Archbishop Emeritus and anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu has died at the age of 90.
He had been suffering from prostate cancer.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness, saying Tutu was a patriot.
He also describes him as a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to biblical insight.
President Cyril Ramaphosa 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.”
Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role as a unifying leader in the campaign to end apartheid.
Nelson Mandela described him as “sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid and seldom without humour,” adding that “Desmond Tutu’s voice will always be the voice of the voiceless”. He fought openly and passionately against oppression, racism, poverty and homophobia.
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