Gerrit Viljoen
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Gerrit Viljoen | |
|---|---|
| Rector of the Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit | |
| In office 1967–1979 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | de Lange, J.P. |
| Administrator-General of South West Africa | |
| In office 1979–1980 | |
| Preceded by | Marthinus T. Steyn |
| Succeeded by | Danie Hough |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 1980–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Ferdie Hartzenberg |
| Succeeded by | Gene Louw |
| Minister of Constitutional Development | |
| In office 1989–1992 | |
| Preceded by | J. C. Heunis |
| Succeeded by | Roelf Meyer |
| Chairman of the Afrikaner Broederbond | |
| In office 1974–1980 | |
| Preceded by | Andries Treurnicht |
| Succeeded by | Carel Boshoff |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gerrit van Niekerk Viljoen 11 September 1926 |
| Died | 29 March 2009 (aged 82) Stilbaai, South Africa |
| Party | National Party |
| Spouse | Maria Magdalena van der Merwe |
| Children | 7 |
| Education | Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool |
| Alma mater | University of Pretoria, University of Cambridge, Leiden University |
| Known for | Education |
Gerrit Van Niekerk Viljoen (11 September 1926[1] – 29 March 2009) was a South African government minister and member of the National Party.
He was chair of the Broederbond from 1974 to 1980, Administrator-General of South West Africa from 1979 to 1980, Minister of Education in South Africa from 1980 to 1989, and Minister of Constitutional Development from 1989 to 1992.
He was born in Cape Town in 1926, the son of Helena and Hendrik Geldenhuys Viljoen, the editor of Huisgenoot magazine. He attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Afrikaans High School for Boys, also known as Affies), a popular and renowned public school located in Pretoria. He continued his studies at the University of Pretoria. Here he was elected to the Student Representative Council and in 1948 was a founder of the Union of Afrikaans students.
He studied classical literature and philosophy at the University of Cambridge, then at the University of Leiden, where he passed his PhD summa cum laude. On returning to South Africa, he worked at the University of Pretoria and in 1967 was named vice-chancellor of the Rand Afrikaans University.
