Cape Town – South Africa’s last apartheid-era president FW de Klerk has been laid to rest on Sunday.
According to EWN, the State Security Agency was on high alert during his cremation in an undisclosed location, for fears of disruption.
De Klerk, who helped steer the nation to democracy but never fully owned up to the horrors of the apartheid past, died in his Fresnaye home in Cape Town on November 11 at the age of 85 after a battle with cancer.
As per his family’s wishes, his funeral was private and no media were allowed to cover it.
A report by IOL said that the police were outside his home after fears that the funeral could be disrupted.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday declared five days of mourning for the country’s former president.
The South African flag has been flying at half-mast in his honour.
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The presidency said that government will at a future date, host a State Memorial Service in remembrance of De Klerk.
De Klerk’s death drew mixed reactions, including deep anger among many blacks.
In a video message released just hours after his death, De Klerk said: “I, without qualification apologise for the pain and hurt and the indignity and the damage that apartheid has done to black, brown and Indians in South Africa.”
But that death-bed apology failed to pacify most South Africans, who felt it did not adequately denounce apartheid nor address any form of reparations.
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Additional reporting by AFP
