Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has been admitted to hospital in Cape Town. The 88-year-old prominent South African anti-apartheid activist and Nobel laureate’s foundation confirmed the development on Wednesday December 4.

In a short statement, Tutu’s wife Leah said he was admitted “for a stubborn infection”. Details of when he was admitted were not provided.

Tutu who spent his 87th birthday in a Cape Town hospital has been hospitalised several times over the past few years for treatment of a similar condition.

“The Archbishop has been hospitalised several times over the past few years for treatment of a similar condition,” she said.

The Archbishop has had prostate cancer for roughly two decades and has largely withdrawn from public life.