Former South African President Frederik Willem De Klerk Dies Aged 85

Frederik Willem de Klerk a former South African President and the last leader under apartheid and a key actor in the country’s transition to democracy has succumbed to death.

His foundation announced the news of his passing to the public. The former President was 85 years old.

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“FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer,” the FW de Klerk Foundation said in a statement on Thursday.

Frederik Willem De Klerk and South Africa’s first black President late Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for leading the “miracle” transition from white rule in the country.

De Klerk held several ministerial positions before he became present in 1989, a position he held until he handed over the reigns to Mandela after the first democratic elections in 1994.

He died after a battle with cancer, his foundation said in a statement.

De Klerk had announced his diagnosis on his 85th birthday, on March 18 this year.

He is survived by his wife Elita, children Jan and Susan, and grandchildren.

“The family will, in due course, make an announcement regarding funeral arrangements,” the foundation added.

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