General Constand Laubscher Viljoen SSA SD SOE SM MMM (28 October 1933 – 3 April 2020) was a South African Army officer and politician.

He is also credited with having planned the first major airborne assault in South African military history, the Battle of Cassinga, a raid carried out against SWAPO insurgents.

[11] Immediately prior to the 1994 general elections Viljoen had a force of between 50,000 and 60,000 trained paramilitary personnel at his command, with the ability to seize large sections of the country.

[12][13] The force was assembled in preparation for war with uMkhonto weSizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC), as a potential contingency to protect Afrikaner interests.

[14] In March 1994, Viljoen led an effort by several thousand Volksfront militia to protect the bantustan president, Lucas Mangope, in Bophuthatswana against a coup d'état.

[16] Immediately after the incident, Viljoen split from the Volksfront[17] and initiated a legitimate election campaign,[18] co-founding and becoming leader of the Freedom Front (Vryheidsfront), a new political party representing white conservatives.

[22][failed verification][23] In 2001, Viljoen handed over the leadership of the Freedom Front to Pieter Mulder and retired from politics, citing his frustration working with a parliament dominated by the ANC.