Ramaphosa expressed “on behalf of all South Africans” his “deep sadness after the death” of this essential figure in South African history.
“A man of extraordinary intelligence, 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 for the oppressed and oppressors of all the world”Ramaphosa recalled.
After the arrival of democracy in 1994, and the election of his friend Nelson Mandela as president, Desmond Tutu, which gave South Africa the nickname of “Rainbow Nation”, he chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), created Hoping it would turn the page on racial hatred.
The “Arch”, short for archbishop in English, had been weakened for several months and no longer spoke in public, but he never forgot to greet the cameras present at his appearances, the AFP news agency recalled.
With his indelible smile or with a mischievous look behind the mask, he continued to captivate the gaze, either when he went to get vaccinated against the coronavirus or when he attended a religious ceremony to celebrate his 90 years.
After his death, the Mandela Foundation called his departure an “immeasurable loss.”
“For so many people in South Africa and around the world, his life was a blessing”affirmed the foundation that qualified him as a thinker, a leader and a pastor.
Desmond Tutu gained his notoriety in the darkest hours of apartheid when, as a religious leader, he led peaceful marches against segregation and to advocate for sanctions against the Pretoria white supremacy regime.
Unlike other militants of his time, his habits saved him from imprisonment and his peaceful struggle was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
True to his commitments, he was a harsh critic of successive African National Congress (ANC) governments that fought apartheid, lashing out at former President Thabo Mbeki, but also pointing to corruption or failures in the fight against AIDS.
In all areas he criticized the ‘status quo’ on issues such as race, homosexual rights or even gave his support to the movement in favor of assisted death.
Source From: Ambito
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