CAPE TOWN | “He was an amazing human being. A thinker. A leader. A shepherd ”: in unison with reactions from around the world, the Mandela Foundation described the loss of Desmond Tutu, for whom a week of mourning is observed, from Monday until the funeral on Saturday in Cape Town, as“ immeasurable ”.
Sunday evening, Joe and Jill Biden, saying they were “heartbroken”, said in a statement that the “example” of the Anglican archbishop who died Sunday at the age of 90 “transcends borders and will find an echo through the ages” . The American presidential couple also spoke of the “power of the message of justice, equality, truth and reconciliation” carried by Desmond Tutu.
Earlier, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had expressed “his deep sadness” after the death of this “unequaled patriot”. His death “is a new chapter of mourning in our nation’s farewell to a generation of exceptional South Africans who left us a liberated South Africa,” he said, referring to “a man of intelligence. extraordinary, honest and invincible against the forces of apartheid ”.
The UN also paid tribute to Desmond Tutu, “a source of inspiration for generations around the world” and whose death “leaves an immense void”, in the words of its Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
Saturday funeral
Countless countries around the world have joined in this emotion through messages at the highest level, such as Queen Elizabeth II welcoming the “tireless” defender of human rights or French President Emmanuel Macron ensuring that the “fight” of Desmond Tutu “For the end of apartheid and South African reconciliation will be remembered”.
Tributes also from religious authorities, from Pope Francis to the spiritual leader of the Anglicans and Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, including the Dalai Lama.
Tributes, finally, from South Africans stopping in front of St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, the former parish of “The Arch”, as he was affectionately known. “He was so important in the fight against apartheid. For us, the blacks … ”, confides to AFP Brent Goliath, 44, before bursting into tears.
On Sunday evening, Bishop Tutu’s foundation announced that his funeral would be held on Saturday January 1 in this cathedral.
Among the provisions announced, the foundation indicates that “the bells of Saint George’s Cathedral will be rung every day for ten minutes, from noon”, all week from Monday to Friday, the day when the body of the deceased “will rest in the chapel. ardent in the cathedral ”.
Desmond Tutu was the last of the great figures of the struggle against apartheid, the conscience of South Africa, but also a mischievous and powerful laugh.
Until recently, the Nobel Peace Prize winner imposed his small purple silhouette and his legendary outspokenness to denounce injustices and to chip away at all powers.
“Rainbow nation”
After the advent of democracy in 1994 and the election of his friend Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu coined the term “Rainbow Nation”. He chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which he hoped, thanks to the confrontation of the executioners and the victims, that it would make it possible to turn the page on racial hatred.
“The Arch” had been weakened for several months. Long suffering from prostate cancer, he died in Cape Town, probably of old age, peacefully on Sunday morning, according to relatives interviewed by AFP.
He no longer spoke in public, but greeted the press present at each of his trips, with a mischievous look, a weak gesture of the hand, as during his vaccination against the Covid or in October, at the ceremony celebrating its 90th anniversary.
Desmond Tutu had made a name for himself during the worst hours of the racist apartheid regime. While a priest, he organized peaceful marches against segregation and pleaded for international sanctions against the white regime in Pretoria. Her dress saved her from prison.
Tutu’s nonviolent fight was crowned with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
After apartheid, faithful to his commitments, he denounced the excesses of the ANC in power, from mistakes in the fight against AIDS to corruption scandals.
The last time the country heard from him was on November 1. Out of sight, he had voted in local elections.