Reinecke was born on 21 December 1941, in Krugersdorp, South Africa.
He was the son of Carolus Johannes Reinecke and Cornelia Marthina van Dyk.
He passed standard 10 (grade 12) at Piet Potgieter High in Potgietersrus, Northern Transvaal.
He then completed his PhD (in Bio-chemistry) at Leiden University, the Netherlands.
He was appointed as Head of The Bio-Chemistry department of his alma mater, and in 1983 became Dean of the Natural and Agricultural Sciences Faculty of that university.