A religious leader like no other

I AM not an admirer of religious leaders; but Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was an exception.

I really admired him.

He was an iconic figure respected and loved all over the world.

So great was he that his death on December 26 was the first news item not only on our local TV channels but on several international channels – BBC, CNN, Sky News, Euro News and many more.

Several world leaders and organisations, chief among them the UN and Amnesty International, have sent their condolences and paid tribute to a man of unwavering integrity who fought fiercely and tirelessly for the downtrodden.

Even Queen Elizabeth paid him a tribute. Just after she had paid a tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, in her Christmas message, she said in her message of condolence that the Anglican archbishop was “a tireless champion of human rights” and the “whole royal family was deeply saddened by the news”.

The Arch, as he was fondly known, was a religious leader like no other – a true man of God, simple, honest, down-to-earth, loved and admired the world over.

He would put to shame all the fake and glitzy evangelists and pastors like America’s Billy Graham, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland and Nigeria’s charismatic TB Joshua who have made religion into a thriving business, using the power of their tongue to sell God’s word to their gullible followers.

Though these men became very wealthy religious leaders, they pale in significance to Nobel laureate Tutu.

He was a paragon of virtue, a truly inspirational man of the cloth.

We will remember Tutu for many things, among them his simplicity, his humanity, his giggle and humour.

But chief among them he was an outspoken critic of apartheid who helped to bring this evil against humanity down on its knees.

Perhaps even greater than all of this was his criticism of the corrupt ANC government.

When Jacob Zuma’s government was sucking up to the Guptas and pandering to the Chinese, denying his friend the Dalai Lama a visa to visit the country, a seething Tutu lashed out at the ANC, repeatedly warning it of the consequences of its disgraceful actions.

“I am warning you,” he said over and over again. “Your turn is coming.

“I will lead the nation in prayer for your downfall.

“You will suffer the same fate as apartheid.”

And as he predicted, the masses ditched the ANC in the local elections.

Tutu was a man of selfless, moral integrity and conscience who was not blinded by his association with the ANC.

In fact, he was so disgusted with the ANC that he said that he would not be voting for it.

Not even the great Nelson Mandela could ever bring himself to do it.

South Africa is indeed lucky to have produced two iconic leaders.

How small and insignificant Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa seem.