This what the man who released Mandela has got to say:
FW de Klerk, the last president under apartheid, praised Margaret Thatcher, who died on Monday, saying she had a "much better grasp" of the apartheid situation than many world leaders at the time.
Britain?s only woman prime minister died aged 87 following a stroke.
Lady Thatcher was heavily criticised for resisting calls for economic sanctions against the apartheid regime.
In a statement, Mr de Klerk said: "Although she was always a steadfast critic of apartheid, she had a much better grasp of the complexities and geo-strategic realities of South Africa than many of her contemporaries. She consistently, and correctly, believed that much more could be achieved through constructive engagement with the South African government than through draconian sanctions and isolation.
"She also understood the need to consider the concerns and aspirations of all South Africans in their search for constitutional consensus."
He said Lady Thatcher had played a positive role in supporting South Africa?s own process of nonracial constitutional transformation.
"From my first meeting with her in London after my election as leader of the National Party in 1989 and throughout the rest of her tenure as prime minister, she gave strong and valued support to me and to all other leaders who were working for a peaceful, prosperous, and constitutional future for South Africa."