Histoire : General Constand Viljoen
 

CURRICULUM VITAE
GENERAL C.L. VILJOEN (CONSTAND)
  1. Constand Laubscher Viljoen was born on 28 October 1933 in Standerton, Mpumalanga Province. He matriculated in Standerton High School in 1951.
  2. He joined the South African Defence Force and obtained the degree B.Sc (B. Mil) at the University of Pretoria in 1955. From 1956 he served as an officer in the South African Defence Force.
  3. General Viljoen’s promotions as a military officer went as follows:

    1954: Second Lieutenant 1968: Colonel
    1956: Lieutenant 1971: Brigadier
    1959: Captain 1974: Major-General
    1961: Major 1976: Lieutenant-General
    1965: Commandant 1980: General

  4. In 1977 General Viljoen became the Chief of the South African Army and in 1980 the Chief of the South African Defence Force.
  5. In 1985 General Viljoen retired and went on pension to start farming full-time. On his farm in the Ohrighstad district in Mpumalanga, he is farming with cattle and paprika.
  6. Together with three other Generals, General Viljoen helped to establish the Afrikaner Volksfront in 1993. By doing so General Viljoen answered to the call of a large group of Afrikaners.
  7. Political developments in South Africa lead to the etablishment of the Freedom Front Party by General Viljoen, and the participation of this Party in the April 1994 elections. During these elections the Freedom Front obtained 640 000 votes which gave the party 9 representatives in the National Parliament together with 5 senators in the Senate.
  8. Gen. Viljoen retired from active politics and as leader of the Freedom Front in 2001. At present he is a full-time farmer on his farm in the Ohrigstad district and is also a director on the Board of Armscor.
  
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