NAAM: SIYABONGA

VAN: MPOFU
GRAAD:8

‘N BEELDSPRAAK
DESMOND TUTU
SCENE 1: EARLY LIFE
Desmond Mpilo Tutu(known commonly as the
"Arch")was born in Klerksdorp on 7 October 1931.His
father, Zachariah, who was educated at a mission school,
was the headmaster of a high school in Klerksdorp, a
small town in the Western Transvaal(now North West).
His mother, Aletha Matlhare, was a domestic worker.
They had four children,three girls and one boy.

When Tutu was eight when his father was transferred to

a school that catered for only African, Indian,Coloured
children in Ventersdorp, where he was a pupil.
He was baptised as a Methodist but it was in Ventersdorp
that the rest of the family followed his sister, Sylvia's lead
to convert to the African Methodical Episcopal Church
and finally in 1943 the entire family fully became
Anglicans.

Zachariah Tutu was then transferred to Roodepoort, in

the former Western Transvaal. Here the family was forced
to live in a shack while Aletha worked at the Ezenzeleni
School of the Blind. In 1943, the family was forced to
move once again, this time to Munsieville, a Black
settlement in Krugersdorp. The young Tutu used to go to
White homes to do odd jobs. To earn extra pocket
money, he and a friend bought oranges and peanuts from
the market, and sold for a small profit. He also caddied at
a golf course in Killarney. At around 12 years old, Tutu
joined the Scouting movement and earned his
Tenderfoot, Second Class and Proficiency Badge in
cooking.
SCENE 2: SECONDARY SCHOOL

OLD WESTERN TOWNSHIP, WHERE TUTU'S HIGH SCHOOL WAS LOCATED.

In 1945, he began his secondary education at the

Western High, a Government secondary school in the Old
Western Native Township, near Sophiatown. At about this
time he was hospitalised for over a year, with
tuberculosis. It was here that he was befriended by
Father Trevor Huddleston. Father Huddleston brought
him books to read and a deep friendship developed
between the two. Later, Tutu became a server at Father
Huddleston's parish church in Munsieville, even training
other boys to become servers. Apart from Father
Huddleston, Tutu was influenced by the likes of Pastor
Makhene and Father Sekgaphane(who admitted him into
the Anglican Church), and the Reverend Arthur Blaxall
and his wife in Ventersdorp.
Although he had missed out on a lot at school, due to has
illness, his principal felt sorry for him and allowed him to
join the Matriculation class. At the end of 1950, he
passed the Joint Matriculation Board examination,
studying into the night by candlelight.
SCENE 3 : UNIVERSITY

Tutu was accepted into the Witwatersrand Medical

School but was unable to get a bursary. He then decided
to follow in his father's steps and become a teacher.
In 1951, he enrolled into the Bantu Normal College,
outside Pretoria, to study for a teacher's diploma.
In 1954, Tutu completed a teaching diploma from the
Bantu Normal College and taught at his old school,
Madipane High in Krugersdorp.

In 1955, he also obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from

the University of South Africa(UNISA). One of the people
that helped him with his University studies was Robert
Mangaliso Sobukwe, the first president of the Pan
Africanist Congress(PAN).
SCENE 4 : MARRIAGE
On July 2nd 1955, Tutu married Nomalizo Leah Shenxane,
one of his father's brightest pupils.In total they had 4
children : Thamsanqa Trevor, Thandeka Theresa,
Nontombi Naomi and Mpho Andrea.

SCENE 5: LIFE AS A TEACHER

After the marriage of Desmond and Leah, Tutu began
teaching at Munsieville High School,

where he is still remebered as an inspiring teacher. On 31

March 1953 Black teachers and pupils alike were struck a
massive blow when the government introduced the
Bantu Education Act, which restricted Black eduction to a
rudimentary level. Tutu continued in the teaching
profession for three more years following this, seeing the
low level education of the children, he begun teaching at
a junior level. After that he quit in protest against the
political undermining of Black education.
SCENE 6: PRIESTHOOD
During his employment at Munsieville High, Tutu thought
seriously about joining the priesthood, and eventually
offered himself to the Bishop of Johannesburg to become
a priest. By 1955,together with his former scoutmaster,
Zakes Mohutsiou, he was admitted as sub-Deacon at
Krugersdorp, and in 1958,he enrolled at St Peter's
Theological College

in Rosettenville, which was run by the Fathers of the

Community of the Resurrection.

Here Tutu proved to be an excellent student. He was

awarded licentiate of Theology. Tutu regarded the
Community of the Resurrection with reverence and
considers his debt to them as incalculable.
He was ordained as a deacon in December 1960 at St
Mary’s Cathedral, Johannesburg
and also took up his fist curacy at St Albans Church in
Benoni.

At the end of the end of 1961, Tutu was ordained as a

priest, he then was later transferred to Thokoza. On 14
September 1962, Tutu arrived in London to further his
theological studies. He studied at the King’s College,
where again he excelled.
 He was given bursaries by the college. His first
experience preaching to a White congregation was in
Golden Greens, London, where he spent 3 years. He was
then transferred to Surrey to preach. His former lecturer
encouraged Tutu to pursue a postgraduate course. He
entered an essay on Islam for the “Archbishop’s Essay
Prize” and duly won. It was then he decided to take up a
Masters degree. He also completed his Masters degree in
the Arts in 1966.
When Tutu returned to S.A he taught at the Federal
Theological Seminary in Alice, Eastern Cape. He was also
appointed as the Anglican Chaplain to the University of
Fort Hare.
At Alice, he began working on his doctorate, combining
his love for Islam and the Old Testament, although he
didn’t not complete.
In 1971, the Theological Education Fund nominated Tutu
for the Associate Director for Africa post. He and his
family went back to London in January 1975. Timothy
Bavin, the newly elected Bishop of Johannesburg
requested to Tutu to be his Dean. This thus led to the
Tutus return to South Africa, to become the first Black
Dean of Johannesburg and the Rector of St Mary’s
Cathedral Parish.
SCENE 7: BEING BISHOP
Tutu was convinced to be the Bishop of Lesotho. On the
11th of July 1976, Tutu was ordained as Bishop. During his
rural parish visits he would often travel on horseback.

A few months later he was invited to become the General

Secretary of the SACC, which he took upon 1 March 1978.
On 7 September 1986, Tutu was ordained as the
Archbishop on 1986, becoming the first Black person to
lead the Anglican church in the province of Southern
Africa.

He was also Rector at St Augustine’s Church in Orlando

West.
SCENE8: PERSECUTION
 The apartheid government
persecuted Tutu because of him being vocal about the
injustices in South Africa. They even took his passport
once.
Scene 9: The TRC
In 1995 Tutu was appointed Chair of the TRC, to deal with
the atrocities of the past.

Tutu retired as the Archbishop of Cape Town in 1996 to

give it his all to the Commission. In 1997 he was
diagnosed with prostate cancer, he underwent successful
treatment in America. Despite
of the illness he continued to
work for the Commission.
SCENE 10: RETIREMENT
Tutu officially retired from public life on 7 October 2010.
However, he continued his involvement with the elders
and Nobel laureate group and his support of the
Desmond Tutu Peace Centre. He also stepped down from
all the positions he held at the time.
SCENE 11: SUPPORT OF THE LGBQTI+ COMMUNITY
His last born daughter, Mpho, married her female partner
Professor Marceline Van Furth in May 2016. Which led to
Tutu being more vocal about his support of homosexuals
internationally and within church.

SCENE 12: DEATH

Tutu passed away on the 26th December