Allan Boesak resigns from the church

Date: 12 Aug 1990
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

The Presbytery of South Africa announced that Dr Allan Boesak, reverend of the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) and leading anti apartheid orator, has being officially relieved of his duties as Reverend of the Bellville congregation. In a statement read by Reverend A J Van Wyk, the church said that Boesak had "willfully and without reason" resigned from the church. Boesak resigned before the church could investigate his affair with Elena Botha, a television producer and niece of a hard line apartheid cabinet minister Stoffel Botha. The resignation was a pre-emptive move to prevent the church from investigating his affair with Elena Botha. Allan Boesak later married Elena Botha in February 1991.

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How we know this

01Reporter. (1990). Boesak officially apostatized, The Daily Mail, pg 3.
02Khanya, (2008), 'Boesak resigns from church positions over homosexuality', from The Times, 04 October, [Online], Available at: khanya.wordpress.com [Accessed: 17 July 2013]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Allan Boesak resigns from the church. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012904

South African History Online (2011) 'Allan Boesak resigns from the church', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012904 (Accessed: 25 July 2026).

South African History Online, Allan Boesak resigns from the church [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012904, (accessed 25 July 2026).

"Allan Boesak resigns from the church." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012904. Accessed 25 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Allan Boesak resigns from the church." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012904.