Desmond Tutu, a symbol of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, dies

Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a symbol of the fight against apartheid in South Africa and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, died Sunday at the age of 90, unleashing a wave of tributes to honor one of the last icons of this generation. .

“The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of mourning for our nation as it dismisses a generation of exceptional South Africans who bequeathed us a liberated country,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa in a statement.

Ramaphosa expressed “on behalf of all South Africans” his “deep sadness after the death” of this essential figure in South African history, after the death in November of Frederik de Klerk, the country’s last white president.

“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, ”recalled Ramaphosa.

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.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his “deep sadness” over the death of Tutu on Sunday, praising his “intellectual leadership”.

“He was a key figure in the fight against apartheid and in the fight to create a new South Africa. We will remember him for his spiritual leadership and irrepressible good humor, ”Johnson wrote on Twitter. .

The “Arch”, short for archbishop in English, was weakened by prostate cancer diagnosed in 1997 and no longer spoke in public, but he never forgot to greet the cameras present at his appearances.

He died peacefully at 07:00 in the morning (05:00 GMT), according to several people from his closest circle questioned by the AFP.

With his indelible smile or with a mischievous look behind the mask, he continued to captivate the gaze, either when he went to be vaccinated with covid-19 or when he attended a religious ceremony to celebrate his 90 years.

In his old parish, the Cathedral of St George, a prayer was organized in his memory and people with flowers began to gather in front of his house, reported AFP journalists present.

“It’s so sad that he died, he was a profoundly good man,” sighed Diane Heard, a retiree from the neighborhood.

“Immeasurable” loss

The Mandela Foundation reacted quickly, calling his departure an “immeasurable loss.”

“For so many people in South Africa and around the world, his life was a blessing,” said the foundation, calling him a thinker, a leader and a pastor.

The tributes also came from the group of personalities known as “Los Mayores”, an organization founded in 2007 by Mandela and of which Tutu was its first president.

In a statement, this institution that includes Ban Ki Moon, Jimmy Carter, Juan Manuel Santos, created to solve seemingly unsolvable problems, greeted Tutu as an “inspiration.”

“The Elders lost a dear friend, whose infectious laughter and mischievous sense of humor enraptured and enchanted us,” they added.

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.

And he looked death in the face.

“I have prepared for my death and I have made it clear that I do not want to be kept alive at any cost,” he said in a podium published in The Washington Post in 2016.

“I hope to be treated with compassion and to be allowed to move to the next stage of life in the way I choose,” he concluded.

After his death he left a widow, his wife known as “Mama Leah”, and four children. (I)