President Yoweri Museveni has joined the rest of the world leaders in paying tribute to former South Africa Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday at the age of 90.
He was a long-serving Anglican Church cleric and anti-apartheid campaigner who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and was later appointed to chair his country’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
In his message, Museveni commended Tutu for his struggle against injustice and racial discrimination, describing him as a liberation icon.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Uganda and indeed, on my own behalf, I wish to convey to you my dear brother Cyril Ramaphosa (President of South Africa) and through you to the family of the Late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu our deepest condolences and sympathies as we mourn our liberation icon,” writes the President.
“His contribution to struggles against injustice, racial discrimination, and intolerance led him to the leadership of the “Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” which task he undertook successfully”
“We, therefore, commiserate with you, the bereaved family, and the people of South Africa for the loss of one of the greatest sons and liberators of Africa. May the Almighty God grant his soul eternal rest, he adds.
Former U.S president Barrack Obama, Ethiopia’s prime minister Abiy Ahmed, president Joe Biden of the U.S, Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta, UK’s Boris Johnson, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby among others had earlier mourned the Archbishop, calling him the embodiment of the struggle for liberation.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby to be particular, described the deceased as great warrior for justice who never stopped fighting whether it was for those in his own country, for inclusivity in the South African Constitution or for those suffering injustice around the world.
“Through his distinguished work over the years as a cleric, freedom fighter and peacemaker, Archbishop Tutu inspired a generation of African leaders who embraced his non-violent approaches in the liberation struggle.”
He noted that Archbishop Tutu was a prophet and priest, a man of words and action, one who embodied the hope and joy that were the foundations of his life.