Chris Opperman

Chris Opperman is the founder and convenor of the Afrikaner Africa Initiative, an initiative to promote dialogue and reconciliation between the Afrikaner community and other communities in South Africa and in Africa. The AAI reached an important milestone when a joint declaration was signed between twelve Afrikaner organisations and leaders and the Thabo Mbeki Foundation.  The initiative is focusing on dialogue, and practical projects to promote cooperation and closer collaboration between Afrikaners and fellow Africans. The initiative is supported by representative Afrikaner civil society organisations and other prominent foundations in South Africa, with the German-based Konrad Adenauer Foundation as the key sponsor

Chris started his career as a South African Diplomat stationed in Washington DC, and in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and later went into business, specialising in start-ups and facilitating the entry of investments into Africa. He started the first medical insurance company in East Africa and assumed the role of CEO.  Chris also initiated investments such as the Seacom undersea fiber cable in meetings between the Tanzanian Minister of Finance, and Sithe Global in New York, and was the first CEO of Seacom Tanzania. He later facilitated an investment in oil and gas exploration by His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi of Ras al Khaimah in Africa and became Country Director for Tanzania. He also set up and was Chair of the Oil and Gas Association of Tanzania (OGAT). Chris supported various conservation initiatives i.e. a Rhino Conservation project and a Wild dog relocation project in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Chris is married to Marthi and is the proud father of Johanna, Reineke, and Christian Opperman.

Dr. Theuns Eloff

Between 1972 and 1989 Eloff obtained degrees in law and theology from the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education. After leaving the reformed ministry in 1989 as a result of being part of a delegation that met with the ANC in Dakar, Eloff joined the Consultative Business Movement (CBM) and helped facilitate the signing of the Peace Accord (1991), lead the secretariat at CODESA (1991-2), and became head of administration of the Multi-Party Negotiating Process (1993-4). In 1995 Eloff became CEO of the National Business Initiative (NBI), facilitating business’ support for the new democracy, through large initiatives like Business Against Crime and the Business Trust.

In 2002 Eloff became Vice-Chancellor of his alma mater, and in 2004 he was appointed as the first vice-chancellor of the newly merged North-West University and helped to make the forced merger a success. Between 2005 and 2013 he served as Chairman of Higher Education South Africa, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Aardklop Arts Festival and president of the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut (AHI).

He received several awards, amongst them the JCI’s Ten Outstanding Persons of the World and the Word Economic Forum’s 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow, and an honorary doctorate from London South Bank University. He is an extraordinary professor at the Potchefstroom Business School. His book “Wat Nou Suid-Afrika?” was published in 2016, and the English version “Turning Point” in 2017. As an independent commentator, he writes regularly on public issues.

He is non-executive chairman of Astral Foods, and executive chairman of Die Dagbreek Trust, the Trust vir Afrikaanse Onderwys and Die MOS Inisiatief, a private company operating Afrikaans independent schools In 2021 he became the co-chair of the Afrikaner-Africa Initiative (AAI), jointly with Vincent Maphai. He lives in Pretoria with his wife Suzette, and they have two daughters, a son-in-law and three granddaughters.