Hendrickse was born in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape and studied at Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape, where he met key ANC figures Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and future President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe.
[1] Hendrickse died of a heart attack at Port Elizabeth Airport on 16 March 2005, aged 77.
His justification was that the extended term was required in order to push planned reforms.
[6][7] Hendrickse lost control of the House of Representatives in 1992 after losing a confidence vote to Labour members who had crossed the floor to the National Party, led by Jac Rabie, and independents.
[3][9] A letter signed by President Thabo Mbeki and read at Hendrickse's funeral saluted him as a "freedom fighter and architect of democracy".