studente en kollegas en het ʼn uitstekende sin vir humor gehad. Sy heengaan is ʼn groot verlies vir die Suid-Afrikaanse regsakademie.