The former South African first lady, Mrs Marike de Klerk, has been murdered, police confirmed yesterday after a post mortem was performed after the discovery of her body in her Cape Town home.
Mrs De Klerk (64), is the former wife of Mr F.W. de Klerk, the Afrikaner leader who won international acclaim by his decision in 1990 to release Mr Nelson Mandela from prison and negotiate a settlement with outlawed black-led opposition movements.
She was stabbed in the back and then strangled. The motive for the killing was not immediately clear. There were no signs that her home was broken into. Nor was there evidence of robbery.
The murder shocked many South Africans, particularly those in the Afrikaner community. More than 20,000 people are murdered annually in South Africa.
But Mrs De Klerk's high profile status underlined the vulnerability of all South Africans to violent crime.
It simultaneously cast doubt on statements by Safety and Security Minister, Mr Steve Tshwete, that there had been "good progress" in the fight against crime.