Theuns Eloff (born 17 May 1955) is a South African, who is the ex-Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation, an ex-Rector and an ex-Reconciler.
[1] Eloff completed his undergraduate studies in Law and Theology at Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and later a PhD (Theology) at Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education[2] He was a Pastor in the Reformed Church of South Africa.
[8] A subsequent government investigation, published in 2009 in the Government Gazette, described a failed merger, in the words of Dutch academics Boersma and Wells (p. 97) "a picture of a hopelessly divided university, inhabited by both demoralized and detached students and staff, ruled by a management that is either incapable or unwilling to see this reality, and lacks the policy framework to infuse diversity into the institution as an instrument of effective transformation and equity.".
[9] In early 2014 Eloff had to resign as Vice-Chancellor when it became apparent that a far-right fascist atmosphere reigned on campus, with students being initiated with Nazi-salutes.
[10] Photos of the Nazi-salutes, and an account of a lecturer that was victimized and pushed out of the NWU by Eloff and his managers because she dared raise questions about these far-rightwing practices, can be read on Medium.
[14] In response, a group of NWU students and workers reacted strongly, writing in an open letter that ""We are not surprised that you and other white Afrikaner neo-colonialist academics are not in favour of Prof Kgwadi’s transformational agenda and plan to deracialise Pukke.
In a statement defending this view, the FW de Klerk Foundation argued on 14 February 2020 that describing apartheid as a crime against humanity was simply "an agitprop project initiated by the Soviet Union".
[21] Eloff voiced his strong opposition against the lockdown measures instituted by the South African government in order to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
As reported on 22 April 2020,[22] Eloff called on the South African government "don't extend lockdown even for another day", despite the country having one of the highest incidences of the pandemic in the world.