Zinzile Mavuso
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation is deeply saddened by the passing on of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a national and international voice of moral conscience.
We express our sincerest condolences to his esteemed wife, Ms Leah Tutu, and to his family, friends, the religious fraternity and the board of the Leah and Desmond Tutu Foundation.
Archbishop Tutu had an association of affectionate mutual respect with Ahmed Kathrada. They would meet from time to time at official and social gatherings and exchange pleasantries and broader ideas about socio-economic and political conditions in South Africa and globally.
Both expressed ongoing concerns at the levels of poverty, inequality and deprivation among our people. They shared a firm commitment to the struggle of the Palestinian people for national self-determination and freedom. Both were outraged at the level of corruption within government, particularly during the Zuma era, and unhesitatingly expressed their views publicly against state capture and moral decay in society. Both shared a deep desire for the attainment of truly non-racial, just and equal South Africa.
Archbishop Tutu was a living manifestation of a liberation theologian, who gave his life in service to the people of South Africa. While he never wavered on principle, he was ever-ready to forgive his adversaries. The Arch was a unique figure in the liberation and reconstruction of South Africa and will be sorely missed by millions across the globe.
