International

A fire that devastated South Africa’s parliament was finally contained yesterday after a two-day battle, firefighters said, as a man appeared in court to face charges of starting the blaze. Flames broke out in the Cape Town complex before dawn on Sunday, spreading to the National Assembly, whose roof collapsed, and threatening national treasures housed in an older section. The blaze was initially declared under control on Monday but then flared up again, fanned by strong winds. “Firefighters managed to contain the fire just before 12:00 last night,” spokesman Jermaine Carelse said. There were fresh flames again early yesterday, he added, which firefighters extinguished.  “We currently have four fire engines on scene with approximately 20 staff members that will monitor the situation throughout the day.” A 49-year-old man, Zandile Christmas Mafe, was arrested in the complex on Sunday.  He appeared briefly in court yesterday to answer charges of breaking into and “setting fire to parliamentary buildings” and intention to steal property, including “laptops, crockery and documents”. Bearded and dressed in a grey shirt with knee-length shorts, he removed his mask on arriving in court and turned to present his face to the TV cameras and press photographers. His attorney, Luvuyo Godla, who is defending him pro bono, said the defendant pleaded not guilty, while prosecutors argued against granting him bail. He was remanded in custody until January 11 pending further inquiries, which depend on when investigators can gain access to the building. No casualties have been reported in the fire, but the damage has shocked the country. The blaze tore through the wood-panelled assembly where parliamentary debates are held and the president makes his annual state-of-the-nation address.  Carelse said such was the devastation that a parliamentary session would not be held there for a long time. Parliament spokesman Moloto Mothapo said “the entire chamber where the members sit... has burned down”.  The fire started in the older part of the complex — a section that once housed South Africa’s first parliament.Completed in 1884, the section is where parliament keeps treasures, including around 4,000 heritage and artworks, some dating back to the 17th century. The fire then spread to the newer National Assembly and a third building housing the upper house, the National Council of Provinces. Investigators said the fire broke out in two separate areas and the water sprinkler system did not work properly because the water was cut off. Surveillance cameras showed the suspect in the buildings at around 2:00am. “However, security only saw him at 6:00am, when they looked at the screens after being alerted by the smoke,” Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille told AFP. “CCTVs were working. The problem is that there was no monitoring of the CCTV cameras on that fateful night,” she told a news conference on Monday.  “Certainly, there was a security breach,” she added, saying that this was under investigation. The fire broke out just a few hundred metres (yards) from St George’s Cathedral, where anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu’s ashes were interred on Sunday while the blaze raged, a day after his funeral. Last March another fire also broke out in the older wings of parliament, but it was quickly contained.  Cape Town suffered another major fire in April, when a blaze on the famed Table Mountain, which overlooks the city, ravaged part of the University of Cape Town’s library holding a unique collection of African archives. South Africa has an unusual political arrangement in that its parliament is in Cape Town while the seat of government lies in Pretoria, more than 1,300 kilometres to the north.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, which with South Africa was the first country to detect the Omicron variant of coronavirus, is isolating after testing positive for Covid, the government said yesterday. “The president does not have any symptoms and will continue to receive close medical monitoring by his medical doctors,” it said in a statement, adding that the test had been carried out as a matter of routine. Vice President Slumber Tsogwane will replace him until further notice, the statement said. On November 25, South African scientists said that cases of a new Covid-19 variant, later called Omicron, had been detected nationally and in neighbouring Botswana. Omicron is highly contagious, although there are also signs that it is less likely to cause severe illness compared with previous variants, researchers have said. Last week, South Africa lifted a nightly curfew that had been in place for 21 months, saying that its latest wave of infections had peaked without a surge in deaths or hospitalisations. Botswana has recently launched booster jabs for people who have already been vaccinated, and lowered the age of inoculation to 12. A diamond-rich country the size of France, Botswana has a reputation for political stability and the richness of its wildlife. Masisi, 60, first took office as president in 2018, taking over from Ian Khama, who stepped down after two terms in office. He was re-elected in 2019.

• Police charge 49-year-old man with arson A new blaze broke out yesterday at the complex housing the two chambers of South Africa’s national parliament in Cape Town, one day after a devastating fire swept through the buildings. “The fire and rescue service confirms that the fire at parliament has flared up. The void beneath the roof sheeting of the National Assembly is on fire,” a spokesman for the city’s fire services said yesterday afternoon.Police have charged a 49-year-old man with arson and other offences including theft and he was expected to appear in court today. National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said the arson, if confirmed, would represent an attack on the country’s democracy. The initial fire on Sunday caused the roof of the New Wing housing the assembly’s lower chamber to collapse. The roof of the Old Wing, which dates back to 1884 and houses the upper chamber National Council of Provinces (NCOP), also partially collapsed. However, important sections including a museum with artworks and heritage objects were saved, as was an embroidered tapestry telling the story of the Eastern Cape on the ground floor of the Old Assembly Building, officials said. Earlier yesterday firefighters had managed to extinguish most of the initial blaze. As the new fire flared, parliament said firefighters had been reinforced with additional equipment and personnel. A Reuters journalist at the scene said the speed of the wind, a key factor in the Cape’s fire season, had increased significantly and could hamper attempts to douse flames. The parliament has played a crucial role in South Africa’s transition from white minority rule as the place where transformative legislation has been passed, helping roll back repressive policies implemented under the apartheid era. In a separate statement, the elite Hawks police said the suspect was believed to have gained entry to the parliament through a window in one of the offices. “There is a possibility of other charges being added as there was a security breach here,” Hawks spokesperson Nomthandazo Mbambo told eNCA television. Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula said President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to parliament, currently set for Feb 10, would still go ahead. Lawmakers will still debate and approve the budget and committees will continue their work. Firemen work at the parliament where a fire broke out in Cape Town, yesterday.

