De Wet Schutte is an Associate Professor Emeritus and Acting Head of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Studies at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). He is currently on a contract appointment as a Researcher in the Centre for Student Support Services (CSSS) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He holds a MA degree from Stellenbosch University and a DPhil degree from the University of Pretoria in Sociology. He worked for 18 years with the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), where his research focused on intergroup studies, community development theory and practice, and research methodology. He joined the CPUT in 2006 as a Community Development, Sociology, Research Methodology and Management Practice lecturer. He is also the founder of UniSearch Community Development and Research Consultants. He also developed the basic need community development theory and various data collection instruments, including the Baseline Intervention Impact Monitor (BIIM) and Water Contact Profile (WCP). He also developed and patented the Schutte Scale, a manual measuring instrument to quantify qualitative perceptions across languages and cultures. Various institutions currently use the Priority Index (P-Index) basic needs community assessment technique and Community Index (C-Index) to prioritise and monitor the human needs in their communities as part of their integrated development programmes.