FW de Klerk became acting State President of South Africa on 15 August 1989 after the resignation of his predecessor, President PW Botha. He served as State President from his inauguration on 20 September 1989 until the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela on 10 May 1994.
“Our goal is a new South Africa, a totally changed South Africa; a South Africa which has rid itself of the antagonism of the past…”
FW de Klerk
FW de Klerk dedicated his presidency to the negotiation of a new non-racial and inclusive constitutional democracy. The negotiations, under his presidency, commenced with his speech
In episode 17 – the final in the FW de Klerk Foundation’s exclusive biographical videos on President FW de Klerk, viewers will learn about the events between 1997 and 2021.
2023 was a productive year for the FW de Klerk Foundation.
We continued to advocate for the causes for which FW de Klerk worked and honoured him through
Former President FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye on 11 November 2021 following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer. This is his final message of farewell to all South Africans.
FW de Klerk served as State President of South Africa from 20 September 1989, until the inauguration of President Mandela on 10 May 1994. His presidency was notable primarily for the following achievements:
For his role in abolishing apartheid and in initiating the constitutional transformation of South Africa, FW de Klerk was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, together with Nelson Mandela, on 10 December 1993.
18 MARCH 1936 – 11 NOVEMBER 2021
Frederik Willem (FW) de Klerk was born in Johannesburg on 18 March 1936, the son of Senator Jan de Klerk, a senior Cabinet Minister. His school years were spent mainly in Krugersdorp, where he matriculated at Monument High School.
He attended the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and graduated in 1958 with BA and LLB degrees (cum laude). During his university years, he was actively involved in student affairs.
On 11 April 1959 FW de Klerk married Marike Willemse, who he had met while they were both students at Potchefstroom.
After finishing his studies, Mr De Klerk joined a firm of attorneys in Vereeniging that he helped to develop into one of the leading law firms outside South Africa’s major metropolitan areas. At the same time, he played a prominent role in numerous community activities. In 1972 he was offered the Chair of Administrative Law at Potchefstroom University, but had to decline because of his decision to enter active politics.
In November 1972 FW de Klerk was elected as Member of Parliament for Vereeniging. In 1978 and shortly after his 42nd birthday, after only five and a half years as a back bencher, he was appointed to the Cabinet.
During the following 11 years, he was responsible for the following portfolios consecutively:
While he was Minister of Home Affairs, FW de Klerk was responsible for the repeal of the notorious apartheid laws that had prohibited inter-racial marriages and sex. As the Minister responsible for Sport and Recreation (1979 – 1980), he took the lead in depoliticising sport and in opening the way to multiracial sport.
At the beginning of 1982 FW de Klerk played a key role in ousting Dr Andries Treurnicht, the arch conservative leader of the National Party in the Transvaal, from the party because of his opposition to PW Botha’s reform policies. Treurnicht and his supporters established the Conservative Party, and on 6 March 1982, FW de Klerk succeeded him in the key position as leader of the National Party in the Transvaal.
On 1 July 1985 Mr De Klerk became Chairman of the Minister’s Council in the House of Assembly. He became Leader of the House of Assembly on 1 December 1986. On 2 February 1989 the caucus of the National Party chose him as the national Leader of the Party. On 15 August 1989, after the resignation of President PW Botha, Mr De Klerk became Acting State President, and after the general election of 6 September, he was inaugurated as State President on 20 September 1989.
On 10 May 1994 FW de Klerk was inaugurated as one of two Executive Deputy Presidents in the Government of National Unity because his party – the National Party – had secured the support of more than 20% of voters. This also entitled the National Party to appoint six cabinet ministers in the 27-person cabinet – as well as three deputy ministers.
Initially, Deputy-President FW de Klerk and his NP colleagues were able to make a positive contribution to the running of the GNU. However, by mid-1995 relationships between the NP and ANC partners had begun to unravel. On a number of occasions President Mandela launched bitter attacks on his NP deputy in the cabinet. FW de Klerk was, in turn, deeply disappointed when President Mandela did not accept his modest request regarding more balanced representation in the proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He expressed his misgivings about the GNU in a speech in September 1995.
The final straw came in May 1996, when the ANC refused to accept the NP’s modest proposals for continued power-sharing in the 1996 Constitution. FW de Klerk announced on 8 May 1996 that the NP had decided to support the 1996 Constitution – despite reservations. The next day the NP announced that it would withdraw from the GNU at the end of June 1996.
FW continued to serve as Leader of the Official Opposition until his final retirement from party politics on 9 September 1997.
Autobiography
After his retirement from party politics in September 1997, FW de Klerk began to work on his autobiography, The Last Trek – a New Beginning. The book was published by Macmillan London, in 1998 and by Human & Rousseau in Afrikaans in the same year. The latest paperback edition of the book is available at the FW de Klerk Foundation.
FW de Klerk Foundation
On 6 June 1999 FW de Klerk and Dave Steward, the former Director-General of his Office while he was President, established the FW de Klerk Foundation together with one other trustee, Dr Coetzee Bester, a former NP Member of Parliament.
Global Leadership Foundation
In 2004 FW de Klerk, together with former leaders in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, founded The Global Leadership Foundation. The GLF has a panel of former leaders from all over the world who provide discreet advice to the leaders of countries experiencing developmental and transitional challenges. It has, so far, provided such assistance to 23 countries.
World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates and Other International Forums
FW de Klerk was a leading participant in World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates between 2005 and 2019. During this period he attended summits in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Hiroshima, Chicago, Warsaw, Barcelona, Bogota and Merida in Mexico. FW de Klerk was the Honorary Chairman of the Prague Society for International Co-operation in the Czech Republic; a Member of the Assembly of the Parliament of Cultures in Istanbul; and was involved with Forum 2000, a think-tank initiated by former President Vaclav Havel and Nobel Laureate Eli Wiessel. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Peres Centre for Peace in Israel.
International Speeches
Following his retirement from party politics, FW de Klerk delivered more than two hundred speeches in cities on all six continents on a wide range of topics – including South Africa’s constitutional transformation, management of change, relationships between communities in multicultural societies, international affairs and factors that determine the course of human history.
Letters to Nelson Mandela
In 2019 he wrote another book – Letters to Nelson Mandela, which was published in French by Debats Publics in Paris (and is also available in English).
Marriage to Elita
FW de Klerk married Elita in 1998. Their home is in Fresnaye, Cape Town.
FW de Klerk was the target of countless baseless attacks during his presidency and throughout his retirement. These attacks centred on the following issues:
FW de Klerk’s autobiography – published by Macmillan, London, in 1999 and by Human & Rousseau, in the same year in Afrikaans. The latest paperback edition of the book is available through the FW de Klerk Foundation.
Imaginary letters from FW de Klerk to Nelson Mandela – also available in French.
FW de Klerk Foundation
129 Hatfield Street, Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa
+27 (0) 21 930 36 22
info@fwdeklerk.org
NPO number – 031-061
PBO number – 930004278
Legal Documents
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FW de Klerk Foundation
129 Hatfield Street, Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa
+27 (0) 21 930 36 22
info@fwdeklerk.org
NPO number – 031-061
PBO number – 930004278
Legal Documents
Privacy Policy
