South Africa mourns the passing of Beyers Naudé, apartheid struggle stalwart and Afrikaner cleric

Date: 7 Sep 2004
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Beyers Naudé, or Oom Bey, as he was affectionately known, passed away at 3:30 am on Tuesday morning 7 September 2004 at a retirement home in Johannesburg . He was 89 years old and his wife, Ilse, who is 92, was by his side. His health had been deteriorating over the past six months. Church leader and close friend Desmond Tutu said " Beyers helped Black people to not hate White people by showing them that not all White people are bad".

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01Africa News Service (2004), 'South Africa: Catholics Mourn Anti-Apartheid Campaigner', in the High Beam Business, 08 September,[online], Available at business.highbeam.com [Accessed: 06 September 2013]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). South Africa mourns the passing of Beyers Naudé, apartheid struggle stalwart and Afrikaner cleric. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013590

South African History Online (2011) 'South Africa mourns the passing of Beyers Naudé, apartheid struggle stalwart and Afrikaner cleric', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013590 (Accessed: 24 September 2026).

South African History Online, South Africa mourns the passing of Beyers Naudé, apartheid struggle stalwart and Afrikaner cleric [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013590, (accessed 24 September 2026).

"South Africa mourns the passing of Beyers Naudé, apartheid struggle stalwart and Afrikaner cleric." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013590. Accessed 24 Sept. 2026.

South African History Online. "South Africa mourns the passing of Beyers Naudé, apartheid struggle stalwart and Afrikaner cleric." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013590.