The S. A government seizes the passport of Bishop Desmond Tutu

Date: 16 Apr 1981
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Between 1976 and 1978 Desmond Tutu served as Bishop of the Anglican Church in Lesotho and as Secretary-General of the South African Council of Churches. On 16 April 1981, Tutu was arrested by the South African government and his passport was confiscated, barring him from travelling overseas. On 16 October 1984, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize award for his untiring efforts in calling for an end to minority rule in South Africa, the unbanning of liberation organisations and the release of political prisoners. Click here to read Tutu Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech. Click here to read Nobel Peace Prize presentation speech by Egil Aarvik, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

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01Devries, H., (1981), S. African police seize passport of black bishop, from The Christian Science Monitor, 17 April [online], Available at www.csmonitor.com [Accessed: 16 April 2014]
02Jet Magazine, Bishop Urges Boycott By Blacks, from GoogleBooks, [online], Available at books.google.co.za [Accessed: 16 April 2014]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). The S. A government seizes the passport of Bishop Desmond Tutu. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012452

South African History Online (2011) 'The S. A government seizes the passport of Bishop Desmond Tutu', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012452 (Accessed: 21 July 2026).

South African History Online, The S. A government seizes the passport of Bishop Desmond Tutu [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012452, (accessed 21 July 2026).

"The S. A government seizes the passport of Bishop Desmond Tutu." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012452. Accessed 21 July 2026.

South African History Online. "The S. A government seizes the passport of Bishop Desmond Tutu." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012452.