South Africa's De Klerk hospitalised

July 02, 2013 22:31

South Africa's last apartheid president FW de Klerk was hospitalised today 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 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.

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

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