South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has paid tribute to fallen apartheid struggle icon, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, describing him as “one of the most illustrious, courageous and beloved among us” following his death in Cape Town early Sunday.
Tutu died at the age of 90 following a long illness with prostate cancer.
In a televised speech to the nation on Sunday evening, Ramaphosa said Tutu was someone who “embodied the essence of our humanity”.
“We’ve lost a person who carried the burden of leadership with compassion, with dignity, with humility, and with such good humour,” Ramaphosa said.
He recalled Tutu’s his work in 1994 as chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and his struggle against the apartheid regime.
He “saw the depths of which human beings could descend in the subjugation and oppression of others. Yet, his faith in humanity and in people, like his faith in God, was unwavering.”
He added: “He knew that apartheid would one day end and democracy would come. He knew our people will be free one day.”
According to the president, Tutu knew that “by the same measure, he was convinced — even to the end of his life — that poverty, hunger, misery can be defeated. That all people can live together in peace, security, and comfort.”
Meanwhile, the president has announced that national flags will fly at half-mast across the country and at diplomatic missions abroad before Tutu is laid to rest on Saturday.
NM/jn/APA