FW de Klerk - The president of South Africa who ended apartheid on love, keeping fit and Mandela

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Frederik Willem de Klerk, 81, was the seventh and last president of apartheid-era South Africa. He released Nelson Mandela from prison and oversaw a peaceful transition to democracy while in office (1989-94). He and Mandela won the 1993 Nobel peace prize for their work. De Klerk lives in Cape Town with his second wife, Elita, and promotes democracy in South Africa and abroad.

"I wake up earlyish, 7.15am. I’ll have a cup of black coffee and some fruit: papaya, guava, pears, peaches, whatever’s in season. Then my wife, Elita, and I read the papers: the Cape Times, which has a nice bridge column, and Die Burger, which is in Afrikaans, my first language.

As president I used to do 18-hour days, but since semiretiring I’ve promised myself I’ll never start the day any earlier than 10am. I need my sleep. Some mornings are boring — I’ll go into the office, attend to emails — but a lot of the time I’m doing quite dramatic work. My foundation acts as a watchdog for the constitution that Mandela and I created. The current government means it is under threat. Jacob Zuma’s presidency has been disastrous and he’s done damage to our country that will take years to repair.

BEST ADVICE I WAS GIVEN

Politics isn’t a profession but a calling, my father said, so get a profession first.

As well as running my foundation, I have to fund my pension, so my wife and I are on the road for at least four months a year. I do speeches across the world. Since retiring I’ve done speeches in 35 of the 50 US states. I’m off to Panama shortly.

When I’m at home I have lunch at around 1pm. I love boerewors — South African sausage — and snoek, a wonderful local fish. We have a beautiful waterfront in Cape Town where the restaurants serve those two things.

Elita and I are both in our second marriage. We met in London when we were each still married and fell in love over the years. We tried to avoid it, but the feelings were too strong. In the end we went through the painful process of divorcing. Now we have been happily married for 19 years.

Spontaneity is part of the secret. If a gap suddenly opens up in the afternoon, I’ll phone my wife and say, “I’m free, let’s have lunch!” Sometimes we’ll drive to Stellenbosch, where my son lives, and take him for a surprise lunch.

I get a lot of citizens writing in asking for help or advice and try my best to respond to every one. I like sharing my experience — and what I’ve learnt from my mistakes.

ADVICE I’D GIVE

Be an active citizen. If you’re into politics, join a party. If art is your passion, join a museum.

I still have no real regrets. If I had to take all those big decisions again — to release Mandela, to release the political prisoners, to end apartheid — I would. Of course it wasn’t easy. Mandela and I were from radically different positions and it was only in our retirement that we became friends. We wanted to create a country that would accommodate the stresses and strains of having such diverse peoples. In the end, Mandela was completely dedicated to reconciliation, not flinging recriminations back and forth.

In our later years, we would go to each other’s houses. My last conversation with him was on his birthday, 18 months before he died. I said: “Madiba, I wish you a very healthy and wonderful new fulfilling year in your life.”

I try to keep fit and play golf once a week. There’s a group of 20 of us, our average age must be about 74. We’re on the tee by 11.30 and we get home by 4.30, early enough so our wives don’t get cross. At the end I’ll have a nice South African white wine or now and then a gin and tonic, one of the great British inventions.

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN

I remain surprised the governing party in South Africa still blames everything on the past. They’ve been in power for 20 years.

Our house has a nice sea view and a large garden. Often we will go for a walk with our cocker spaniels on the beach in the early evening. I like to have a good whisky by 7.15pm and then eat my dinner: fish, meat, whatever’s on offer. My wife and I will watch the news. I’m following Brexit closely and think your election is conducive towards a softer Brexit.

Before bed, I do a lot of reading, especially history and Afrikaans literature. At my age, the only other pre-bed ritual is taking all the pills the doctor gives me. I’ll get to bed at 11 or 11.30. I’m not like Thatcher — I need a solid seven or eight hours."