PH
South Africa’s last white president Frederik Willem de Klerk died on Thursday morning at his home in Cape Town, the FW de Klerk Foundation said in a statement.
“It is with the deepest sadness that the FW de Klerk Foundation must announce that former President FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer. He is survived by his wife Elita, his children Jan and Susan and his grandchildren,” the statement read.
The statement also said that in due course make an announcement regarding funeral arrangements.
Mr de Klerk was head of state between September 1989 and May 1994.
In 1990 he announced he was releasing anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, leading to multi-party polls in 1994.
FW de Klerk had taken over from PW Botha as the head of the National Party in February 1989 and the following year announced he was removing the ban on parties that included Mr Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC).
His actions helped bring an end to apartheid-era South Africa, and he became one of the country’s two deputy presidents after the multi-party elections in 1994 that saw Mr Mandela become president.