Security forces killed two people during protests in Sudan yesterday against military rule, a doctors’ committee said. This brought to 56 the death toll in protests since a coup on Oct 25, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said. The committee said that the first man was in his twenties and died of injuries to the head in the capital, Khartoum, while the second man died of gunshots to the chest in Omdurman. Security forces have not yet commented on the deaths. Yesterday was the 12th round of major protests since the coup. Security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators in Khartoum as protesters marched towards the presidential palace, television images showed. Internet and mobile services appeared to be disrupted in the city ahead of the protests, Reuters witnesses said. Some people managed to post images on social media showing protests in several other cities, including Ad-Damazin, Port Sudan and Sennar. All bridges directly connecting other towns and cities to Khartoum were also closed, one Reuters witness said. On recent occasions when communications have been disrupted, sources at telecoms companies have told Reuters that authorities demanded providers cut their services. Officials could not immediately be reached for comment about this yesterday. The military took power in an Oct 25 coup that ended a power-sharing deal with civilian political forces.That deal, agreed in 2019, was supposed to pave the way for a transitional government and eventually elections following the overthrow of long-time leader Omar al-Bashir. Protests against military rule have continued even after Abdallah Hamdok was reinstated as prime minister last month, with demonstrators demanding that the military play no role in government during a transition to free elections. Six people died and hundreds were injured in nationwide demonstrations on Thursday. Al Hadath TV quoted an adviser to military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Thursday as saying the military would not allow anyone to pull the country into chaos and that continued protests were a “physical, psychological, and mental drain on the country” and “would not achieve a political solution”. Sudan’s Sovereign Council, which Burhan leads, on Friday denounced the violence that accompanied Thursday’s protests, adding it had ordered authorities to take all legal and military measures to avoid a recurrence and saying “nobody will go unpunished”.

A massive fire in South Africa’s houses of parliament in Cape Town has completely destroyed the National Assembly where parliamentarians sit, a spokesman said yesterday as the blaze continued to rage. “The entire chamber where the members sit...has burned down,” Moloto Mothapo said, adding that the blaze had still not been extinguished. No casualties have been reported so far but President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters at the scene an arrest had been made. “Someone has been held right now and is being questioned,” he said. An investigation has been opened into the blaze which started at around 0300 GMT yesterday in the parliament complex’s oldest wing, which was completed in 1884 and has wood-panelled rooms. As day dawned, smoke could be seen billowing from the building against a blue sky. “The roof of the Old Assembly building has collapsed and is gone,” Jean-Pierre Smith, Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, told reporters earlier. The historic building houses a collection of rare books and the original copy of the former Afrikaans national anthem “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” (“The Voice of South Africa”), which was already damaged. “The entire building has suffered extensively smoke and water damage,” Smith said, adding “the fire has not been contained”. After ravaging the older wing of the building, the flames spread to newer parts of the complex which are currently in use. “Firefighters are currently trying to control the fire in the New Wing, where the fire has affected the National Assembly Chamber,” parliamentary spokesman Mothapo told an online news conference earlier in the day. The imposing red and white building was still shrouded in a thick cloud of black at midday. A team of firefighters who were first to arrive at the scene battled the flames for several hours before being forced to retreat and call for reinforcements. Around 70 firefighters were later deployed, some using a crane to spray water on the blaze. Former Cape Town mayor and current minister Patricia de Lille warned it would still be several hours before the fire was brought under control. Inside the rooms, fine showers of grey ash fell from the ceiling to the floor, which was already littered with debris. Emergency services said they feared the fire could spread swiftly through the old rooms, which are decorated with wood, thick carpets and curtains. Images broadcast on television had earlier shown giant flames leaping from the roof. The area around the fire in the upmarket neighbourhood was quickly cordoned off. The cordon stretched to a square where flowers were still displayed in front of the nearby St George’s Cathedral, where anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s funeral took place on Saturday. After a simple, no-frills mass, with a cheap coffin — according to the famously modest Tutu’s instructions — his ashes were interred in the cathedral yesterday. Cape Town has been home to South Africa’s houses of parliament since 1910, when separate administrations formed a union under British dominion and became a predecessor to the modern South African republic. The site includes the National Assembly and the upper house National Council of Provinces, while the government is based in Pretoria. It was in parliament where South Africa’s last apartheid president FW de Klerk announced in 1990 plans to dismantle the brutal white-minority regime. The houses of parliament in Cape Town consist of three sections, with the newer additions constructed in the 1920s and 1980s. Another fire also broke out in the older wings of parliament in March, but it was quickly contained. Cape Town suffered another major fire in April, when a blaze on the famed Table Mountain which overlooks the city spread, ravaging part of The University of Cape Town’s library holding a unique collection of African archives.

