The former Archibishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu was known and respected worldwide for his faith, his humour, his good nature and his commitment to justice and humanity.
He passed away peacefully on the morning of Sunday the 26th December. His death was announced in an official statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa," said Ramaphosa.
“Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead".
“A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world," added the President.
Archbishop Tutu took a leading role during the struggle against apartheid and was active in the democratic South Africa as well speaking out against injustice and the wrongs of the post-apartheid South Africa.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for, "his role as a unifying leader figure in the non-violent campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa".
He headed up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission when in 1996 transgressors who had committed crimes during the apartheid years were invited to come forward and confess what they had done. His response to some of the most graphic depictions of violence was to break down in tears, as any moral human being would have done when confronted with the evil that men can do to others.
'The Arch' passed away peacefully at the Oasis Care Centre. Tutu married Nomalizo Leah in 1955 and they have been together for 66 years. Tutu is survived by three daughters and one son.
President Barack Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, at the White House in Washington on August 12, 2009. Photo credit UPI/Kevin Dietsch - supplied by US Embassy South Africa.
Tributes
Commentator Eusebius McKaiser said, "Rest in peace, Moral Giant".
In a statement the Steve Biko Foundation said that they, "give thanks for Archbishop Desmond Tutu's exemplary life of real humility, and practical works of compassion and love and we celebrate his legacy of integrity, sincerity, peace and justice. May His Soul Rest In Eternal Peace".
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, "I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He was a critical figure in the fight against apartheid and in the struggle to create a new South Africa - and will be remembered for his spiritual leadership and irrepressible good humour"
US Embassy Statement: On behalf of the U.S. Mission to South Africa, we extend our deepest condolences to Mrs Nomalizo Leah Tutu & the family of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on his passing. We join South Africa & the global community in honoring a man who spent his life fearlessly speaking truth to power.
