Former South Africa’s President, FW de Klerk, on Friday announced that he is undergoing treatment for cancer.
The country’s last Apartheid-era President who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela issued the statement to mark his 85th birthday.
He said he has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, which is a cancer that affects the tissue that lines the lungs. He was a heavy smoker for decades.
The life expectancy for most mesothelioma patients is about 12 months after diagnosis.
De Klerk served as State President from 1989 to 1994 and as Deputy President from 1994 to 1996.
PANA
