Marike de Klerk

First Lady of South Africa

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Marike de Klerk
First Lady of South Africa
In role

15 August 1989 – 10 May 1994

President F. W. de Klerk
Preceded by Anna Elizabeth Botha
Succeeded by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Personal details
Born Marike Willemse

29 March 1937 Pretoria, Transvaal, Union of South Africa

Died 3 December 2001 (aged 64)

Cape Town, Western Cape, Republic of South Africa

Cause of death Murder
Political party National
Spouse F. W. de Klerk

(m. 1959; div. 1996)

Children 3
Alma mater Potchefstroom University

Marike de Klerk (née Willemse; 29 March 1937 – 3 December 2001) was the First Lady of South Africa, as the wife of State President Frederik Willem de Klerk, from 1989–1994. She was also a politician of the former governing National Party in her own right. De Klerk was murdered in her Cape Town home in 2001.

Quotes

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Quotes About Her

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  • "FW de Klerk later said: "She was deeply distressed by all the chopping and changing which she interpreted as a calculated attempt by Mandela himself to humiliate us... This latest humiliation became too much for her to swallow. She became very critical of Mandela and did not hesitate to voice her criticism."
  • "During her husband's presidency, Marike was the leader of the National Party's women's wing.[8] She also founded the Women's Outreach Foundation (WOF), an organisation that focused on the upliftment of rural women."
  • " In 1990 de Klerk called for women to play a more active role in the political process.[9] In 1993, she was awarded the Woman for Peace Award in Geneva, Switzerland for promoting the well being and development of rural women."
    • Maritz, Loraine (2011). "Party politics jeopardised the credibility of the Women's National Coalition for Afrikaner women in the organisation". New Contree (61): 99–121. hdl:10394/5194. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
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