Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South African Anti-Apartheid Icon, Dies at Age 90

The churchman was awarded the Nobel prize in 1984.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of South Africa's most prominent anti-apartheid icons Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away on Sunday, 26 December, at the age of 90.

(Photo: Wikipedia)

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of South Africa's most prominent anti-apartheid icons Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away on Sunday, 26 December, at the age of 90.

Reacting to the demise of the distinguished figure, President Cyril Ramaphos said:

"The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation's farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa."

South African President Cyril Ramaphos

Tutu worked alongside contemporaries such as Nelson Mandela, fighting for a democratic society without racial injustices during a time of a predominantly white government, which propagated racial discrimination.

In 1984, Tutu was bestowed with the Nobel Peace prize for his "role as a unifying leader figure in the non-violent campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa".

More About Desmond Tutu's Life

Born in 1931 in North West Province's Klerksdorp, the Archbishop was educated at Johannesburg Bantu High School and went on to complete his graduation from the University of South Africa.

After working as a high school teacher for three years, Tutu commenced his study on theology, and was ordained as a priest in 1960.

Resuming his study of religion for the next few years, it was in 1975 that he was appointed Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg, becoming the first black person to be assigned that position.

In 1978, he held the post of the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, once again being the first black man to be designated to this position.

Following his notable appointment, while presenting the Nobel to Tutu in 1984, Egil Aarvik had said, "The Council has become a trailblazer in the campaign for human rights, a central force in a liberation struggle and an increasingly wide-ranging support organisation for the many victims of the present system’s racial discrimination."