Washington 8 May 2003 Sapa-AFP
US President George W. Bush on Thursday praised South Africa's veteran anti-apartheid leader Walter Sisulu, who died this week at age 90.
"I was saddened to hear of the death of Walter Sisulu in South Africa," Bush said in a statement.
"Walter Sisulu was a man of great moral and strategic vision who committed his life to leading the struggle to end apartheid rule in South Africa. Sisulu was a man of principle and humility whose pursuit of an inclusive, multi-racial South Africa never wavered through the 25 years of his imprisonment," Bush said.
"Walter Sisulu lived to become a free man and to see his vision become a reality. He leaves a legacy of courage and conviction for South Africans and all of us who share his belief in the equality of all people."
"On behalf of the American people, I extend our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Albertina Sisulu, the Sisulu family, and the people of South Africa," he said.
Sisulu died Monday, two weeks before his 91st birthday, after collapsing in the arms of his wife Albertina at their Johannesburg home after returning from a medical check-up.
He was a towering figure in the struggle for majority rule in South Africa - serving 26 years in prison alongside former South African president Nelson Mandela and other leading opponents of apartheid.