Foundation slams reports De Klerk’s health ‘is rapidly deteriorating’

FW de Klerk Foundation says the former statesman attended a meeting of the board on Monday.

FW de Klerk and his wife, Elita Georgiades. Picture: Gallo Images/Brenton Geach

The FW De Klerk Foundation on Tuesday slammed reports that the former president’s health is deteriorating.

“There have been extensive media reports that Mr De Klerk’s health ‘is rapidly deteriorating’. This is not so,” foundation chairperson Dave Steward said in a brief statement.

Earlier, eNCA reported that De Klerk was admitted to hospital after his condition had deteriorated.

ALSO READ: Former president FW de Klerk diagnosed with cancer

In March, De Klerk announced on his 85th birthday he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the tissue lining the lungs.

The announcement came less than a year after his son, Willem, died of cancer in October at the age of 53.

Steward said there had not been a discernible deterioration in the former statesman’s health since he was diagnosed in March.

“He is now considering the continuation of the course of immunotherapy that he has been following for the past two months,” he said.

He added that De Klerk attended a meeting of the foundation’s board on Monday.

“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.”

According to WebMD, mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium, a membrane that lines the inside of the body’s cavities, such as the abdomen or chest. Three out of every four cases of mesothelioma disease begin in the chest cavity. Mesothelioma can also begin in the abdominal cavity and around the heart.