South Africa held a state funeral yesterday for Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the last great hero of the struggle against apartheid, that was stripped of pomp but rich in glowing tributes. Tutu died last Sunday, aged 90, triggering grief at home and abroad for a life spent fighting injustice. Famous for his modesty, Tutu gave instructions for a simple, no-frills ceremony, with a cheap coffin, followed by an eco-friendly cremation. Family, friends, clergy and politicians gathered at Cape Town’s St George’s Anglican Cathedral, which was illuminated in purple, the colour of his clerical robes. Life-size posters of Tutu, with his hands clasped, were placed outside the cathedral, where the number of congregants was restricted in line with coronavirus (Covid-19) measures. It was at St George’s that Tutu used the pulpit to rail against a brutal white-minority regime and it is there he will be buried. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who accorded Tutu the official funeral usually reserved for presidents, described the ceremony as “category-one funeral with religious characteristic”. “Our departed father was a crusader in the struggle for freedom, for justice, for equality and for peace, not just in South Africa ... but around the world as well,” the president said. “While our beloved (Nelson Mandela) was the father of our democracy, Archbishop Tutu was the spiritual father of our new nation”, he added, lauding Tutu as “our moral compass and national conscience”. “His was a life lived honestly and completely. He has left the world a better place. We remember him with a smile,” said Ramaphosa before handing South Africa’s multi-coloured flag to the “chief mourner”, Tutu’s widow, Leah. The flag – a reminder of Tutu’s description of the post-apartheid country as the “Rainbow Nation”, was the only military rite accorded to him, respecting his request before he died that military protocol be minimal. The funeral ended South Africa’s week of mourning, with the diminutive rope-handled pinewood coffin, adorned by a small bunch of carnations, immediately removed from the church by vicars in cream robes. Tutu’s body will be cremated and then his ashes interred behind the cathedral’s pulpit in a private ceremony. Under a grey sky and drizzle, among the mourners ushered into the cathedral were former Irish president Mary Robinson, and Mandela’s widow Graca Machel. Both read out prayers. Others included the widow of the last apartheid leader FW de Klerk, who died in November, and former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe. Conspicuously absent was Tutu’s close friend, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who could not travel due to his advanced age and Covid-19 restrictions, according to his representative. Tutu’s long-time friend, retired bishop Michael Nuttall, who was a dean when Tutu was the archbishop of Cape Town, delivered the sermon. “Our partnership struck a chord perhaps in the hearts and minds of many people: a dynamic black leader and his white deputy in the dying years of apartheid; and hey presto, the heavens did not collapse,” he said. “We were a foretaste ... of what could be in our wayward, divided nation.” Under apartheid, the white-minority government cemented its grip with a panoply of laws based on the notion of race and racial segregation, and the police hunted down opponents, killing or jailing them. With Mandela and other leaders jailed for decades, Tutu in the 1970s became the emblem of the struggle. The purple-gowned figure campaigned relentlessly abroad, administering public lashings to the Western world for failing to slap sanctions on the apartheid regime. At home, he slammed police violence against blacks. Only his robes saved him from prison and became a shield from police brutality for many protesters. After apartheid was dismantled and South Africa ushered in the first free elections in 1994, Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which exposed the horrors of the past in grim detail. He would later admonish the ruling African National Congress (ANC) for corruption and leadership incompetence. Tutu’s moral firmness and passion went hand-in-hand with self-deprecatory humour and a famously cackling laugh. Less than a kilometre away, dozens of people watched the funeral broadcast from a big screen despite earlier rains. “Mandela’s gone, the really great people who liberated the country” are dying, bemoaned photographer Brita Lomba, 66. “I loved his humour! Very witty,” said 63-year-old housewife Washilah Isaacs, adding that she also liked Tutu’s support for Palestine. “We have come to give our last respects to our father Tutu. We love our father, who taught us about love, unity and respect for one another,” said Mama Phila, a 54-year-old Rastafarian draped in the green, red and yellow colours of her faith.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has signed off on his government’s 2022 budget of a record 17tn naira ($41bn, €37bn), as Africa’s largest economy struggles with soaring inflation. Last year’s slump in oil prices triggered by the coronavirus pandemic was hard on the continent’s top producer, where activity shrank by 1.8% according to the World Bank. Although Nigeria has returned to growth this year, criminal attacks and kidnappings in the northwestern and central states have held it back. Government spending plans for next year are 26% higher than 2021. However, the real-terms increase will be far smaller when compared with forecasts for 17% inflation. Even as he signed the budget, Buhari attacked “worrisome changes” by lawmakers, who had added an extra 550bn naira of outlays for the coming year. “I will revert to the National Assembly with a request for amendment and/or virement (money transfer) ... to ensure that critical ongoing projects ... and those nearing completion do not suffer a setback due to reducing funding,” the president said. The spending plan assumes that the country’s economy will expand 4.2% next year, after 2.7% in 2021, and calls for a deficit of more than 6tn naira, which is to be financed with new borrowing. “Effective implementation is very critical for delivering our legacy projects, promoting social inclusion and strengthening the resilience of the economy,” said Buhari, who does not plan to stand for re-election in a 2023 presidential poll. Around 87mn people in Nigeria live beneath the $1.90 per day extreme poverty line, according to estimates from the Austria-based World Data Lab. That represents 41% of the 210mn in Africa’s most populous country. Nigeria also suffers from growing security woes, including criminal gangs known as bandits in the northwest and centre, a religious militant insurrection in the northeast and a separatist movement in the southeast.

A South African judicial commission will formally hand over the first part of its report to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday following its inquiry into corruption during former president Jacob Zuma’s time in power, a Cabinet minister said yesterday. The inquiry was established to examine allegations of high-level graft during Zuma’s period in power from 2009-2018. Zuma denies any wrongdoing. The allegations presented against Zuma at the inquiry include “state capture”, accusing him of allowing businessmen close to him – brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta – to plunder state resources and influence policy. The Guptas, who also deny wrongdoing, left South Africa after Zuma was ousted in February 2018. Ramaphosa, Zuma’s No 2 from May 2014 to the time he took over, has made the fight against corruption a pillar of his presidency, though opposition parties have criticised him for doing too little to stop the rot during his time as deputy. The judicial commission was due to deliver the first part of its three-part report by the end of December, but the minister said this was delayed out of respect for the seven-day mourning period for Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday. Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for failing to co-operate with the inquiry. He was imprisoned in July and then placed on medical parole in September. The High Court has since ruled that he should go back to jail. Zuma is appealing the decision.

South Africans took their last chance yesterday to pay their respects to Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the eve of a funeral for the revered anti-apartheid fighter. Since Thursday, nearly 3,000 mourners have filed through Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral before the simple pine casket containing Tutu’s remains. Members of Tutu’s family hugged and consoled each other as the coffin returned for the second and final day of the lying in state and a band, which included a preschooler trumpeter, played in his honour. The archbishop’s successor, Thabo Makgoba, waved a chalice of burning incense over the coffin before pall bearers – Anglican vicars – took the coffin from a silver Mercedes SUV hearse. They slowly walked up the stairs into the cathedral where Tutu had preached for a decade. The body will spend the night in the cathedral until the funeral, which will be presided over by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Tutu died peacefully aged 90 on Sunday. His passing unleashed nationwide grief at the loss of the last great hero of the anti-apartheid era, and tributes from world leaders for a man cherished for his righteous anger and humour. Tutu carefully set down details for his funeral, insisting that his coffin be “the cheapest” available, and that it be adorned by a simple bunch of carnations. Mourners are being asked to donate money to his charitable foundations instead of sending flowers – and even the disposal of his remains is being conducted in an eco-friendly way. The dean of the cathedral, Michael Weeder, told AFP that Tutu had asked for “aquamation” – a process that supporters say releases just a tenth of climate-altering carbon dioxide gases compared to traditional cremation. In aquamation, bodies are dissolved in a heated solution of water and alkali in a stainless steel vessel, leaving behind the bones, which are then turned to ash by cremation. The ashes are to be interred at the cathedral. The burial “might be Sunday”, he said in a text message, adding the “family will decide whether it will be private or open to others”. Artist Libane Serenji from Johannesburg came to pay respects. He painted portraits of Tutu on a canvas attached to a big tree outside the cathedral. He saw it fit “to come all the way and paint ... because he played also a significant role in my life like everyone from Africa”, he said. Another mourner, Antonia Appels had come all the way from the capital Pretoria to stand in line. Tutu was a “moral compass” who had helped to haul country out of the darkness of the apartheid era, she said. South Africa is marking a week of mourning for Tutu, with the country’s multi-coloured flag flying at half-mast nationwide and ceremonies taking place every day. The cathedral’s bells have been pealing in his memory for 10 minutes at midday. Tutu was for years the emblem of the struggle to end white-minority rule as Nelson Mandela and other leaders languished behind bars. After apartheid was dismantled and South Africa ushered in its first free elections in 1994, Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which exposed the horrors of the past in terrible detail. He would later speak out fearlessly against the ruling African National Congress (ANC) for corruption, incompetence and failures to tackle the country’s Aids epidemic. Weakened by advanced age and prostate cancer, Tutu had retired from public life in recent years. He is survived by his wife Leah and four children, and several grand and great-grandchildren.

