Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert, who helped South Africa chart a peaceful way out of apartheid by leading fellow whites into talks with exiled black leaders, died on Friday. He was 70.
The Institute for Democracy in Africa, known as Idasa, announced his death. In the announcement, the think tank Van Zyl Slabbert founded to organise meetings between whites and blacks in apartheid South Africa called him a “visionary son of Africa.”
Van Zyl Slabbert had been hospitalised recently with an undisclosed illness. Njabulo Ndebele, Idasa’s board chairman, said he did not know the cause of death.
Van Zyl Slabbert was the rugby playing son of conservative Afrikaners, the descendants of early Dutch settlers known for their commitment to apartheid. “He went against the grain, broke ranks, but established new alliances and friendships that transcended the old divisions,” Mr Ndebele said. “He was a remarkable man who had a sharp and sensitive intelligence and a tremendous sense of humour.” The office of Nelson Mandela released a tribute calling him “a leader who had the vision and foresight to recognise that our national interest was to be found in our common humanity.” —AP