The Most Rev Desmond Tutu obituary

Anglican archbishop who fought against apartheid in South Africa and led the subsequent Truth and Reconciliation Commission

In 1948, when the apartheid regime was voted into office in South Africa, Desmond Tutu was 17. It was not until the late 1960s, as the future Anglican archbishop of Cape Town approached 40, that the concept of black liberation caused him to widen his horizons, and it was only in the mid-70s that he aligned himself with the liberation struggle.

Tutu, who has died aged 90, developed late in this respect because at first he was wholly a man of the church. He never wanted to enter politics: No, I'm not smart enough. I can't think quickly on my feet. I also think it's a very harsh environment. I'm a crybaby ... not tough enough for the hurly-burly of politics," he claimed, perhaps disingenuously.

Continue reading...