Breyten Breytenbach, South African anti-apartheid author, poet, and activist, passed away at 85. Known for Confessions of an Albino Terrorist, he was a fierce apartheid critic and influential figure in Afrikaans literature. President Ramaphosa honored him as a humanist and liberation voice.

South African anti-apartheid author Breyten Breytenbach has passed away in Paris at the age of 85.

Breytenbach was a poet, novelist, painter, and activist whose work significantly influenced literature and the arts both in South Africa and internationally. His family announced his passing on Sunday in a heartfelt statement.

He is widely recognized for his book Confessions of an Albino Terrorist, in which he details his 1975 conviction for treason and his subsequent seven years in prison. This work remains a powerful account of his personal experiences and a critique of apartheid.

Breytenbach was celebrated as a masterful writer and a prominent voice in Afrikaans literature. Afrikaans, a language that evolved from Dutch settlers, was the medium through which he expressed his art and his opposition to the apartheid system that marginalized South Africa's Black majority between 1948 and 1990.

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Breytenbach, describing him as a humanist who used his diverse artistic talents to convey the militancy, tragedy, and resilience of the country's liberation struggle.

Born in South Africa's Western Cape province in 1939, Breytenbach spent much of his life abroad, leaving an indelible mark on global literature and activism.