Frederik Willem de Klerk: the pragmatic peacemaker

De Klerk is the only African of European descent to have been awarded the Novel Peace prize. What is significant about this award is that at the time he received it he was the leader of the National Party (NP) which had entrenched white minority rule through its policy of apartheid. There are two broad reasons De Klerk was awarded with this prize: liberalising the political situation and creating an environment for negotiations, He also took the necessary steps to bring an end to the apartheid era and usher in a democratic South Africa.