Nobel laureate anti-apartheid hero Desmond Tutu dies at 90

JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 26 (Reuters) – Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a veteran of South Africa’s struggle against the rule of white minorities, has died at the age of 90.

In 1984, Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent opposition to apartheid. A decade later, he saw the end of that regime and was the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up to expose the atrocities of those dark days.

Tutu, who spoke openly, was regarded by both black and white as the conscience of the nation, a lasting testament to his spirit of hope and harmony in a divided nation.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the late 1990s and in recent years has been hospitalized on several occasions to treat infections related to his cancer treatment.

The death of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another milestone in our nation’s farewell to the generation of great South Africans who gave us a liberated South Africa, “said President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“Desmond Tutu is an unequal patriot.”

The president did not say what caused the deaths.

Tutu preached against the tyranny of the white minority, but his struggle for an honest South Africa never ended, and he called for the black political elite to be taken into account, just as white Africans are.

In his final years, he regretted his dream “Rainbow Nation” Not fulfilled yet. read more

“Finally, at the age of 90, he died peacefully at the Oasis Fry Care Center in Cape Town this morning,” said Dr. Rambola Mambale, executive chairman of the Archdiocese Desmond Tutu IP Foundation and coordinator of the archbishop’s office. In a statement on behalf of the Tutu family.

Tutu was spotted in October at his former church in St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, a safe haven for anti-apartheid activists, in service of his 90th birthday. read more

Known as the “moral compass of the nation”, his courage in defending social justice, even at great expense, has always been Shone through. He often failed with his former allies in the ruling African National Congress party, which pledged to eradicate poverty and inequality. read more

At just five feet five inches (1.68 meters) tall, Tutu traveled tirelessly throughout the 1980s and became the face of the anti-apartheid movement abroad. .

Although he was born near Johannesburg, he spent most of his later life in Cape Town and led numerous marches and campaigns to end racism from the front steps of St. George, known as the “Cathedral of the People” and a powerful symbol of democracy. Tutu, who is known for his poignant quotes, once said: “I want to keep my mouth shut, but I can’t, I can’t”. read more

‘A Prophet and a Priest’

Tutu, who officially retired from public life on his 79th birthday, continued to speak out on a number of moral issues, including accusing the West of being complicit in the Palestinian suffering by remaining silent in 2008.

In 2013, he declared his support for the rights of homosexuals, saying “I will never worship a god who is homosexual.”

Tributes Gathered from all over the world for the man affectionately known as the “Arch”. read more

Canterbury Archbishop Justin Welby praised Tutu as “a prophet and a priest”, while British billionaire Richard Branson said “the world has lost a great man” and recalled Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Ker Stoyer as “a great little man who showed the power of reconciliation”. And forgiveness “.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, described Tutu’s “important” role in the “struggle to create a new South Africa”, while his deputy, Dominic Robb, said Tutu’s adage “Do not raise your voice, enhance your argument” does not “seem appropriate.” “.

Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “We are fine because he is here.

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, wrote in a letter to Tutu’s daughter, Reverend Embo Tutu, that “the world has lost a great man who lived a truly meaningful life.”

Tutu and his longtime friend Mandela lived for a while on the same street in the South African city of Soweto, and the two Nobel Peace Prize winners ran only Vilagasi Street in the world.

“His most characteristic trait is that he is willing to take on positions that people do not like without fear,” Mandela once said of Tutu. “Such freedom of mind is essential for a prosperous democracy.”

At Boxing Day service in St. George’s, the most revered Michael Weeder paid homage to Tutu from the Archbishop’s former pulpit, saying it was a “once-celebrated command” and asked a few parishioners to bow their heads for a moment. Silence.

Additional Report by Wendell Roelf; Written by James Macharia Seke; Editing by Robert Brussel, Kirsten Donovan

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