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. De Klerk, who was also a key figure in the nation’s transition to democracy, had been diagnosed with cancer this year, his foundation’s spokesman said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce details of De Klerk’s funeral later this afternoon or evening.
In 1990 he announced he was releasing anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, leading to multi-party polls in 1994.
On 2 February 1990, de Klerk delivered a speech at the opening of the 1990 session of the Parliament of South Africa.
He announced sweeping reforms that marked the beginning of the negotiated transition from apartheid to constitutional democracy. The reforms included the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC), The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and other anti-apartheid organizations, the
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