South Africa, where the Omicron variant was detected last month, says its latest coronavirus (Covid-19) wave has peaked without a surge in deaths or hospitalisations, enabling the country to lift a nightly curfew for the first time in 21 months. The Omicron variant emerged in November to become pandemic’s dominant variant, driving new cases at a record rate around the world. “According to experts, Omicron has reached the peak, with clinical manifestations that have not caused any alarm in the hospital situation,” Mondli Gungubele, a minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office, said yesterday. “Based on the experts, the conditions do allow that we lift the curfew,” he told a news conference, spelling out a move that the presidency announced the previous evening. Calls by the hospitality sector for the midnight to 4am curfew to be lifted had been mounting ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations, with restaurant and nightspot owners launching an online petition to lobby Ramaphosa. Many countries outside Africa are tightening restrictions to battle a surge in infections. The minister cautioned that “we will monitor the situation on a hour-by-hour basis” and if need be, it would be reinstated, adding: “I hope it never comes back.” Gungubele said the government of Africa’s most advanced but battered economy took the action to try “balance between livelihoods and saving lives”. “Businesses are suffering,” he said. The highly contagious Omicron variant, which contains a number of mutations, has fuelled an end-of-year global pandemic resurgence. However, mounting evidence in South Africa and elsewhere has fuelled hopes that Omicron, while more contagious than other strains, may also be less severe. Infections in South Africa dropped by almost 30% last week compared to the preceding seven days, according to the president’s office, and while hospital admissions also declined in eight of the nine provinces. Even so, the risk of increased infections “remains high”, the presidency warned in its Thursday night statement. Mask-wearing remains compulsory in public spaces and public gatherings are limited to 1,000 people indoors and 2,000 outdoors. The government has continued to stress the need for caution and vaccination. Inoculation rates have also improved – more than 15.6mn people in South Africa have been fully vaccinated, out of a population of 59mn. During the surge in December, only a marginal increase in Covid-19 deaths was noted, while hospitalisation rates were lower than in previous waves, the presidency statement said. “This means that the country has a spare capacity for admission of patients even for routine health services.” Omicron was first identified in South Africa and Botswana in late November. It quickly became the dominant strain in South Africa, causing an explosion of infections with a peak of about 26,000 daily cases recorded by mid-December, according to official statistics. The variant is currently present in more than 100 countries, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It can also infect vaccinated people as well as those who have already had coronavirus, although such individuals are also far less at risk of falling severely ill. South Africa has been the hardest hit by coronavirus on the continent, recording more than 3.4mn cases and 91,000 deaths. However, fewer than 13,000 infections had been recorded in the past 24 hours. “The speed with which the Omicron-driven fourth wave rose, peaked and then declined has been staggering. Peak in four weeks and precipitous decline in another two,” Fareed Abdullah of the South African Medical Research Council posted on Twitter. While many Omicron-affected countries are reimposing virus countermeasures, South Africa announced it was reversing course just ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations and a day before the weekend funeral of the venerated anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu.

Sudanese security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades as tens of thousands of protesters opposed to military rule marched through Khartoum and the neighbouring cities of Omdurman and Bahri towards the presidential palace in the capital yesterday. Security forces confronted the protesters about 2km from the palace in the centre of the capital, a Reuters witness said, adding that there was a heavy security presence in the area. Protesters also faced tear gas in the city of Bahri near a blocked bridge connecting it to the capital, another Reuters witness said. Amid a communications blackout, most bridges to Khartoum were closed, with at least two blocked by shipping containers. An army checkpoint with an armoured vehicle was seen at one of the bridges that remained open. Protesters heading towards the blocked bridge connecting Bahri to the capital chanted: “As much as we sacrifice and die, we won’t be ruled by the boot.” Thursday was the 11th round of major demonstrations since an Oct 25 coup, which saw Abdallah Hamdok removed and then reinstated as prime minister. The demonstrators have demanded that the military play no role in government during a transition to free elections. On Saturday, protesters came close to the presidential palace, despite facing heavy tear gas and a communications blackout. Internet and mobile services appeared to be disrupted in Khartoum yesterday. Reuters staff were unable to make or receive domestic and international calls and a source at a telecoms company said an order to shut down internet services had come from the state-owned Sudan National Telecommunications Corporation. The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said more than 200 people were injured during Saturday’s protest, with six wounded by live bullets. The committee also reported 48 deaths in crackdowns against military rule since October. “I come for the martyred. I’m not going to be tired because some people gave their lives for this. Being tired is nothing compared to that,” said a nurse in Bahri who has attended all 11 protests and gave her name as Jihad. Several young men wore gloves to allow them to throw back tear gas canisters and stun grenades. “I wear this glove to keep my brothers and sisters and mothers safe. When the police fire tear gas, I can throw it back,” said one young man who asked not to be identified. Sudan’s sovereign council this week reinstated powers of arrests, detentions and seizures to the country’s intelligence service. Sudanese youths help an injured demonstrator yesterday during a protest in the capital Khartoum against the army’s October 25 coup.

