South Africa mourns anti-apartheid playwright Athol Fugard

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The South African playwright and anti-apartheid figurehead Athol Fugard has died aged 92, authorities said on Sunday.

The mayor's office in Cape Town, the western city near Fugard's home, said in a statement that it "mourns the loss of a true patriot", in a tribute to the writer, actor and director after his death on Saturday.

Fugard wrote more than 30 plays over seven decades, his most important in the darkest days of apartheid, touching on the raw themes of the regime that ended in 1994.

He was acclaimed at home and abroad for plays that exposed the injustices of the apartheid system and challenged its racist taboos, including by putting black and white actors on stage together.

"Cape Town mourns the loss of a true patriot whose legacy will continue to inspire generations," the mayor's office said.

Fugard was "renowned for his profound contributions to theatre and his unwavering opposition to apartheid", it said.

"Beyond his literary achievements, Fugard's commitment to justice and equality made him a pivotal figure in South Africa's cultural and political spheres."

In 2006 the film "Tsotsi", based on a novel he completed in 1961 and published in 1980, won the first Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for a South African production.

He also won a lifetime achievement Tony award in 2011.