The foundation says comments made by its outgoing executive director on US policy do not reflect its position.
Outgoing FW de Klerk Foundation director Christo van der Rheede. Picture: Deaan Vivier/Gallo Images
The FW de Klerk Foundation has distanced itself from statements made by Christo van der Rheede about the US’ stance on South African policies.
Van der Rheede said he was consulting a legal representative and added the statement by the foundation comes as a surprise.
Foundation distances itself from outgoing executive
On Sunday, the FW de Klerk Foundation board announced the resignation of its executive director, Van der Rheede, who tendered his voluntary resignation on 19 August, to leave his position on 31 December.
The board accepted his letter of resignation, adding both parties mutually agreed his exit will take effect on 31 December.
“Since his resignation on 19 August, Van der Rheede has made statements about the US stance on South African policies. These are not authorised.
“The board further dissociates itself from any statement made on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation from the date Van der Rheede advised the board of his intention to resign,” it said.
Van der Rheede criticises US approach to South Africa
On Sunday, Van der Rheede wrote an opinion piece saying the issue of race must finally be removed from the political formula, adding those in South Africa cheering and jumping for joy in the hope US President Donald Trump will step in as a political messiah for a specific minority need to come to their senses.
“This is not only an urgent appeal to our own local leadership, but also the unambiguous message that all South Africans – white, black, and coloured – must get through to the Trump administration in Washington.
“Trump’s second term is already marked by an unmistakable degree of intolerance, boorishness, banality, self-aggrandisement, and self-enrichment virtually unprecedented in recent US history,” said Van der Rheede.
“When a superpower like the US bases its policy toward South Africa on a simplistic, race-based narrative, it creates substantial dangers. American rhetoric focused on the supposed persecution of an isolated ‘Afrikaner minority’ hands the ruling party an undeserved and toxic political lifeline.”
Van der Rheede said if the US genuinely wanted to serve the interests of ordinary South Africans, it would steer clear of ethno-nationalist crusades.
It would use its diplomatic and financial muscle to impose strict sanctions and visa curbs on the specific politicians, officials, and business figures identified as state captors.
Analysts weigh in on the public fallout
Political analyst Roland Henwood said the fact Van der Rheede will leave at the end of December, indicates it is not the kind of situation that required him to leave immediately.
“He did well at the foundation and was well received as executive director.”
Another political analyst, Rene Oosthuizen, said this goes beyond just a resignation.
“With the US-SA relationship already under strain, the foundation distancing itself from its outgoing executive’s comments raises serious questions,” she added.
Her concern was whether this was really about governance or whether the pressure over the US relationship is now spilling into SA’s own institutions.
Questions over the foundation’s future direction
SA Institute of Race Relations head of strategic communications Hermann Pretorius welcomed Van der Rheede’s resignation, saying he had “serious reservations about his suitability for this role”.
He said the foundation’s most important decision now was not merely who should succeed Van der Rheede but also whether they truly want to engage seriously with the De Klerk legacy.
“FW’s legacy ought to be a source of political insight for the foundation and SA – about what happens when a fundamental policy fails, how a leader steers their own party off course, how power-sharing can or cannot work, and how a state moves away from racial classification.”
Pretorius said thus far, too little has been made of this heritage.
