FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT FW DE KLERK DIES AT 85

Thu 11 November 2021:

Former South African President FW De Klerk, the last leader under Apartheid and a key actor in the country’s transition to democracy, has died, his foundation has announced.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Nelson Mandela,

“The former president died earlier this morning at his home in Fresnaye after his struggle against cancer,” Dave Steward, the chairman of De Klerk’s foundation, said in a statement. De Klerk is survived by his wife Elita, his children Susan and Jan, and his grandchildren.

De Klerk was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, in March and was receiving immunotherapy.

The son of a National Party senator and minister, De Klerk entered Parliament in 1972 after training as a lawyer and winning his seat in Vereeniging,

He succeeded PW Botha as the leader of the National Party in February 1989 after Botha suffered a stroke and resigned from the party leadership.

De Klerk became the first leader of the opposition after the election and led his party from the Government of National Unity in June 1996. He retired from active politics in August 1997.

He testified at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on behalf of the National Party in August 1996 and May 1997, where his apology for apartheid was criticised as insufficient.

Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk were jointly awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their work to end the apartheid regime in South Africa, and for laying the foundation of a new democratic South Africa.

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