[HeraldScotland by Rosemay Goring] The Cinderella of the ball, who claimed to be "heartbroken" at not having been invited to yesterday's event, he was also without doubt the most important person present beside his dead friend.
Some believe he is as influential as Mandela for his country's fortunes but it may just prove, when history is written, that he has been even more so. When initially it appeared Tutu had been snubbed over the funeral, one could understand why. The ANC government was quick to rebut the idea it had cynically blackballed him, but in his long and fearless career, 82-year-old Tutu has been a thorn in the side of the party for which, earlier this year, he said he could no longer vote.
This was no great surprise, given that in 2004 he lambasted the government for its refusal to tackle the degrading poverty in which millions of South African lived and was, he believed, creating "a tinder keg" that could explode any moment.
He pointedly asked: "What is black empowerment when it seems to benefit not the vast majority but an elite that tends to be recycled?" He also criticised "unthinking, uncritical, kowtowing party line-toing". No wonder the government eyes him warily.
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