World News

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies at 90 | Stories

POSSIBLE,

Desmond Tutu, 90, won the Nobel Peace Prize and a former South African soldier in the struggle against white supremacy.

Desmond Tutu, a retired South African archbishop and anti-apartheid activist, has died at the age of 90.

Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a former South African war veteran, died on Sunday.

“The death of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another sad part of our nation’s farewell to a generation of well-known South Africans who have left us a free South Africa,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.

“He has proven himself to be an impartial, pro-human rights activist,” Ramaphosa added.

Tutu, who has been suffering from the disease in recent years, is often hailed as South Africa’s moral conscience and the great mediator of a country divided by decades of apartheid politics.

In 1984, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his neutral stand against discrimination.

Ten years later, he saw the end of the regime and headed for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was set up to expose the atrocities committed during the apartheid era.

Tutu led several marches and anti-apartheid campaigns from the front of St George, with the result that it became known as the “People’s Cathedral” and a strong symbol of democracy, according to the local government.

Tutu was a longtime friend of Nelson Mandela and lived for a while on the same street in South Africa’s Soweto, Vilakazi Street, the only one in the world to win two Nobel Peace Prize awards.

Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller, reporting from Johannesburg, said the incident had “devastated” many South Africans.

“This is a person who has played a major role in the fight against apartheid,” he said.

“He always tries to unite South Africa, especially in times of crisis and crisis in the country.”

More to follow




Source link

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button