F. W. de Klerk

Nationality:

Biography: De Klerk grew up in a political family, his father was a leading senator and de Klerk entered parliament himself in 1972 as part of the conservative National Party.

De Klerk held a series of ministerial posts before becoming leader of the National Party after President P.W. Botha fell ill in early 1989.

After being elected President later that year de Klerk indicated, in a famous speech to parliament, that he favored dismantling Apartheid. He released political prisoners, such as Nelson Mandela and removed the ban on the ANC.

In 1992 he won a white referendum to continue his reforms and negotiated with Mandela and the ANC, resulting in South Africa's first free elections in 1994. For this he, somewhat controversially, and Mandela were awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

De Klerk went on to serve as Second Deputy President in Mandela's government before retiring from politics in 1997.

Born: March 18, 1932
Birthplace: Johannesburg, Transvaal Province, South Africa

Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Monkey
Star Sign: Pisces

Died: November 11, 2021 (aged 89)
Cause of Death: Cancer

Married Life

1969-04-11 Future South African president F. W. de Klerk marries Marike Willemse

Historical Events

1989-02-02 F. W. de Klerk replaces P. W. Botha as South Africa's National Party leader
1989-08-15 F. W. de Klerk becomes President of South Africa
1989-10-15 South African President F. W. de Klerk frees ANC Founder Walter Sisulu and four other political prisoners
1989-11-16 South African President F. W. de Klerk announces scrapping of Separate Amenities Act
1990-02-02 South African President F. W. de Klerk promises to free Nelson Mandela & legalizes ANC & 60 other political organisations
1990-02-10 South African President F. W. de Klerk announces Nelson Mandela will be freed on February 11th
1990-06-07 South African President F. W. de Klerk lifts 4 year state of emergency
1990-07-16 The ANC send a report on police violence to President F. W. de Klerk and demand an end to "the shocking inhumanity" of police action in rural areas of South Africa
1990-08-16 South African President F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela hold emergency talks in Pretoria about increasing violence in Soweto
1990-09-24 South African President F. W. de Klerk meets US President George H. W. Bush in Washington, D.C.
1990-12-13 South African President F. W. de Klerk meets with Nelson Mandela to discuss the end of apartheid
1991-02-01 South African President F. W. de Klerk says he will repeal all apartheid laws
1992-03-17 South African President F. W. de Klerk wins a white only referendum
1992-07-27 Nelson Mandela says a general strike will go ahead to protest for the removal of South African President F. W. de Klerk from power and for free elections
1993-10-15 Nelson Mandela and South African President F. W. de Klerk awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1994-01-03 More than 7 million Black South Africans have their citizenship restored (announced on 15 December 1993 by parliament of President F. W. de Klerk, effective four months before first non-racial polls 27 April, 1994)
1995-07-09 Former South African President F. W. de Klerk is implicated of knowing and condoning a 'dirty tricks' campaign that was waged against the ANC between 1990 and the 1994 election in a bid to destabilize the organization
2001-12-04 Marike de Klerk, ex-wife of former President F.W. de Klerk is murdered at her home in Cape Town