South Africa’s last apartheid president passes away at 85; UN Chief conveys condolences

Frederik Willem de Klerk, the former South African President who had received the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Nelson Mandela for negotiating to end apartheid, passed away at the age of 85. De Klerk, who supervised the termination of South Africa's white minority government, died at his residence in the Fresnaye neighbourhood of Cape Town on November 11, Thursday, after battling cancer. World leaders, including UN chief Antonio Guterres, mourned the former South African President's demise and expressed their condolences.

Willem de Klerk's death was confirmed by a spokesperson of the F.W. de Klerk Foundation.    

“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. Mr De Klerk was 85 years old. He is survived by his wife Elita, his children Jan and Susan and his grandchildren,” Willem de Klerk's foundation said a statement on Thursday.

Frederik Willem de Klerk rose to power in 1989 during the apartheid, a legalised form of racism, but subsequently played a prominent role in South Africa's democratic transition. He authorised Nelson Mandela's release from jail, paving the way for the anti-apartheid leader to become the nation's first black president. De Klerk had served as vice president until 1996 under Mandela after he was elected as president when his party departed from the Cabinet. As demonstrations inside and outside the nation intensified in the late 1980s, the governing party began to implement changes, including the repeal of certain apartheid legislation. 

UN Chief conveys condolences, calls Willem de Klerk a 'courageous statesman'  

Following de Klerk's demise, on Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his condolences. UN Secretary-General's spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, informed that Guterres was extremely saddened to hear of de Klerk's demise and expressed his warmest sympathies to the de Klerk family, as well as the people and government of South Africa. 

"Former State President F.W. de Klerk will be remembered as a courageous statesman who took a principled stance, lifting the ban on political organisations and releasing political prisoners, thus helping chart the path for a transition to a democratic South Africa,” Dujarric said in a statement.  

F.W. de Klerk was born in the year 1936 in Johannesburg. Before entering politics and being elected to Parliament, he acquired a legal degree and practised law. He was originally assigned to a number of ministerial positions in 1978, including Internal Affairs.  

(Image: AP)