On Saturday 11 November it was announced that Frederik Willem de Klerk had died. De Klerk was the last white president of South Africa and leader of the Nasional Party. During his presidency, he lifted the ban on the African National Congress (ANC) and released Nelson Mandela. After the subsequent elections in February 1994, he became Vice-President under Nelson Mandela. Because of his important role in the abolition of apartheid, Frederik Willem de Klerk received an honorary doctorate from the VUB in 1993, along with Nelson Mandela. In the same year, both historical personalities were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
As fate would have it, the VUB, together with Ghent University and the University of the Western Cape, confers an honorary doctorate on William Kentridge next Wednesday, 17 November. Kentridge is a world-renowned South African artist who for more than four decades fought against apartheid with his artistic work and cultural interventions.
Frederik Willem de Klerk died of cancer on 11 November 2021. The VUB wishes his family and loved ones much courage in this difficult time.