South Africa’s De Klerk hospitalized

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – South Africa’s last apartheid president FW de Klerk was hospitalized Tuesday, July 2, to receive a pacemaker, as his fellow Nobel peace laureate Nelson Mandela lies critically ill.

De Klerk cut short a visit to Europe over the weekend because of Mandela’s ailing health, only to fall ill himself. The 77-year-old felt dizzy after his return from Europe on Sunday, June 30, and saw his physician.

“The specialist recommended immediate installation of a pacemaker,” his spokesman Dave Steward told AFP.

“It’s a routine procedure. He will spend the night in hospital.”

De Klerk will receive the device, which helps the heart beat at a normal rate, in a Cape Town hospital.

Meanwhile, 94-year-old Mandela is spending a 25th day of treatment in a Pretoria health facility for a recurring lung infection.

He is in a critical but stable condition, the South African president’s office said Monday evening, July 1.

De Klerk — a one-time hard-liner — dismantled white-minority rule and authorized the release of Mandela from prison in 1990, a decision that changed the course of South African history.

Sometimes heated talks between the two and their factions in the end brought about the first all-race elections in 1994 which propelled Mandela to power.

The two men shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.

At a prayer meeting in downtown Johannesburg on Tuesday, organized by the ruling African National Congress, hundreds of supporters gathered to wish Mandela well.

“Growing old is not a curse — it’s a blessing,” ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told the crowd outside the organization’s headquarters, which was adorned with a huge poster of Mandela.

“We are not tired of having our old icon. We still want him to live for a long time,” Mantashe told the cheering crowd.

ANC chairwoman Baleka Mbete added: “We hope that you come out of that hospital. We still want to learn from your example.” – Rappler.com