Mahama mourns passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Former President John Dramani Mahama, has mourned the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an anti-apartheid and human rights activist, and an iconic South African Anglican Archbishop, who helped abolished apartheid.

Mr Mahama in a Facebook message said: "I have heard with sadness the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a foremost son of our continent".

"He was an eminent leader of the Christian faith and a humanist whose calling in the service of humanity transcended religion."

Mr Mahama noted that God's calling of Archbishop Desmond Tutu to rest during the sacred period of Christmas could only had been divinely scripted, with him having lived a full life, dedicated to God and humanity.

He said Archbishop Desmond Tutu aside from being an uncompromising figure against apartheid in South Africa and all forms of injustice anywhere they occurred, was also famously remembered for his saying: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

Former President Mahama said: "While we all grieve his demise, we can keep his memory alive by offering to be the voice of the voiceless or the silenced just as he was, and not by keeping mute in the face of injustice".

He said that way, the memories of him and many others like him, would never die but continue to live through noble actions.

"May his soul rest well in eternity."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died Sunday in Cape Town, South Africa.

He was 90.

GNA