The last president of Apartheid South Africa, FW De Klerk, has been reported dead at 85.
De Klerk, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, was the last leader under apartheid and a key actor in the country’s transition to democracy.
He died after a battle with cancer, his foundation said in a statement.
“FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer,” the FW de Klerk Foundation said in a statement on Thursday.
De Klerk and South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela, shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for leading the “miracle” transition from white rule in the country.
The former President had announced his diagnosis on his 85th birthday, on March 18 this year.
