As Tutu turns 90, South Africa fetes, but misses anti-apartheid icon's voice

As Desmond Tutu turns 90 on Thursday, he remains indisputably the moral voice of South Africa. But age is catching up with him. The jovial emeritus archbishop retired in 2010 and rarely speaks in public, in a country that sometimes feels adrift without the leadership of its anti-apartheid liberation icons. Archbishop Desmond Tutu attending the launch of Cape Town's Nelson Mandela Legacy Exhibition at the Civic Centre on July 30, 2013. Even though South Africa has eased its COVID-19 precautions, the birthday festivities will be muted and largely online. Renowned for his radiating energy and infectious laughter, Tutu is expected to attend a special service Thursday at St George’s Cathedral, where he once held the pulpit as South Africa’s first black Anglican archbishop. South African former president Nelson Mandela holds the Jules Rimet World cup beside Capetown Archbishop Desmond Tutu, at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich on May 15, 2004. Later that day, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation will host an online lecture by the Dalai Lama, Ireland’s former president Mary Robinson, rights activist Graca Machel and South Africa’s ex-ombudswoman Thuli Madonsela, respected for her...