Last week Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu announced his intention to retire from public life in October when he turns 79. "The Arch" said he would now devote his time to quiet reflection, his family, watching sport and reading.

While he'll continue to be involved with The Elders, the Nobel Laureate Group and his Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, he will step down as Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape and as representative on the UN's Advisory Committee on the Prevention of Genocide.

"I think I've done as much as I can, and I really do need time for other things that I have wanted to do. I really want a little more quiet," Tutu said on Thursday, adding that there were "superb" people that could take over the advocacy work he had done.