Constand Viljoen

Constand Laubscher Viljoen
Leader of the Freedom Front Plus
In office 1 March 1994 – 26 June 2001
Succeeded by	Pieter Mulder
Member of Parliament
In office 1994–2001
Personal details
Born	(1933-10-28) 28 October 1933 Standerton, Transvaal Province (now Mpumalanga), South Africa
Nationality	South Africa
Political party	Freedom Front Plus
Spouse(s)	Christina Heckroodt
Children	5
Religion	Dutch Reformed
Military service
Allegiance	South Africa
Service/branch	South African Army
Years of service	1956-1985
Rank	General
Commands	Chief of the South African Defence Force Chief of the South African Army
Battles/wars	Border War
Awards	Order of the Star of South Africa Southern Cross Decoration South African Police Star for Outstanding Service Southern Cross Medal

General Constand Viljoen SSA SD SOE SM (born on 28 October 1933, Standerton, Mpumalanga^[1]) is a former South African military commander and politician. He is partly credited with preventing the outbreak of armed violence by disaffected white South Africans prior to post-apartheid general elections. He is married to Christina Sussanna Heckroodt and has four sons and a daughter. ^[2]

Military career

Viljoen matriculated in Standerton High School in 1951. He joined South Africa's pre-republic Union Defence Force in 1956 upon receiving a degree in military science at the University of Pretoria.^[1] By 1974, Viljoen had been named the South African Army's Director of General Operations, subsequently serving as the Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the South African Defence Force. He was appointed as Chief of the Army in 1977 and succeeded Magnus Malan as SADF chief in 1980.^[3]

Angolan service

Viljoen was the senior SADF military official directing Operation Savannah in 1975. He is also credited with planning the first major airborne assault in South African military history, Cassinga, a raid carried out against SWAPO insurgents. Despite his rank, Viljoen was present during the battle,^[4] offering what has been described as a "swashbuckling" front-line leadership which won him the respect of many fellow Afrikaners.^[5]

Political career

Viljoen is credited by some with kick-starting the Afrikaners' self-examination that lead to their acceptance of universal suffrage and free elections, with his famous speech at the Broederbond annual assembly in Voortrekkerhoogte, saying of the black South Africans in his army - As hulle kan veg vir Suid-Afrika, kan hulle stem vir Suid-Afrika! ("If they can fight for South Africa, then they can vote for South Africa!").

In 1993 Viljoen and fellow retired generals formed the Afrikaner Volksfront (Afrikaner People's Front), an umbrella body for right-wing groups. However, Viljoen reportedly had strained relationships with the leaders of other right-wing parties.^[6]

Bophuthatswana action and decision to contest elections

Immediately prior to the 1994 elections Viljoen had a force of between 50,000 and 60,000 trained military personnel at his command, with the ability to take over large parts of the country.^{[7] [8]} The force was assembled in preparation for war with Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC, as a last-ditch move to protect Afrikaner interests.^[9]

In March 1994 Viljoen led an effort by several thousand white militia to protect the government of Lucas Mangope in the bantustan of Bophuthatswana against a popular uprising.^[10] Despite being asked not to participate in the action because of their racist views, members of the Afrikaner Resistance Movement also moved into Bophuthatswana, sparking clashes with the security forces the white militia were supposed to support.^[11]

Immediately after the incident Viljoen split off from the Volksfront^[12] and started an election campaign,^[13] co-founding and becoming leader of the Freedom Front (Afrikaans: Vryheidsfront), a political party representing conservative Afrikaner interests. His decision to take part in the elections are believed to have prevented a violent uprising by Afrikaners and on the occasion of his retirement from politics the ANC government thanked him for preventing bloodshed.^[14]

Viljoen's decision was at least partially influenced by the mediation of his identical twin brother, Abraham (Braam) Viljoen, who was an anti-apartheid activist while his brother led the military.^{[15] [16]}

Post-Apartheid South Africa

In the election, the Freedom Front, under the leadership of Viljoen, received 2.2% of the national vote and nine seats in the National Assembly. It became the strongest party not involved in the government of national unity under Nelson Mandela then. Although his party was at odds with the government and the ANC, Viljoen praised Nelson Mandela on the occasion of his retreat from politics in 1999, even ending his Parliamentary speech with an attempt at speaking in Mandela's native language, Xhosa. Translated, he said: Go rest in peace. Go rest in the shadow of a tree at your home.

In 2001 Viljoen handed over the leadership of the Freedom Front to Pieter Mulder and retired from politics, saying he had grown frustrated working in a parliament dominated by the ANC.^[17]

Post retirement

In 2003 it emerged that Viljoen had been a target of the Boeremag paramilitary right-wing group, which considered him a traitor who had underhandedly sold out the Afrikaner people.^[18]

In 2008 Viljoen, aged 74, put up what was described as a spirited fight against two would-be muggers, who were subsequently arrested.^[19]

References

See also

• List of South African military chiefs
• South African Army