Nobel Prize Medal of Last Apartheid President Stolen in South Africa
South African President F.W. de Klerk poses outside his office in Cape Town, South Africa March 18, 1992, while displaying a copy of a local newspaper with banner headlines declaring a “Yes” result in a referendum vote to end apartheid and share power with the black majority for the first time.
In 1993, South Africa’s then president, Frederik Willem De Klerk, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in abolishing apartheid in his country, jointly with Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader and future president, whom De Klerk had released from prison.The Nobel Peace Prize medal that had been awarded to FW de Klerk, South Africa’s last white president, was stolen from his Cape Town home in April, as revealed by his foundation on Wednesday.
"I can confirm that the Nobel Peace Prize belonging to FW de Klerk was stolen from his home earlier this year," Brenda Steyn, the legacy manager of the foundation said.
The former president’s medal weighs 12 carats and is made of recycled gold. According to the manager, De Klerk’s widow Elita Georgiades suspects that the thief is a former house employee who had worked for the family for as long as seven years. The theft was reported to Cape Town police.FW de Klerk died at the age of 85 on 11 November 2021, after being diagnosed with cancer.