A preliminary South African government study published yesterday showed a booster of the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine was 85% effective in preventing hospitalisation from the Omicron variant, a finding that helps revive the shot’s reputation. The South African Medical Research Council compared 69,000 healthcare workers who received two doses of the vaccine, based on viral vector technology, against a group of people who were unvaccinated. The research, which has not yet been peer reviewed, was conducted from November 15 to December 20, a time when the heavily-mutated Omicron variant increased from 82 to 98% of Covid-19 cases in the country. When a booster shot was given six to nine months after the first dose, vaccine efficacy against hospitalisation increased over time, from 63% at 0-13 days to 85% one to two months post-boost. “This data is important given the increased reliance on the Ad26.COV.2 vaccine in Africa,” wrote the authors, using the formal name for the J&J shot. The result was also hailed by the company. In a statement, J&J scientist Mathai Mammen said it showed the vaccine “remains strong and stable over time, including against circulating variants such as Omicron and Delta.” Around half a million South African health staff have received Johnson jabs as part of clinical trials. Africa’s hardest-hit country, South Africa has recorded more than 3.4mn cases and 90,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.An earlier South African study in December found that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine prevented hospital admissions by up to 70%. Results for three doses of that vaccine aren’t yet known. The news comes weeks after the United States formally recommended mRNA vaccines, made by Pfizer and Moderna, over the J&J shot, because of greater risks related to a rare form of blood clotting.Preliminary lab studies had also shown that the J&J vaccine triggers fewer neutralising antibodies — Y-shaped proteins that block infection — against the heavily mutated Omicron variant, compared to mRNA vaccines, and it was suggested that it would be less effective in real life too. The reason it performs better in the real world than some expected could be it evokes a heightened response of another part of the immune system, known as cellular immunity. A separate, small analysis carried out by the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston on 65 individuals found that a J&J booster on top of two doses of the Pfizer Covid vaccine might provide greater protection than three doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Though antibody levels surged to high levels after three doses of Pfizer, they also waned within a few weeks, while they rose steadily after two Pfizer shots and a J&J shot, and were at higher levels after four weeks. Boosting with the J&J vaccine also elicited a strong increase in “killer T cells.” Though they can’t stop infection, killer T cells search for cells that have been infected with the virus and destroy them, helping prevent severe illness. They are able to withstand variants far better than antibodies. Overall, the data might mean that mix-and-match boosting could provide stronger protection than continuing with the same vaccine, but the long term durability of both strategies needs further study, said J&J.

South Africans streamed into Cape Town’s cathedral yesterday to pay their last respects to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the globally venerated anti-apartheid icon, whose body lay in a modest pine coffin. Six Anglican clerics carried the coffin into St George’s Cathedral, where the Nobel Peace laureate once railed against white rule and was formerly archbishop. A small bouquet of carnations lay atop the simple coffin, in line with wishes for modesty expressed by the much-loved rights advocate. In sharp contrast, typical funerals in South Africa are elaborate, expensive affairs. The tireless spiritual and political leader passed away peacefully aged 90 on Sunday. He is to be cremated, with his ashes to be buried tomorrow. Tutu’s body will lie in state until today to allow as many people as possible to say their final goodbyes. Ordinary South Africans of all races and ages streamed into southern Africa’s oldest cathedral as soon as the doors opened to the public. Among them was Liz Cowan, a 65-year-old white social worker, who grew up in apartheid South Africa being told that the charismatic black cleric was a dangerous man. “He was so vilified. It was only as a teenager that I realised he was a good guy,” she recalled, standing in a queue reflecting a country that Tutu dubbed the “Rainbow Nation”. A young girl sporting a purple top paused briefly before the coffin, making the sign of the cross in the Christian tradition. Among the mourners was a woman wearing a purple Muslim veil — the colour many are donning to evoke Tutu’s trademark clerical robes. “He never saw you as a person of colour or any other denomination. You were all, as he always said, the ‘rainbow people’,” said Lucille Helleger, head of the Anglican women’s fellowship group in Cape Town. Earlier yesterday, the church held a private service for the family, including Tutu’s widow Leah.The coffin was opened for the family to view the body and they sang the late archbishop’s favourite hymn, according to Tutu’s successor, Thabo Makgoba. Following a private cremation, Tutu’s ashes will be interred inside the cathedral, whose bells have been pealing in his memory for 10 minutes at midday every day since Monday. Tutu retired as Archbishop after 10 years in 1996 and went on to lead a harrowing journey into South Africa’s dark past as chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which exposed the horrors of apartheid in terrible detail. South Africa is marking a week of mourning for Tutu, with the country’s multi-coloured flag flying at half-mast nationwide and ceremonies taking place every day until the funeral. A memorial event organised by his foundation yesterday heard from some of Tutu’s closest friends and associates including Nelson Mandela’s widow Graca Machel. “I’ve been privileged too be very close to many of those who are gone now,” Machel said. Now “I feel like part of me has been chopped, chopped, chopped one by one as they go,” she said. Tutu and Mandela forged a lifelong bond fighting to end apartheid. Mandela’s eldest grandson, Mandla, urged action to improve the lot of people in democratic South Africa. “We cannot sit by idly and wonder when the failed insurrection of July 2021 will raise the next ugly chapter of chaos, mayhem and destruction,” Mandela said. “We must as a collective douse the fires... of poverty, inequality and unemployment.” He was referring to riots sparked by the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma for contempt, the worst violence to grip South Africa since the end of apartheid. Tomorrow’s funeral service will be simple in line with Tutu’s wishes. “He wanted no ostentatiousness or lavish spending,” said his foundation, adding that Tutu even “asked that the coffin be the cheapest available”. Weakened by advanced age and prostate cancer, Tutu had retired from public life in recent years. He is survived by his wife Leah and four children. Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s daughters Nontombi Naomi Tutu and Thandeka Tutu watch as the casket containing his body arrives at St George’s Cathedral for lying in state, in Cape Town, yesterday.

Confirmed coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in Argentina almost doubled on Monday from Friday to 20,263 new infections, according to the country’s health ministry, the highest daily tally in almost six months as the Omicron variant spreads around the world. On Friday, the government had registered 11,181 new cases of the virus. While it publishes daily case counts on weekends, those numbers tend to be lower than on weekdays. Argentina’s government has not said how many of the new cases could be tied to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which also has been detected in most neighbouring countries. Paraguay reported its first case on Monday. The recent spike is still well below Argentina’s record day for new infections. On July 1 it reported 41,080 new cases, according to Reuters data. Still, deaths have not spiked in Argentina, according to the health ministry. The country has vaccinated 70% of its population with two doses and is currently offering booster shots to frontline workers and citizens over 60 years old. South America in general is the most vaccinated region in the world, following a couple of crushing Covid-19 waves.

