Anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu dies aged 90

South African clergyman was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a veteran of the nation's struggle against white minority rule

Desmond Tutu, then the head of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Committee, pictured in 2004 at Dean's Yard in London. Getty

Desmond Tutu, third left, pictured with The Elders in Johannesburg. The international NGO is made up of statesmen, peace advocates and human rights activists, and was set up by Nelson Mandela, seated, in 2007. Getty

On June 23, 1996, South African leader Nelson Mandela bestowed the Order of Meritorious Service on Desmond Tutu at a farewell service at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town. Described as the country's moral compass, Tutu died on December 26, 2021, aged 90. AFP

Nelson Mandela holds the Jules Rimet World Cup beside Desmond Tutu. AFP

Desmond Tutu kisses Archie Mountbatten-Windsor on the head as he is held by his mother, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during a royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019. Getty

The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2006 in Brussels, Belgium. Getty

US president Barack Obama chats with Archbishop Desmond Tutu following a tour of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation Youth Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. AFP

Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Graca Machel, the wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela. AFP

Desmond Tutu with his wife Nomalizo Leah Tutu and other members of his family pictured in the UK, December, 1984. Getty

Desmond Tutu greets George Carey, then the Archbishop of Canterbury. Reuters

Desmond Tutu in 2019. AFP

Desmond Tutu and former South African president FW de Klerk during the unveiling of statues of South Africa's four Nobel Peace Prize winners: de Klerk, Tutu, Chief Albert Luthuli, former president of the African National Congress, and former president Nelson Mandela. AFP

Desmond Tutu casts his vote in Cape Town during South Africa's first democratic elections, which were held in 1994. AFP

Desmond Tutu blesses the "human rainbow" concert to celebrate Nelson Mandela's release from prison in 1990. AFP

Desmond Tutu takes up his position as visiting professor in post-conflict studies at Kings College London in 2004. Getty

Desmond Tutu speaks during the memorial for Prince Friso in the Old Church in Delft, the Netherlands on November 2, 2013. Getty

Desmond Tutu, right, during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Champions Tour on November 11, 2019 in Cape Town.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who won a Nobel Prize for his role in helping to end Apartheid in South Africa, died on Sunday morning in Cape Town. He was 90.

“South Africa and the world have lost one of the great spirits and moral giants of our age,” the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation said.

“Tutu was a living embodiment of faith in action, speaking boldly against racism, injustice, corruption and oppression, not just in apartheid South Africa but wherever in the world he saw wrongdoing, especially when it affected the most vulnerable and voiceless in society.”

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa called Tutu “a patriot without equal”.

“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,” Mr Ramaphosa said.

"He [Desmond Tutu] articulated the universal outrage at the ravages of apartheid and touchingly and profoundly demonstrated the depth of meaning of ubuntu, reconciliation and forgiveness."

Tutu made history and gained international recognition after becoming Johannesburg’s first black Anglican dean in 1975. He was appointed as archbishop in 1986.

The outspoken archbishop was considered the nation's conscience by both black and white, an enduring testament to his faith and spirit of reconciliation in a divided nation.

He had prostate cancer diagnosed in the late 1990s and in recent years was admitted to hospital on several occasions to treat infections associated with his cancer treatment.

Former US president Barack Obama, the country's first Black leader, hailed Tutu as a towering figure and "moral compass".

"A universal spirit, Archbishop Tutu was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere," Mr Obama said.

Mourners gathered at his former parish in Cape Town, St George's Cathedral, while others assembled at his home, some holding flower bouquets, according to an AFP journalist.

"If it was not for him, probably we would have been lost as a country," said Miriam Mokwadi, a 67-year-old retired nurse, outside the cathedral.

Barack Obama hands Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honour, to Desmond Tutu in 2009. AP

The South African cricket team wore black armbands in his honour on the first day of the opening Test against India at Centurion Park, near Johannesburg.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Tutu had "inspired a generation of African leaders who embraced his non-violent approaches in the liberation struggle".

European leaders joined the chorus, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling him a "critical figure" in the struggle to create a new South Africa and French President Emmanuel Macron saying Tutu had "dedicated his life to human rights and equality".

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II recalled the "great warmth and humour" of the late cleric.

"Archbishop Tutu's loss will be felt by the people of South Africa, and by so many people in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and across the Commonwealth, where he was held in such high affection and esteem."

The Vatican said Pope Francis was saddened and offered "heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones".

The Nelson Mandela foundation issued a condolatory statement, calling the loss “immeasurable”.

Tutu and Mandela met in the 1950s for the first time before once again coming together 40 years later upon Mandela’s release from prison where he spent the first night out of jail in Tutu’s home in Cape Town.

“There was a light, almost teasing quality, to their relationship. They relentlessly poked fun at each other’s preferred attire, for instance – Mandela wearing his Madiba shirts and the Arch his robes. But they also collaborated on a number of important initiatives,” the Mandela foundation said.

Mandela appointed Tutu as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body that investigated human rights abuses that took place during apartheid.

Nelson Mandela, right, and Desmond Tutu in 2003. AFP

In 1984, Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent opposition to apartheid. A decade later, he witnessed the end of that regime.

For many years Tutu served as president of The Elders, an international NGO made up of statesmen, peace advocates and human rights activists set up by Mandela in 2007.

Mandela, who died in 2013, once said that his great friend was “sometimes strident, never afraid and seldom without humour”.

Under his goal for “a democratic and just society without racial divisions”, Tutu continued his work until retirement from public life in 2010.

He made his most recent, albeit rare, public appearance on October 7 for his 90th birthday, which took place at a church service in Cape Town. The Dalai Lama and Mandela’s widow Graca Machel joined the celebrations.

A seven-day mourning period is planned in Cape Town before Tutu’s burial, including a two-day lying in state, an ecumenical service and an Anglican requiem mass at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, according to church officials.

Cape Town’s landmark Table Mountain will be lit in purple, the colour of the robes Tutu wore as archbishop.