Cape Town – Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid hero, once chose a humble Toyota Corolla with manual transmission as a gift from billionaire Warren Buffett, rejecting luxury cars favored by government officials.
It was in 2008 when the archbishop opted for the modest Toyota Corolla instead of the luxurious BMWs and Mercedes-Benz vehicles preferred by government ministers, Reuters reported.
He chose to donate the surplus cash from the gift offered by the US investor to benefit the less fortunate.
The Desmond Tutu Intellectual Property Trust, which manages his legacy, has displayed this car, along with his books and belongings, in honour of his 92nd birthday which will be celebrated on Saturday.
Tutu’s choice of the modest car symbolised his values of humility and concern for the less fortunate, said Trust chairperson Mamphela Ramphele, referring to Tutu by his nickname.
“We hope this lesson … by the Arch about us not being tempted by opulence, by being sensitive to the least among us is the takeaway people (who have) seen that car will make.
“We cannot but keep that prophetic voice alive to remind us that we can be better, as he would tell us, that we are designed for better things,” she said.
Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was widely respected in South Africa for his moral integrity and his vision of a harmonious “Rainbow Nation” post-apartheid.
He passed away in 2021.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Twitter/@compassion_heal
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
