Four days of national mourning declared for FW de Klerk in South Africa

South Africa has declared four days of national mourning after the death on November 11 of its last white president, Frederick de Klerk, who remains a controversial figure in the country despite his role in dismantling the apartheid system.

In an unexpected speech to Parliament in February 1990, de Klerk announced the release of the regime’s number one enemy, Nelson Mandela, and the legalization of his party, the African National Congress (ANC), and other parties fighting the segregationist system, paving the way for the end of white rule and the country’s democratic transition.

A national mourning will be observed from Wednesday evening to Sunday evening, “the national flag will be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect,” announced the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

A private funeral is planned for Sunday. An official commemoration will also be held at a date yet to be determined.

The death of FW de Klerk, at 85, has generated mixed reactions in South Africa, with some criticizing the Nobel Peace Prize winner, whom he received jointly with Mandela in 1993, for never having made a full apology for the crimes of apartheid.

In a posthumous video, released a few hours after his death, the former president attempts to correct this impression and apologizes “unreservedly” for “the pain, suffering, indignity and damage that apartheid inflicted.