Profile Text
Date of Birth: December 2, 1915
Place of Birth: Robertson, Cape Province, Union of South Africa (now Western Cape)
Date of Birth: January 4, 2007
Place of Death: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Ethnicity: Afrikaner [French, some German and Dutch, more distant Belgian Walloon and Flemish, remote Swiss-German], small amount of African [Angolan, Guinean, Mozambican, Khoikhoi], remote Indonesian, Indian, and Danish
Marais Viljoen was a South African politician. He was President of the Senate, from 22 January, 1976 to 19 June, 1979, and State President of South Africa, from August 21, 1978 to October 10, 1978 (acting), and from June 4, 1979 to September 4, 1984.
He was the son of Magdalena Debora “Lenie” (de Villiers) and Gabriel Francois Viljoen. He was married to Dorothea Maria Brink, until her death. The couple had a daughter.
Marais’ patrilineal ancestry can be traced back to his seventh great-grandfather, François Villion.
A few of Marais’ distant ancestors were slaves, from Africa [Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea], India, and Indonesia. His maternal seventh great-grandmother, Krotoa, also known as Eva, was a Khoikhoi interpreter. Some research suggests that Marais had remote Italian ancestry. It is not clear if this Italian ancestry has been verified/documented.
Marais’ paternal grandfather was Petrus Jacobus Viljoen (the son of Hendrik Christoffel Viljoen and Elisabet Johanna du Toit). Petrus was born in Robertson. Hendrik was the son of Johannes Willem Viljoen and Helena Catharina van der Merwe. Elisabet was the daughter of Petrus Jacobus du Toit and Rachel Rossouw.
Marais’ paternal grandmother was Anna Susanna Johanna Wentzel (the daughter of Johannes Jacobus Wentzel and Anna Margaretha Maree). Marais’ grandmother Anna was born in Riviersonderend, Overberg District Municipality, Western Cape. Marais’ great-grandfather Johannes was the son of Carel David Wentzel and Maria Sophia Hoebert. Marais’ great-grandmother Anna was the daughter of Johannes Maree and Catharina Elizabeth Groenewald.
Marais’ maternal grandfather was Johannes Hendrikus de Villiers (the son of Petrus Johannes de Villiers and Magdalena Debora Retief). Johannes was born in Paarl. Petrus was the son of Petrus de Villiers and Magdalena de Villiers. Marais’ great-grandmother Magdalena was the daughter of Petrus Retief and Maria Elizabeth Redelinghuys/Redelinghuis.
Marais’ maternal grandmother was Hester Debora Francina Marais (the son of Daniel Johannes Marais and Johanna Maria Siebrits). Hester was born in Paarl. Daniel was the son of Johannes Stephanus Marais and Hester Deborah/Debora Naude. Marais’ great-grandmother Johanna was the daughter of Bartholomeus Hubertus Siebrits and Engela Cornelia Jordaan.
Marais’ matrilineal ancestry can be traced back to his seventh great-grandmother, Maria van Aelwyk, of Rhenen, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Sources: Genealogy of Marais Viljoen – https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Marais’ maternal great-grandmother, Magdalena Debora Retief (through Magdalena’s brother) – https://www.wikitree.com
Genealogy of Marais’ maternal great-grandfather, Daniel Johannes Marais (through Daniel’s brother) – https://www.wikitree.com
Genealogy of Marais’ maternal great-grandmother, Johanna Maria Siebrits (through Johanna’s sister) – https://www.wikitree.com