South Africa’s former president, Frederik Willem de Klerk, who oversaw the end of apartheid, has died in Cape Town, his foundation said in a statement on Thursday.
“Former President FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer,†read a statement. De Klerk was 85 years old.
De Klerk led the country from 1989 to 1994, when he oversaw the first nonracial election, in which Nelson Mandela led the African National Congress to victory. De Klerk then served as deputy president in Mandela’s ANC-led coalition, the Government of National Unity, until 1996.
While sharing the 1993 Nobel Peace Piece with Mandela, de Klerk, who was a lawyer by training, has remained a controversial figure, with critics arguing that his judgment on apartheid was too benign.
De Klerk is survived by his wife Elita, his children Jan and Susan and his grandchildren, his foundation said.
