Life of South Africa's last apartheid president FW de Klerk, who freed Nelson Mandela

South Africa's last white president, Frederik Willem de Klerk, who, along with Nelson Mandela, oversaw the end of apartheid, passed away on Thursday (November 11) in his home at Cape Town at the age of 85. The former president died after struggling against mesothelioma cancer. FW de Klerk is survived by his wife Elita, children Jan and Susan, and grandchildren.

On February 2, 1990, FW de Klerk marked his place in the annals of history when he announced Nelson Mandela's release from prison after 27 years and lifted the ban on black liberation movements. FW de Klerk, who bagged the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 jointly with Nelson Mandela, dislodged the apartheid regime in South Africa that brought him to power and paved the way for democracy. 

However, over time, several voices in the country saw him as a symbol for the failure to bring perpetrators of apartheid to justice. Apartheid was a former social system in South Africa that existed from 1948 until the early 1990s. Black people and those belonging to other racial groups were denied political and economic rights granted to white people. They were also forced to live separately from white people.

Watch this video to revisit the life of FW de Klerk, who led the 'miracle' transition from white rule.