Born on May 14th, 1951 in Port Elizabeth, Weyni matriculated at Pretoria Art School in 1970.

He tried his hand as a train driver and also studied theology before joining newspaper group Perskor where he learned his trade from the legendary Afrikaans cartoonist Len Lindeque. As a tribute to his mentor - whose influence is evident in his work - Deysel adopted Lindeque's signature worm, adding decades to its lifespan as a political commentator in the footnotes of editorial cartoons.

Over the years since Perskor, Deysel established himself as a fine cartoonist in his own right; earning a name for himself in such newspapers as Rapport, Vaderland, the Sunday Times and (most recently) The Citizen.

Deysel's sense of humour shone through in his cartoons, which are fun and void of any malice - a reflection of his nature. He worked with what he termed as being 'old school' tools (such as brushes) to render his work and, according to his colleagues at the Citizen, he was an avid newspaper reader who loved politics and was committed to keeping in the know with current events, often adding much value to editorial conferences.

His work encompasses many disciplines; from editorial cartoons to illustrations, commercial work, and portraits. The CD covers he illustrated for his friend Leon Schuster became synonymous with the comedian's brand.

In 2009 Weyni Deysel won the Gauteng region of the Vodacom Journalist of the Year award (Cartoonist Category), "for his most humorous rhetoric and depiction of the fall of Carl Niehaus", but he had been recognised many times before for his talent:

• 1983 Standard Bank Cartoonist of the Year.
• 1984 Standard Bank Cartoonist of the Year.
• 1985 Standard Bank Cartoonist of the Year.
• 1989 Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurverenegings (FAK) Prize.
• 2001 ABSA Dolphin Prize

Weyni's work is featured in the 2009 publication "Don't Joke! The Year in Cartoons"(Jacana).

Weyni died on May 15th, 2010 - the day after his 59th birthday. His many followers were saddened to learn that he had taken his life, leaving behind two sons and many, many admirers of his work. It was reported that he suffered from depression; a bitter irony that befalls a disproportionate amount of people who (as he once claimed of himself) "like to make people laugh".

After his passing a number of cartoonists honoured Weyni by including what had become "Weyni's Wurmpie" in a cartoon of their own. Type the words 'Weyni Tribute' in the cartoon finder above to see these tributes.