Social media has been flooded with reaction to the death of former president FW de Klerk, after news of his passing on Thursday.
De Klerk died at his home in Cape Town at the age of 85. His death was confirmed in a statement by his 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.”
De Klerk disclosed in March that he was suffering from the cancer, which affects the lining of the lungs. He was undergoing immunotherapy to treat it.
Considered the last white ruler of South Africa, De Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with Nelson Mandela “for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa”.
He had ruled over the final years of apartheid between 1989 and 1994.
His legacy has been the subject of fierce debate on social media after his death:
Oppressor or co-liberator? Social media weighs in on FW de Klerk's death
Image: Supplied
Social media has been flooded with reaction to the death of former president FW de Klerk, after news of his passing on Thursday.
De Klerk died at his home in Cape Town at the age of 85. His death was confirmed in a statement by his 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.”
De Klerk disclosed in March that he was suffering from the cancer, which affects the lining of the lungs. He was undergoing immunotherapy to treat it.
Considered the last white ruler of South Africa, De Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with Nelson Mandela “for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa”.
He had ruled over the final years of apartheid between 1989 and 1994.
His legacy has been the subject of fierce debate on social media after his death:
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FW de Klerk, who handed SA’s reins to Nelson Mandela, dies aged 85
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