FW de Klerk, the former president of South Africa and the last white man to lead the country, has died at the age of 85.

Mr de Klerk, who was also a key figure in the nation's transition to democracy, had been diagnosed with cancer this year, a spokesman said.

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.

A statement from the former president’s FW de Klerk Foundation on Thursday morning read: “Former President FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye (Cape Town) earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer.”

The foundation had announced the diagnosis – a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs – in June this year.

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 two deputy presidents after the multi-party elections in 1994 that saw Mr Mandela become president.

SOURCE


Frederik Willem de Klerk OMG DMS was a South African politician, who served as state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996.

As South Africa's last head of state from the era of white-minority rule, he and his Government dismantled the apartheid system and introduced universal suffrage. Ideologically a conservative and an economic liberal, he led the National Party from 1989 to 1997.

The Nobel Peace Prize 1993 was awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa."

02/02/1990:

He unbanned exile political movements, the ANC, the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). FW de Klerk also announced that Nelson Mandela would be released after 27 years in jail. Mandela was released nine days later.

FW de Klerk also announced a moratorium on the death penalty, the end of the state of emergency – which had been in place for five years. The speech would lay the ground for the country's first democratic elections, which took place place four years later in April 1994.


Hearse leaves the home of FW de Klerk this morning @ Cape town.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiZour-dtYA

The signing of South Africa's Constitution in May 1996....

L-R: Roelf Meyer, Frene Ginwala, FW de Klerk, Cyril Ramaphosa (then Chairperson, Constitutional Assembly and the current South Africa President), Nelson Mandela (then President), Leon Wessels, and Thabo Mbeki (then Deputy President of South Africa).

fergie0o1:


SOURCE


Frederik Willem de Klerk OMG DMS was a South African politician, who served as state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996.

As South Africa's last head of state from the era of white-minority rule, he and his Government dismantled the apartheid system and introduced universal suffrage. Ideologically a conservative and an economic liberal, he led the National Party from 1989 to 1997.

The Nobel Peace Prize 1993 was awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa."

Interesting

Without whites South Africa for worse pass Sudan

Rip

Their former president is 85 why our present president is 82yr old and u telling me Nigeria is moving forward

May his soul RIP

Lover of freedom! Your name will forever be in the good book of SA

Damn Nigress!
Issokay

Noshitboi:
Without whites South Africa for worse pass Sudan

Shut up jawe

He has left his prints in the sand of time. May History be kind to him.

Man has left his legacies, he would always be made reference to in future, but i really wonder what buhari would be remembered for

Circles of life

Why didn't the guy just shave off all the hair

Omo. This death thing still marvels me. After all the daily struggle.

Noshitboi:
Without whites South Africa for worse pass Sudan

You mean whites that committed apartheid - a classified Crime Against Humanity by the UN You're very dull.

Let Nigerian white butt licking at the expense of black South Africans continue below me.

Africa leader and their ruling mentality he was president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and serve as deputy president from 1994

The apartheid president who championed the white supremacist agenda

good night papa FW

DubaiLandLord1:
Shut up jawe

That wan ain't really sure of what he's saying..no need to start a debate with him..

Okay

fergie0o1:


SOURCE


Frederik Willem de Klerk OMG DMS was a South African politician, who served as state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996.

As South Africa's last head of state from the era of white-minority rule, he and his Government dismantled the apartheid system and introduced universal suffrage. Ideologically a conservative and an economic liberal, he led the National Party from 1989 to 1997.

The Nobel Peace Prize 1993 was awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa."

No wonder south africa is doing well.
White man

TMKsouth:


You mean whites that committed apartheid - a classified Crime Against Humanity by the UN You're very dull.

With all the atrocities whites committed they still allowed them to stay. They've really helped in building south Africa especially economically

Toluwanise247:
Africa leader and their ruling mentality he was president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and serve as deputy president from 1994

It was as part of the government of national unity. Remember SA was on the brink of civil war.

Noshitboi:
With all the atrocities whites committed they still allowed them to stay. They've really helped in building south Africa especially economically

They had been in SA for 300 years and held all the leverages of the economy. Did you want SA to become another Zimbabwe?