Archbishop Desmond Tutu from South Africa passed away on Sunday at the age of 90. He was a tireless activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for combatting white minority rule in his country.
In a statement confirming his death , South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his condolences to Tutu’s family and friends.
He was said to have been in ill health for many years. In 2013, he underwent tests for persistent infection and was in and out of hospital for many years since then.
Tutu was outspoken and never shied away from confronting South Africa’s injustices. It was he who coined the term ”Rainbow Nation” when Nelson Mandela became the country’s first black President.
Desmond Tutu was born in 1931 in South Africa’s Transvaal province. His father was a teacher and his mother was a domestic worker. He wanted to become a doctor and even qualified for medical school but his parents could not afford the fees and that paved the way for him to join the seminary to become a priest.
