ANTI-APARTHEID AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU DIES AGE 90

Nobel Peace prize laureate and anti-apartheid activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu has today on the 26th of December 2021 died at age 90. The Bishop was notably known for his fight to end apartheid as well as his appointed role within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by the first black South African president Nelson Mandela; which was setup to investigate crimes committed by white and black individuals during apartheid.

A long-time friend of the late president Mandela, who is quoted to have said of the Bishop that “His most characteristic quality is his readiness to take unpopular positions without fear;” Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela for some time lived in the same street in SOWETO South Africa, making Vilakazi Street the only street in the entire world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived.

His journey towards becoming a Bishop begun in 1960 where he was ordained as a priest, then served as the Bishop of Lesotho between 1976 and 1978, as well as Bishop of Johannesburg and rector of a parish in SOWETO. He later became the Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985, and was the first black appointed Bishop of Cape Town in 1986.

During his tenure, Bishop Tutu, made it his mission to speak up and advocate for human rights and fair treatment of black people, even after retirement. His perseverance and hope for the future of South Africa was his inspiration behind the slogan “Rainbow Nation” as pertaining to the integration of the different ethnicities in post-apartheid South Africa; a statement he later expressed regret as the nation did not come together as he had hoped and dreamt. Bishop Tutu continued to utilise his profile to speak up against the oppression of black people in South Africa, maintaining that his motives were of his faith and not political.

In tribute to the Bishop. president Ramaphosa has said in a statement that Bishop Tutu was “an iconic spiritual leader, anti-apartheid activist and global human rights campaigner”. and described him as “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.”

Bishop Tutu’s death comes only a few weeks after FW de Klerk’s passing at age 85 who was the last apartheid-era president of South Africa, his death marks a chapter for South Africa where majority of the generation that fought for liberation for its people are now to be remembered with the hopes that their legacies will be upheld by the coming generation to one day achieve the rainbow nation which Bishop Tutu once dreamt of.

Awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1984 for his role in the fight to abolish the apartheid system; as a prominent figure both in South Africa and the world over; Bishop Tutu will be remembered not only for his activism where he exposed the hypocrisy of apartheid era South Africa, challenging western governments and holding the liberation movement to account; but also for his empathetic approach towards situations and people, his trademark giggles and a voice of hope.

With the announcement of his death came an outpouring of condolences from various public figures such as former US president Barack Obama, current Us president Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates and more including HRH Queen Elizabeth who has said “I remember with fondness my meetings with him and his great warmth and humour,” with his daughter Naomi Tutu taking to Twitter saying “My dad is at rest. Thank you Tshezi for all you have been to our family and the world. Lala ngo xolo Desmond Mpilo Tutu” With his funeral scheduled for 1st January, for a man so beloved the world over, his send off is sure to be a send off deserving of his servitude towards the masses. His legacy shall live on, and he shall sorely be missed; one can only hope that through his example humanity will follow in his footsteps for a world without discrimination, and people with the right to express their truth without being muzzled and/or risk of incarceration.

Some tweets from notable public figures and celebrities