The big baobab tree has fallen - ANC
The ANC has praised the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu for the selfless way in which he served South Africa.
Tutu, described as the country's moral compass, died on Sunday aged 90.
The Arch, who was also South Africa's last surviving Nobel-Peace Prize laureate, passed away in Cape Town.
“The Arch was not only an extraordinary human being, he also served as a reminder of the role that he and many other religious leaders played in
bringing apartheid to its knees and restoring the dignity of all South Africans,” said ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe.
“His selfless service to his church and country tells the story of a man who has etched his name in the history books. The Arch dedicated his life to the service of the people of South Africa, leading tirelessly from the front for the liberation of our country and the arduous process of building a common nationhood, which he endearingly dubbed the Rainbow Nation.”
Mabe said during his tenure as chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Tutu pulled no punches in condemning the atrocities committed by the apartheid regime.
“Following the fall of apartheid, Archbishop Tutu campaigned for gay rights and spoke on a wide range of subjects, among them the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, his opposition and conscientised the world about climate change.
“Indeed the big baobab tree has fallen. South Africa and the mass democratic movement has lost a tower of moral conscience and an epitome of wisdom.”
A tireless activist, Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for combatting white minority rule.
In recent years, Tutu repeatedly slammed the ANC for cronyism and nepotism after apartheid ended in 1994.