Archbishop Emeritus and anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu has died at the age of 90.
President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his sadness in a statement on Sunday, saying the last surviving South African laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, passed away in Cape Town.
Ramaphosa says Tutu's passing is another chapter of bereavement in the nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have helped to liberate South Africa.
The president says as Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he articulated the universal outrage at the ravages of apartheid and demonstrated the true meaning of ubuntu, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
Archbishop Tutu has been battling prostate cancer for more than a decade.
He is survived by his wife Leah, four children, and seven grandchildren.
"We, at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, mourn his passing and extend deep sympathy to Mrs Nomalizo Leah Tutu, siblings Trevor Thamsanqa Tutu, Naomi Nontombi Tutu, Theresa Thandeka Tutu, Mpho Tutu van Furth and their families," the Foundation said in a statement on Sunday.
"We commit ourselves to continue telling the story and emulating the example of this son of Africa who became an inspiring sign of peace, hope, and justice across the world.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the loss of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu was immeasurable.
"He was larger than life, and for so many in South Africa and around the world his life has been a blessing. His contributions to struggles against injustice, locally and globally, are matched only by the depth of his thinking about the making of liberatory futures for human societies," said Foundation Chief Executive, Sello Hatang.
“The Arch meant everything to me. I first met him during the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and was privileged to work with him on a number of projects over the years. He was a friend to Madiba and to the Foundation,” he said.
