Murmurs are ringing loud on social media that former president FW De Klerk may be facing his final frontier as his health continues to deteriorate.
FW De Klerk health reportedly worrying family
In a tweet posted by Nomsa Mdhluli-Machaka on Tuesday, the renowned reporter revealed that De Klerk, who served as the last apartheid president between 1989 and 1994, is at an advanced stage of cancer.
Moreover, Mdhluli-Machaka reported that the former president’s family has indicated that his health condition “is rapidly deteriorating.”
Former President FW De Klerk’s condition is rapidly deteriorating according to family members. De Klerk is at an advanced stage of cancer #sabcnews
— Nomsa Mdhluli- Machaka (@Nomsa_Md) June 8, 2021
On his 85th birthday, which fell on Thursday 18 March 2021, De Klerk revealed that he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer that affects the tissue found on the lining of one’s lungs.
In a statement released back then, the FW De Klerk Foundation had confirmed that the former president was scheduled to undergo immunotherapy and that a great deal of confidence was felt that “the treatment will be successful.”
It seems, three months later, the former president’s condition is said to have turned for the worst.
De Klerk Foundation rubbishes these claims
However, according to a statement issued by the foundation in response to questions posed by Swisher Post News, reports of the former president’s deteriorating health are simply not true.
“There have been extensive media reports that Mr De Klerk’s health “is rapidly deteriorating”. This is not so. There has been no discernible deterioration in his health since he was diagnosed in March with mesothelioma – a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs. He is now considering the continuation of the course of immunotherapy that he has been following for the past two months,” the statement read.
Moreover, the foundation claims that De Klerk was an active participant in the organisation’s board meeting that took place on Monday. In fact, the former president has no immediate plans of throwing in the towel just yet.
“[He] comes into his office three or four times a week. He and his wife, Elita, hope to travel to Greece for a holiday as soon as COVID regulations permit,” the foundation concluded.