Somalia’s allies expressed alarm over the intensifying row between the country’s president and prime minister as heavily armed factions patrolled parts of Mogadishu yesterday, raising fears that the political crisis could erupt into violence.  Soldiers loyal to the premier took up positions near the presidential palace, a day after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmajo, announced the suspension of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, who accused him of an “attempted coup”. Relations between the pair have long been frosty, but the latest developments have sparked concerns for Somalia’s stability as the country struggles to hold long-delayed elections and fight a jihadist insurgency. Yesterday, pro-Roble troops paraded the streets, fuelling fear among Mogadishu residents weary of armed confrontations. “They are not far away from the main security checkpoints of the presidential palace, they are armed with heavy machine guns and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades)”, Saido Mumin, a resident, told AFP.  Another local, Abdukadir Ahmed, said that although the situation appeared to be calm, he was “really worried” about the potential for violence. International observers have urged both sides to resolve the escalating dispute while some Somali traditional elders and politicians have also sought to calm tempers. “Some politicians and elders (have) started going between the two sides to de-escalate the situation, but these efforts are yet to... bring about a formal resolution”, a source in the office of the president told AFP on condition of anonymity. The Africa Bureau of the US State Department warned Monday that Washington was “prepared to act against those who obstruct Somalia’s path to peace.”  “The attempted suspension of @MohamedHRoble is alarming & we support his efforts for rapid & credible elections. All parties must desist from escalatory actions & statements,” it said on Twitter. Farmajo has accused Roble of interfering with a probe into a land-grabbing case and withdrawn his mandate to organise elections. Roble in turn has accused Farmajo of attempting to carry out “a coup against the government, the constitution, and the rules of the country” and sabotage the vote. International observers and allies, including the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, released a statement late Monday, expressing “deep concern” over the crisis. “We call on Somalia’s leaders to put the country’s interests first, to de-escalate rising political tensions, and to refrain from provocation or use of force that could undermine peace and stability,” the statement said. “International partners have repeatedly expressed growing concern over procedural irregularities and delays in the Somali electoral process.” In April, Farmajo sought to extend his term without holding fresh elections, triggering deadly gun battles in Mogadishu. Roble then brokered a new timetable to a vote, but in the months that followed, the pair’s bitter rivalry derailed the polls again.  They only agreed to bury the hatchet in October, and issued a unified call for the glacial election process to accelerate. Somalia’s elections follow a complex indirect model. Nearly 30,000 clan delegates are assigned to choose 275 MPs for the lower house while five state legislatures elect senators for the upper house.  Both houses of parliament then vote for the next president. Elections for the upper house have concluded in all states and voting for the lower house began in early November. But the appointment of a president still appears to be a long way off. Analysts say the election impasse has distracted from Somalia’s larger problems, most notably the Al Shebaab insurgency.  The Al Qaeda allies were driven out of Mogadishu a decade ago but retain control of swathes of countryside and continue to stage deadly attacks in the capital and elsewhere.

South Africa began yesterday a week of mourning for revered anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate passed away on Sunday aged 90, stripping the world of a towering moral figure and the last great protagonist of a heroic South African era. “He was brave, he was forthright and we loved him just for that, because he was the voice of the voiceless,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters after visiting Tutu’s family in Cape Town. The funeral will be held on New Year’s Day at St George’s Cathedral in his former Cape Town parish, Tutu’s foundation said, although ceremonies are likely to be muted because of coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions. Dozens of people braved rain to gather outside the cathedral yesterday, leaving flowers and messages. Mourners laid flowers outside what is known as the “People’s Cathedral” and a powerful symbol of democracy. Black and white portraits of Tutu were attached to a fence and five condolence books were available for mourners who braved the wet weather. “You fought the good fight, you inspired us to continue the fight for peace in the world,” read one message signed by Noel and Alfreda. The widow of South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, issued a statement to say that she mourned “the loss of a brother”. Tutu “is the last of an extraordinarily outstanding generation of leaders that Africa birthed and gifted to the world”, she said.  “He stood resolute and fearless, leading demonstrations cloaked in his flowing clerical robe with his cross as his shield – the embodiment of humankind’s moral conscience,” Machel added. Cape Town’s city hall and the Table Mountain which rises above the city will be illuminated every night this week in purple, the colour of Tutu’s clerical robes. The bells of St George’s will ring for 10 minutes from noon each day until Friday. Tutu led numerous campaigns and marches against apartheid from St George’s steps. The cathedral has asked those who hear the sound to pause in their daily work and think of Tutu. A memorial service will be held in the capital Pretoria tomorrow. Family and friends will gather on Thursday evening around Tutu’s widow, “Mama Leah”. On Friday, his remains will be placed in the cathedral on the eve of the funeral, although attendance at his farewell on Saturday will be capped at 100, according to the archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba. Around 400 people have already expressed their intention to attend the event. However, Makgoba told a press conference: “Only a fraction of those who want to be there can be accommodated in the cathedral. So please don’t get on a bus to Cape Town.” Singing at the ceremony will also have to be moderated because of Covid-19 curbs, officials said. Tutu’s remains will be cremated and his ashes will stay in the cathedral. Crackling with humour and warmth, Tutu will be most remembered for fearlessly speaking out against white minority rule, which garnered him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He was appointed archbishop in 1986 and used his position to advocate tirelessly for international sanctions against apartheid. He coined the term “Rainbow Nation” to describe South Africa when Mandela became the country’s first black president in 1994. He retired in 1996 to lead a harrowing journey into South Africa’s past as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which exposed the horrors of apartheid in terrible detail. Panyaza Lesufi, a senior member of the African National Congress (ANC), which swept aside apartheid and remains in power, said Tutu’s unique status had provided a “shield” during protests. “When we were young activists we knew as long as Archbishop Tutu is there the police and the army will not shoot at us,” he tweeted. However, Tutu’s fight against injustice continued long after racial segregation ended. He excoriated the ANC for fostering cronyism, corruption and incompetence after it was voted into office. Tributes poured in from across the globe, including from heads of state and religious leaders, with US President Joe Biden saying he was “heartbroken” by the news. Barack Obama, the first black US president, hailed Tutu as a “moral compass”. Tutu’s great friend the Dalai Lama, who is expected to speak at his funeral, said in a statement that “we have lost a great man, who lived a truly meaningful life”. Anglican leader Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said Tutu “was a great warrior for justice who never stopped fighting”. “When you were in parts of the world where there was little Anglican presence and people weren’t sure what the Anglican Church was, it was enough to say that ‘It’s the church that Desmond Tutu belongs to’,” Welby said in a statement. Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 and repeatedly underwent treatment. He had been in a weakened state for several months and died peacefully at 7am (0500 GMT) on Sunday, according to several of his relatives interviewed by AFP. In his final years, his public appearances became rarer. This year, he emerged from hospital in a wheelchair to get a Covid-19 vaccine, waving but not offering comment.

