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Frederik Willem de Klerk (March 18, 1936- ). State President of South Africa from 1989 to 1994. The son of [Jan de Klerk]?, a minister in the South African government, F. W. de Klerk was born in Johannesburg?, South Africa. He was first elected to the South African Parliament in 1969 and the member for Vereeniging?, and became a cabinet minister in 1978. After a long political career and with a very conservative reputation, in 1989 he placed himself at the head of progressive forces within the governing party, and led a palace revolution to oust the former president [P.W. Botha]?. He shocked the country by unbanning the ANC and other organisations in February 1990 and starting on a series of negotiations to end apartheid. After the non-racial elections in 1994, he served for a while as deputy president in Nelson Mandela's government, but a messy divorce and lack of support from his own party soon saw him retiring from politics. |
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State President of South Africa from September 1989 to May 1994 and leader of the National Party from February 1989 to September 1997. The son of future minister Jan de Klerk and a nephew of J.G. Strijdom (prime minister, 1954-1958), Frederik Willem de Klerk was born in Johannesburg?, South Africa on March 18, 1936. |
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"F.W." was first elected to the South African Parliament in 1969 as the member for Vereeniging?, and entered the cabinet in 1978, becoming Transvaal? provincial National Party leader in 1982. After a long political career and with a very conservative reputation, in 1989 he placed himself at the head of verligte ("enlightened") forces within the governing party, and led a successful palace coup against then president [P.W. Botha]?. |
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His lifting of the ban on the ANC and other organisations in February 1990 paved the way for the negotiations which led to the end of Apartheid and white minority rule. After the non-racial elections of April 1994, he served for two years as deputy president in Nelson Mandela's government, but announced his retirement from politics in August 1997 in order to dissociate the National Party from the policies he had once implemented. |
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Conservative South African opinion was scandalised by his messy divorce (October 1998) from the former Marika Willemse and prompt re-marriage to Elita Georgiades, but the whole country was shocked by the death (December 2001) of his ex-wife of 38 years, apparently at the hands of a young security guard during the course of a robbery. |
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