THE ANC has joined South Africans and the global community in mourning the “sad passing” of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
Tutu, who was also South Africa's last surviving Nobel-Peace Prize laureate, passed away on Sunday in Cape Town at the age of 90.
Born in Klerksdorp, in the North West province, Tutu was an internationally renowned spiritual leader, anti-apartheid activist and global human rights campaigner.
ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said Tutu was a reminder of how religious leaders were instrumental in bringing down apartheid.
“The Arch was not only an extraordinary human being, he also served as a reminder of the role that he and many other religious leaders played in bringing apartheid to its knees and restoring the dignity of all South Africans,” said Mabe.
“His selfless service to his church and country tells the story of a man who has etched his name in the history books. The Arch dedicated his life to the service of the people of South Africa, leading tirelessly from the front for the liberation of our country and the arduous process of building a common nationhood, which he endearingly dubbed the ’Rainbow Nation’.”
During his tenure as the chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Mabe recounted, Tutu had pulled no punches in condemning the atrocities committed by the apartheid regime and its architects against black South Africans.
“Following the fall of apartheid, Archbishop Tutu campaigned for gay rights and spoke on a wide range of subjects, among them the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and conscientised the world about climate change. He retired from public life in 2010,” said Mabe.
“Indeed the big baobab tree has fallen. South Africa and the mass democratic movement has lost a tower of moral conscience and an epitome of wisdom.”
The governing party extended “revolutionary condolences” to Tutu’s wife Mama Leah, his family, friends as well as colleagues at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
“May Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s soul rest in eternal peace,” said Mabe.
IOL