At 15, Armand van Wyk dreamed of becoming the first engineer in his family — but he had long struggled with mathematics and eventually failed 28 university modules. Today, he is the only PhD candidate researching pristine (non-oxidised) graphene in concrete across Southern Africa.
Growing up in Rawsonville in the Western Cape, 15-year-old Armand van Wyk desired to be the first engineer in his family.
But he was just not good at mathematics.
“I really struggled. I started doing extra math classes every Wednesday for three and a half years. With a bicycle, I cycled for four kilometres and back. And then I completed my matric with a 62 in maths,” Armand, now 30, says.
Armand van Wyk is the only PhD candidate at Stellenbosch University and across southern Africa researching pristine graphene in concrete. PHOTO: Uendjizuvira Kandanga
Seeing his hard work, his mom wanted him to study at Stellenbosch University (SU). But he had since grown rebellious.
He no longer wanted to be an engineer. He wanted to play drums in Helde van Wanorde and travel.
“I started playing in an aggressive Afrikaans punk band. So, I told my parents, if you send me to Stellenbosch, I will waste all your money.”
As the band members left high school, the reality of touring across the country playing show after show, started to diminish.
However, as an alternative to life on the road playing rock shows or wasting his parents money in Stellenbosch, 18-year-old Armand applied and began his studies Civil Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in Cape Town.
The 28th time’s the charm
He studied for a national diploma in civil engineering at CPUT between 2014 and 2019, failing 27 modules before graduating as a civil technician.
But he maintains that that is a great testimony in itself.
“Praise the Lord, I wasn’t academically excluded. I was almost, but I made it,” he says.
In 2020, he worked for Power Group in Cape Town. He found himself on wind farms from the Eastern to Northern Cape. That year, while constructing foundations and access roads, he gave his life to Jesus Christ.
“I started playing in an aggressive Afrikaans punk band. So, I told my parents, if you send me to Stellenbosch, I will waste all your money.”
Armand van Wyk
“That year had a big impact on my life. At the end of the year, I felt like I wanted to study further because the circumstances I was in were quite challenging. It was very rural, and I just felt like I couldn’t build a future there,” Armand says.
He then applied for his bachelor’s degree in Civil engineering at CPUT.
“While I did my bachelor’s, I discovered graphene through my mentor, Barry Jollife. He has a chemical manufacturing plant in Cape Town,” he says.
Jollife—a mentor, friend, and father figure to Armand—invited him to a meeting with PPC Cement, South Africa’s largest cement manufacturer, Sika, a global construction additives company and First Graphene Ltd, an Australian pristine graphene manufacturer.
It was by being invite to that meeting that Armand got his first exposure to the wonder material known as graphene.
Pressing on through “rough” times
“When I graduated, I applied to come do my honours at [SU] because I wanted to continue researching it,” he says.
He began and completed his honour’s degree in 2022; what he calls a “rough” year.
“Normally this [honours degree] takes two years, but my supervisor advocated for me to do my honours in a year,” he says. “So, I needed to do four undergraduate mathematics modules with the second and third years and then eight postgraduate master’s level modules.”
Armand van Wyk’s love for concrete began when Barry Jollife, his mentor, friend, and father figure, invited him to a meeting with PPC Cement, South Africa’s first cement manufacturer, and Sika, a global cement additives company. PHOTO: Uendjizuvira Kandanga
In 2023, Armand began a master’s degree, focusing on pristine graphene used in concrete — becoming the only researcher working on it at SU and in southern Africa.
He completed that degree within a year and graduated cum laude.
Transitioning from lab to fab
Graphene, he says, is a two-dimensional carbon material that was discovered in 2004 and can be used in concrete to make buildings stronger and last longer, which in turn becomes more sustainable for the environment.
“Graphene is a single layer of graphite. It’s one of the strongest, most conductive materials on Earth because it’s pure carbon, like how diamond is also pure carbon,” he says.
He says graphene is important to the construction industry because it improves the mechanical properties of concrete and strengthens it.
“It’s a great opportunity to increase longevity, which will also reduce the carbon footprint because buildings will last longer,” he says.
“That’s my PhD: How do we transition from lab to fab – from lab to the industry – and what do we need to put in place to get it into the industry?”
We currently import it from Australia, but my dream would be to manufacture it locally because we need job creation in Africa, and we want to create Afrocentric technology.
Armand van Wyk
Professor Riaan Combrinck, who has supervised Armand throughout his postgraduate studies, says Armand faces his challenges with determination and a positive attitude, always aiming to improve and do his best.
“He thinks creatively to come up with solutions while considering the effect of the solution on the industry and environment,” Combrinck says.
Combrinck says Armand’s passion and enthusiasm about his work and faith are contagious.
Armand van Wyk’s supervisor throughout his postgraduate studies, Professor Riaan Combrinck, says Armand faces his challenges with determination and a positive attitude. “He thinks creatively to come up with solutions while considering the effect of the solution on the industry and environment,” Combrinck says. PHOTO: Uendjizuvira Kandanga
A moment when the lights came on
Speaking of his faith, Armand says his rebellious phase began after he lost his father to cancer 10 years ago.
“I had a very present father. I really loved my dad, and we had a good relationship. I’m also the only son. I’ve got two sisters, older and younger.”
But on 6 July 2019, he had an encounter that again changed his world.
That’s the day he recalls his encounter with God.
“I was washing my face, and I looked into the mirror and saw this transparent gel layer over my whole face. The only way I can explain it is if you would take Glad Cling Wrap and go like this,” he says, stretching an invisible film across his skin.
“And then I was like, ‘Oh my word, what am I seeing?’ I can’t feel it. I see it, but I can’t feel it. Then I experienced something. Inside of me, a little voice in my heart said, ‘That’s how close I am to you.’”
At that moment, something spiritual happened, and for the first time in 12 years, he quit smoking cigarettes. Seven months later, he was baptized.
“Being born in a Christian home doesn’t mean you’re saved,” he says. “People don’t understand that salvation, accepting that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross, is an absolutely personal thing. It’s a moment you have where all the lights come on.”
His girlfriend, Tacia Vakaloudis, says that his journey is a reminder that it’s never too late or impossible for one’s life to turn around completely.
“Armand was not an academic by a long shot and probably never dreamed of doing his PhD, but he is here today […] making massive future contributions to his industry,” she says.
While he’s far too humble to ever want to receive the praise for himself, she says his life story is an encouragement.
“His PhD work, knowledge and contributions will advance industries, and his love for God and people will continue to change lives,” Vakaloudis says.
Laying the groundwork
There aren’t any buildings with graphene in Africa yet, so Armand’s PhD research might be years ahead of its time.
“Beginning of this year, for the first time in five years, we got early adoption of a chemical additive product with graphene into the market, so now people are using it in the construction industry, and now there’s an adoption of graphene commercially,” he says.
Inside of me, a little voice in my heart said, ‘That’s how close I am to you.’”
Armand van Wyk
He’s glad the material’s being used in a day-to-day way because a lot of groundwork was laid towards that.
“We currently import it from Australia, but my dream would be to manufacture it locally because we need job creation in Africa, and we want to create Afrocentric technology.”
The graphene powder in the silver packet on the left, which is then mixed with water in the beaker on the right. During construction, this solution would be added to cement to make concrete stronger. PHOTO: Uendjizuvira Kandanga