* PM's powers suspended in probe over land * President also fires commander of marine forces * Prime minister asks security forces to take orders from his office Somalia's president said on Monday he had suspended the prime minister for suspected corruption, a move the prime minister described as a coup attempt, escalating a power struggle between the two leaders. The raging, months-long dispute is widely seen as distracting the government of the Horn of Africa country from fighting an Islamist insurgency. It will also raise concerns about the prospect of renewed clashes between factions in the security forces allied to each side. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed accused Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble of stealing land owned by the Somali National Army (SNA) and of interfering with a defence ministry investigation. In response, Roble said the move was unconstitutional and aimed at derailing an ongoing election. He also ordered the security forces to start taking orders from him, instead of the president. The steps taken by Mohamed "were an open coup attempt against the government and the national constitution", Roble said in a statement posted on the Facebook page of Somalia state news agency SONNA. "The aim of the illegal, crooked steps ... is to derail the election and illegally remain in office." Somalia begun holding parliamentary elections on Nov. 1 which were supposed to be completed by Dec. 24 but only a few of the 275 representatives have been elected In separate tweets, the US and UK embassies urged both sides to de-escalate and to refrain from violence. Monday's developments were the latest round in a long-running dispute between the two leaders. Mohamed also said he had also removed the commander of marine forces, General Abdihamid Mohamed Dirir, from office while a similar investigation was being carried out. Dirir was not immediately available for comment. Assistant Information Minister Abdirahman Yusuf Omar Adala said earlier on Monday the deployment of security forces around Roble's office would not prevent Roble from carrying out his duties. Mohamed and Roble on Sunday each accused the other of holding up the parliamentary elections in Somalia, a country riven by militant attacks and clan rivalries. In September, Mohamed suspended Roble's power to hire and fire officials in a dispute nominally over a murder investigation that generated months of tension. Somalia, which has had only limited central government since the civil war began in 1991, is trying to reconstruct itself with the help of the United Nations. It had intended to hold its first direct elections in more than three decades this year amid chronic instability. Mohamed and Roble first clashed in April, when the president unilaterally extended his four-year term by two years, prompting army factions loyal to each man to briefly seize rival positions in the capital, Mogadishu. The confrontation was resolved when the president put Roble in charge of security and organising delayed legislative and presidential elections and parliament reversed the presidential term extension. According to Somalia's indirect electoral process, regional councils are meant to choose a senate. Clan elders are then meant to pick members of the lower house, which then picks a new president at a date not yet fixed.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa’s struggle against apartheid who was revered as his nation’s conscience by both Black and white, died yesterday aged 90. Tutu won the Nobel prize in 1984 Key dates in the life of South African cleric and activist Desmond Tutu in recognition of his non-violent opposition to white minority rule. A decade later, he witnessed the end of that regime and chaired a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up to unearth atrocities committed under it. Ever outspoken, he preached against the tyranny of the white minority. After apartheid ended, he called the Black political elite to account with as much feistiness as he had the Afrikaners, but his enduring spirit of reconciliation in a divided nation always shone through, and tributes to him poured in from around the world. US President Joe Biden said Tutu followed his spiritual calling to create a better, freer, and more equal world. “His legacy transcends borders and will echo throughout the ages”. “Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a mentor, a friend and a moral compass for me and so many others,” former President Barack Obama said. “He never lost his impish sense of humour and willingness to find humanity in his adversaries.” Bill Clinton called Tutu’s life “a gift” while South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described him as “a patriot without equal.” Tutu died “peacefully” yesterday morning in a Cape Town nursing home, a representative of his Archbishop Desmond Tutu IP Trust said. Looking frail and in a wheelchair, he was last seen in public in October at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town — a one-time safe haven for anti-apartheid activists — for a service marking his 90th birthday. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the late 1990s and was later hospitalised several times to treat infections associated with treatment for it. In his final years he also regretted that his dream of a “Rainbow Nation” had yet to come true, and often fell out with erstwhile allies at the ruling African National Congress party over their failures to address the poverty and inequalities that they promised to eradicate. Just five feet five inches (1.68 metres) tall and with an infectious giggle, Tutu travelled tirelessly through the 1980s to become the face of the anti-apartheid movement abroad while many of the leaders of the then rebel ANC, including future president Nelson Mandela, were behind bars. Long-time friends, Tutu and Mandela lived for a time on the same street in the South African township of Soweto, making Vilakazi Street the only one in the world to have been resident to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. “His most characteristic quality is his readiness to take unpopular positions without fear,” Mandela once said of Tutu. “Such independence of mind is vital to a thriving democracy.” Born near Johannesburg, Tutu spent most of his later life in Cape Town and led numerous marches and campaigns to end apartheid from St George’s Cathedral’s front steps. Having officially retired from public life on his 79th birthday Tutu — who once said of himself: “I wish I could shut up, but I can’t, and I won’t” — continued to speak out on a range of moral issues. John Steenhuisen, leader of opposition party The Democratic Alliance, said Tutu’s spirit would live on “in our continued effort to build a united, successful, non-racial South Africa for all.” In 2008, Tutu accused the West of complicity in Palestinian suffering by remaining silent. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby yesterday hailed Tutu as “a priest” while Pope Francis offered heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. In a letter to Tutu’s daughter Reverend Mpho Tutu, Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said the world had “lost a great man, who lived a truly meaningful life”. “We are better because he was here,” said Martin Luther King’s daughter Bernice.

