Carel Boshoff

Carel Willem Hendrik Boshoff (9 November 1927 – 16 March 2011) was a South African professor of theology and Afrikaner nationalist.

Biography Boshoff was born in Nylstroom in the Transvaal Province as the second child of Willem Sterrenberg Boshoff and Anna Maria "Annie" Boshoff. Boshoff's mother, Anna, was the second wife of his father; together they had seven children in addition to the six from his father's first marriage. after doing missionary work throughout the old Transvaal Province. He spoke the Sepedi (Northern Sotho) language fluently and served as Secretary of Missions for the Dutch Reformed Church.

Boshoff's wife (also named Anna), whom he married in 1954, was the daughter of Hendrik Verwoerd who served as prime minister of South Africa (1958-1966) and became known as the architect of apartheid. They had seven children; she died in 2007. Boshoff led the Voortrekker movement from 1981 to 1989. Further, he served as chairman of the Afrikaner Broederbond from 1980 to 1983. He had to leave the Broederbond in 1983, when members of the newly formed Conservative Party were not welcome any more. He chaired the Freedom Front in Northern Cape from 1994.

Boshoff established the Afrikaner Volkswag in May 1984 with the ostensible purpose of defending Afrikaner culture, although in practice it was mainly involved in opposing the liberalising of some racial laws under P.W. Botha. Boshoff had attempted to affiliate his group to the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge soon after its foundation but the application was rejected due to the political nature of the Volkswag. The following year he was involved in the setting up of the Vereniging Bybel en Volk, an opposition group within the Reformed Churches in South Africa established after the church leadership endorsed a motion of condemnation of apartheid passed by the Reformed Ecumenical Synod.

In 1988 he founded AVSTIG or Afrikaner Vryheidstigting, although he is mainly known as the founder in 1990 of Orania, an Afrikaner settlement intended as the beginning of a Volkstaat. Boshoff admitted his disappointment that Orania had only 810 residents rather than the 60,000 he had anticipated. In 2004 Orania issued its own currency, the Ora. The area is noted for its Koeksister monument. Boshoff was the president of the Orania movement ('Orania beweging') until 2007. After he became disabled due to illness, his son, Carel Boshoff IV, took over all the above positions.

Death Boshoff died aged 83 from cancer at his home on 16 March 2011.

Chairmanships

Position Organisation Appointed Concluded Chair Orania Representative Council 2000 2006 Chair Orania Bestuurdienste (Pty) Ltd 1990 Executive Chair Afrikaner Vryheidstigting / Orania Movement 1988 Chair Afrikaanse Gereformeerde Bond 1987 Chair Die Afrikaner Volkswag (Cultural Organisation) 1984 1999 Chair Die Afrikaner Broederbond 1979 1983 Founder & Chair Institute for Missiological Research, UP 1979 1988 Chair South African Bureau for Racial Affairs 1972 1999 Member Council Rand College of Education 1963 1979 Chair NG Kerkboekhandel 1988