\n Desmond Tutu, South Africa's anti-apartheid icon, Nobel peace laureate and a man dubbed the \"moral compass of the nation,\" marked his 90th birthday Thursday with a rare public appearance.\n<\/p>\n
\n The jovial Tutu, who even today speaks out against injustice, attended a special thanksgiving service at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, where he was appointed South Africa's first black Anglican archbishop.\n<\/p>\n
\n The service opened with a rendition of \"Happy Birthday.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Tutu, wearing his trademark purple shirt and white collar, under a black suit, waved in acknowledgement, from a wheelchair.\n<\/p>\n
\n He sat next to his wife Leah.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tributes and well-wishes for the revered anti-apartheid icon have poured in from presidents, individuals and organisations from around the globe.\n<\/p>\n
\n President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded Tutu \"as a fighter in the cause for human rights, for equality and for social justice\" throughout the 59 years since his ordination.\n<\/p>\n
\n He paid tribute to \"The Arch,\" as he is fondly called in South Africa, \"for a life that has been well-lived in honesty, integrity, fearlessness and service to humanity.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n US President Joe Biden said he was \"inspired by his personal commitment to championing human rights and to always speaking out for what is right.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n \"The world first came to know Archbishop Tutu as he modeled the highest tenets of his faith in challenging the injustice of apartheid in South Africa,\" said Biden in a statement.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"And in the years since, the world has continued to learn from Archbishop Tutu's message of justice, equality, and reconciliation.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n - ' Voice of conscience' -\n<\/p>\n
\n A tireless activist, Tutu has in recent years slammed even the ruling African National Congress (ANC) -- the vanguard of the fight against white-minority rule -- for cronyism and nepotism after apartheid ended in 1994.\n<\/p>\n
\n In the past, he has confronted homophobia in the Anglican Church, challenged Nelson Mandela over generous salaries for cabinet ministers and stridently criticised the corruption that mushroomed under ex-president Jacob Zuma.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"At times when we have found ourselves losing our way, you have taken us well to task,\" said Ramaphosa.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"For nearly three decades, yours has been a voice of conscience, guiding us and motivating us to do better by our people,\" he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ordained at the age of 30 and appointed archbishop in 1986, Tutu lobbied for international sanctions against apartheid, and later for human rights on a global scale.\n<\/p>\n
\n He turned his focus on the thorny issue of reconciliation in the post-apartheid era as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.\n<\/p>\n
\n He retired in 2010 and rarely appears or speaks in public now.\n<\/p>\n
\n He was last seen in public in May, when he and his wife got their Covid-19 vaccinations.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 and has undergone repeated treatment.\n<\/p>\n
\n - Leading figures -\n<\/p>\n
\n After the service, the archbishop emeritus and his wife Leah will spend the day at home with daughters Naomi and Mpho, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.\n<\/p>\n
\n The day will culminate with online speeches from the Dalai Lama, former UN rights chief Mary Robinson, Mandela's widow and campaigner Graca Machel, and South Africa's ex-ombudswoman Thuli Madonsela, who is widely respected for her exposure of corruption.\n<\/p>\n
\n The line-up of speakers is a reminder of Tutu's values, surrounding himself with rights advocates at a time when South Africa's current leaders are better known for lavish lifestyles and billion-dollar bank accounts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Desmond Tutu, South Africa's anti-apartheid icon, Nobel peace laureate and a man dubbed the \"moral compass of the nation,\" marked his 90th birthday Thursday with a rare public appearance. The jovial Tutu, who even today speaks out against injustice, attended a special thanksgiving service at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, where he was appointed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-83013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n