Former South African President Frederik de Klerk has died at the age of 85.
A statement issued by the FW de Klerk Foundation said Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer.
De Klerk and President Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for leading the miracle transition from minority-white rule in the country.
In February 1990, the former president delivered a speech at the country’s Parliament, announcing sweeping reforms that marked the beginning of the negotiated transition from apartheid to democracy.