Guard held over de Klerk murder

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- South African police say a man arrested in connection with the violent murder of the wife of former president F.W. de Klerk is a security guard.

Marike de Klerk, 64, was found dead at her home on Tuesday. A post-mortem examination on Wednesday found she had been strangled and stabbed.

Police said they believed she had been murdered on Monday. On Thursday, a man was arrested in connection with the investigation into her murder.

"Police detained a suspect in the early hours of this morning for questioning, which will continue through the course of the day," police spokesman Wicus Holtzhausen told reporters.

"I can confirm that he is a member of a security company."

State pathologist Deon Knobel said after a post-mortem examination on Wednesday that Marike de Klerk was hit in the face at least twice and stabbed in the back with a steak knife, which broke, leaving the blade embedded in her body.

He said, however, she was strangled to death. She was found 36 hours later in her pink nightdress.

Holtzhausen said the suspect was arrested about 4 a.m. on Thursday on the basis of information from witnesses and neighbours questioned on Wednesday.

He confirmed that nothing had been stolen from De Klerk's apartment and that there was no sign of a forced entry.

He said: "One should not jump to conclusions about the lack of a forced entry.

"The sliding glass door to her balcony was left closed but not locked and it would have been possible to climb to the balcony from the ground outside."

De Klerk, who divorced his wife of 39 years in 1998, arrived in Cape Town early on Thursday after cutting short a trip to Stockholm where he was to attend the Nobel prize centenary celebrations. He won the peace prize in 1993.

He was met by his son, Willem, a senior official of his F.W. De Klerk Foundation, which promotes peace and reconciliation.

"I have not been fully briefed. I would like to have all the facts before I make a comment," de Klerk said.

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world, with about 21,000 murders last year alone.

Victims have included prominent businessmen, judges, sports stars, doctors and lawyers.