MUTARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – African leaders are paying tribute to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu for his fearless campaign that helped end South Africa’s brutal apartheid regime and bring democracy to the country.
But many of the same leaders have remained silent about the late Nobel Peace Prize winner’s support for issues they’re uncomfortable with, such as his support for LGBTQ rights, democratic freedoms and environmental issues.
Tutu died Sunday at age 90. His casket is to lie in state Thursday and Friday at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town, where the public is invited to file past to pay their respects ahead of a requiem Mass and funeral on New Year’s Day.
A celebration of Tutu’s life, featuring the music and dancing that he loved, was held this week at Cape Town City Hall. Memorial services are planned in Johannesburg and other parts of South Africa.
Tutu was a “true son and icon of Africa. His contribution to the liberation struggle and unwavering position to peace, unity and good governance will forever be cherished,” Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said without mentioning his support for the LGBTQ people who are threatened with arrest in Tanzania.