The FW de Klerk Foundation has confirmed that its executive director, Christo van der Rheede, voluntarily resigned on 19 August and will step down from his position on 31 December. The foundation is simultaneously distancing itself from statements that Van der Rheede has made since his resignation about the American government’s position on South African policy.
According to the foundation, the board has accepted Van der Rheede’s resignation and both parties have agreed that his departure will take place on 31 December.
The board has meanwhile established a committee to handle executive decisions between board meetings. Van der Rheede is part of this committee. The foundation says all powers that normally rest with the executive director will be exercised during the transition period together with members of this committee. The committee will be responsible for matters including representation of the foundation and any public pronouncements made in the foundation’s name.
The foundation says Van der Rheede’s statements about the American government’s position on South African policy are not authorised. The board says it distances itself further from any statement made on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation from the date on which Van der Rheede notified the board of his intention to resign.
The development follows after Van der Rheede publicly commented on the strained relationship between South Africa and the United States last week.
In an interview with eNCA on 19 September, Van der Rheede described the American government’s approach as “ethno-nationalistic”. He said he found it problematic to use sanctions or other punitive measures against people who support land reform or racial redress. He also said South Africans must address problems such as corruption, crime and poor service delivery themselves and argued that the American approach could, in his view, deepen old racial divisions in South Africa.
Van der Rheede was appointed as executive director of the FW de Klerk Foundation in January 2024 after previously being executive head of Agri SA. The foundation’s own annual report confirms his appointment and describes his role as one that focuses on South Africa’s constitutional democracy and its daily impact on South Africans.
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The foundation’s 2024/25 annual report also shows that the organisation under Van der Rheede’s leadership actively participated in public debate and policy issues, including through media engagement, advocacy and campaigns about government policy and constitutional values.
- This article originally appeared in Afrikaans on Die Papier, a sister publication of NovaNews.