South Africans of all races stopped by Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral yesterday to pay their respects to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid icon who has died aged 90. “His significance supersedes the boundaries of being an Anglican,” said mourner Brent Goliath, who broke down in tears outside the old stone building. He told AFP he had been an altar boy and had met Tutu several times. “I was very emotional this morning when I heard that he’d passed away. I thank God that he has been there for us,” he said, wiping his eyes as he placed a bouquet of pink flowers under Tutu’s photo. In the cathedral yard, Father Michael Weeder, dean of the cathedral, paced up and down answering phone calls and speaking with workers shortly after Sunday morning mass. “He died a holy death,” he told AFP near a makeshift shrine being prepared for the public to leave flowers. Despite the loss, he said “it comes with some relief to the family because Father Desmond has been in a lot of pain over these past weeks”. Members of Tutu’s family could be seen gathering and embracing each other in his former Cape Town residence behind a police security cordon. Dozens of South Africans stopped at the cathedral, even though many people would not yet have heard of his death — it is customary to switch off and spend the day after Christmas on the beach, rather than pacing the city. Among those paying respects was Miriam Mokwadi, a 67-year-old retired nurse, who said the Nobel laureate “was a hero to us, he fought for us”. “We are liberated due to him. If it was not for him, probably we would have been lost as a country. He was just good,” said Mokwadi, clutching the hand of her granddaughter. Daphney Ramakgopa, 58, a local government worker, spoke of the loss the entire country was feeling. “We looked up to him as the adviser to everyone in the country, especially our politicians,” she said. Many passersby remembered Tutu not just for his role in the fight against apartheid, but for how he has continued to hold the democratic government to account, constantly calling out corruption in the ruling African National Congress party. “I can’t think of anybody with that kind of moral compass” left in South Africa, said Aki Khan, a 64-year-old sound engineer and veteran of the apartheid struggle. “But I really do think his message has filtered through to young people.” Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain is due to be lit up in purple from 2000 GMT until the date of the funeral, which has yet to be confirmed. In the township of Soweto near Johannesburg, which became synonymous with apartheid-era repression, youngsters took selfies outside Tutu’s former home, just a few metres from Nelson Mandela’s house. Local resident Lerato remembered Tutu jogging around the surrounding streets in the morning and called his death “a big blow”. “This street is the only one in the world in which two Nobel Peace Prize winners have lived. You can then imagine us, the neighbours around, we are really touched by his passing,” she said. Another resident, Samba, recalled seeing Tutu when he came to have a drink. “He was a down-to-earth person. It was great. I won’t forget this man,” he said. “His legacy will be his love for all people,” added Stephen Moreo, the Anglican bishop of Johannesburg.

* Tutu won Nobel for non-violent opposition to apartheid * Tutu considered nation's conscience by both Black and white * Anti-apartheid hero fought for "Rainbow Nation" * State gives no details on the cause of death * Tutu diagnosed with cancer in 1990s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa's struggle against white minority rule, died on Sunday at the age of 90. In 1984 Tutu Key dates in the life of South African cleric and activist Desmond Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent opposition to apartheid. A decade later, he witnessed the end of that regime and chaired a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up to unearth atrocities committed during those dark days. The outspoken Tutu was considered the nation's conscience by both Black and white, an enduring testament to his faith and spirit of reconciliation in a divided nation. _________________________________________ Read also: Desmond Tutu, South Africa's moral compass _________________________________________ He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the late 1990s and in recent years was hospitalised on several occasions to treat infections associated with his cancer treatment. "The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa," President Cyril Ramaphosa said. "Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal." The presidency gave no details on the cause of death. Tutu preached against the tyranny of the white minority but his fight for a fairer South Africa never ended, calling the Black political elite to account with as much feistiness as he had the white Afrikaners. In his final years, he regretted that his dream of a "Rainbow Nation"  had yet to come true. "Ultimately, at the age of 90, he died peacefully at the Oasis Frail Care Centre in Cape Town this morning," Dr Ramphela Mamphele, acting chairperson of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu IP Trust and Co-ordinator of the Office of the Archbishop, said in a statement on behalf of the Tutu family. A frail-looking Tutu was seen in October being wheeled into his former parish at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, which used to be a safe haven for anti-apartheid activists, for a service marking his 90th birthday. Dubbed "the moral compass of the nation", his courage in defending social justice, even at great cost to himself, always shone through. He often fell out with his erstwhile allies at the ruling African National Congress party over their failures to address the poverty and inequalities that they promised to eradicate. Tutu, just five feet five inches tall and with an infectious giggle, travelled tirelessly throughout the 1980s, becoming the face of the anti-apartheid movement abroad while many of the leaders of the rebel ANC such as Nelson Mandela were behind bars. Although he was born near Johannesburg, he spent most of his later life in Cape Town and led numerous marches and campaigns to end apartheid from St George's front steps, which became known as the "People's Cathedral" and a powerful symbol of democracy. Known for punchy quotes, Tutu once said: "I wish I could shut up, but I can't, and I won't". Having officially retired from public life on his 79th birthday, Tutu continued to speak out on a range of moral issues, including accusing the West in 2008 of complicity in Palestinian suffering by remaining silent. In 2013, he declared his support for gay rights, saying he would never "worship a God who is homophobic". Tributes poured in from around the world for the man fondly known as "The Arch". The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby hailed Tutu as a "a prophet and priest" while flamboyant British billionaire Richard Branson said "the world has lost a giant" and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere recalled "a great little man who showed the power of reconciliation and forgiveness". UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted Tutu's "critical" role in the "struggle to create a new South Africa", while his deputy Dominic Raab said Tutu's adage of 'Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument' had "never felt more apt". "We are better because he was here," Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, said. Palestine Liberation Organisation official Wasel Abu Youssef said Tutu was "one of the biggest supporters" of the Palestinian cause. In a letter to Tutu's daughter Reverend Mpho Tutu, Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said the world had "lost a great man, who lived a truly meaningful life". Tutu and his long-time friend Mandela lived for a time on the same street in the South African township of Soweto, making Vilakazi Street the only one in the world to host two Nobel Peace Prize winners. "His most characteristic quality is his readiness to take unpopular positions without fear," Mandela once said of Tutu. "Such independence of mind is vital to a thriving democracy." At a Boxing Day service at St George’s, the Very Reverend Michael Weeder paid homage to Tutu from the Archbishop's former pulpit, saying it was "once the celebrated point of command” before asking the handful of parishioners present to bow their heads in a moment of silence.