Derek van Dam - a passion for life beyond weather

Photo courtesy of e.tv

The comic e.tv portrayal of his confusion about African town names is at odds with the Van Dam reality, for he has travelled to more parts of Africa than most of us have contemplated in tourist brochures. He's not an accidental tourist either. Derek van Dam gets involved, in real issues.

While employed as the on-air meteorologist in Detroit, the “Derek Goes to Africa” sweeps were the highest rated newscasts on the NBC affiliate. Each report focused on his humanitarian work in various parts of Africa, a passion that led to his semi-permanent move to Africa a year ago.

Derek Van Dam is a director of Compassionate Life, a Christian-based NGO working with widows and orphans affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Swaziland. With plans to expand the programme to South Africa and beyond, the cute American is going to be in Africa for a long time. That will be good news to the readers of YOU magazine who voted him in as best newcomer to South Africa 2008.

e.tv snapped up the highly qualified US-certified broadcast meteorologist. Since then he has been credited with revolutionising weather broadcasting in South Africa. As head of the weather department at e.tv/e.news, he has recruited and trained the best meteorologists from local universities. By incorporating creative graphics and revolutionary technologies in weather platform, he has revitalised the weather broadcasts.

It seems e.tv has taken cognisance of Derek Van Dam's popularity, unprecedented for a weatherman, and have introduced quirky comedy inserts of his “acclimatisation tours” around South Africa.

Between heading up the weather department, training meteorologists from around Africa and leading NGO work, Van Dam is gaining popularity as an MC and speaker. Most of all, he's loving the South African weather. It's perfect for an extreme sports enthusiast!