President Cyril Ramaphosa has described former United States of America President Jimmy Carter as a compassionate leader and a champion of human rights following his passing at the weekend.

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of former United States President Jimmy Carter who we remember as an outstanding, compassionate leader and champion of human rights and peace globally," he said in a post on X.

According to CNN, the former President passed away at the age of 100 in Georgia on Sunday.

In his reflection of the former President of the US, President Ramaphosa said Carter was an outspoken critic of the apartheid state at a time when the regime was trying to ingratiate itself with influential economies around the world and justify its inhumane policies.

"Among his many distinguished roles, President Carter holds a special place in our history as a member of The Elders, a collective of global leaders brought together on President Nelson Mandela's 89th birthday in 2007 to be independent moral voices for peace and leadership.

"President Carter's record includes his engagement in diverse peace negotiations around the world and his unequivocal categorisation of the denial of fundamental human rights and statehood to the people of Palestine as a manifestation of apartheid," said President Ramaphosa on Monday.

He added that the former statesman justly deserved the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for "his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development".

"We celebrate his legacy, his extended lifetime and his enduring ideas. May his soul rest in peace," said the President in his post.