WRAP | Desmond Tutu remembered at funeral service in Cape Town

January 1 2022- 12:26

Services to follow

There will be a private aquamation ceremony after the funeral. Aquamation is an alternative to cremation and uses far less energy. The process is done through pressure, heat and water with a high alkaline level.

Another ceremony will be held at a later date to bring the ashes to the cathedral.

A memorial will be held at Westminster Abbey in London in the next three months, at a date to be confirmed by the Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

There are also plans for memorial services at the University of the Western Cape, and at several religious and academic institutions across Southern Africa and in the UK, USA and other parts of the world.

January 1 2022- 12:23

WATCH | Tutu's coffin leaves St George's Cathedral

As the coffin leaves the church, the Cathedral Choir sings the anthem Ecce Saccerdos Magnus (Behold our Great High Priest).

The cathedral bell rings and the clergy and bishops present a guard of honour along the path to the hearse.

January 1 2022- 12:20

An alleluia shout is given during the service as the service begins to draw to a close.

January 1 2022- 12:18

A word of thanks and prayer

Archbishop Makgoba thanks all those who supported Tutu and helped with the funeral arrangements.

He offers a blessing.

"The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do God’s will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in God’s sight; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen."

January 1 2022- 12:15

The national flag is handed over to mama Leah Tutu in a ceremonial procession.

January 1 2022- 12:14

"His was a life lived honestly and completely"

"He leaves the world a better place. He leaves our country a much better place than we were before our democracy. 

"We remember him with a smile. The smile he would flash around. We say: 'farewell father, servant of God. Rest in peace.'"

January 1 2022- 12:12

We thank him for giving us hope

"Though we say goodbye to him today with the heaviest of hearts, we salute our beloved Arch for all he did to build this nation.

"We celebrate him for what he was: life, Mpilo"

January 1 2022- 12:07

Tutu helped heal the nation

Ramaphosa says Tutu and Mandela helped steer the nation through the period of transition government and helped heal the nation.

"Helping us come to terms with the past was among the most arduous part of our new nation and Tutu played a seminal role in this process.

"While Mandela was the father of our democracy, Tutu was the spiritual father of our new nation

"He has been our moral compass and our national conscience"

January 1 2022- 12:05

Ramaphosa says Tutu was passionate in fighting the scourge of child marriages around the world.

"He never stopped fighting. He never caring. He never stopped speaking out".

January 1 2022- 12:00

"He was a man with faith as deep as it was abiding"

"For him, standing up for the oppressed was God's work.

"He was not contend to preach about injustice from the pulpit. He was there on the streets, in the shelters, wherever injustice was perpetrated

"He embraced all those who felt the cold wind of exclusion and they in turn embraced him"

January 1 2022- 11:56

Ramaphosa reflects on famous photos of Tutu, highlighting his strength and fight against apartheid.

January 1 2022- 11:52

Tutu was a global icon in every essence of the word

"Tutu was without question a crusader of justice, equality and peace. Not only in SA but around the world.

"He was a humble and brave human being who spoke for the oppressed, downtrodden and suffering of the world."

January 1 2022- 11:50

"He would have wanted to get a smile from us'"

If Tutu was here he would have gone: "'Hey! What are you looking so glum? So unhappy? He would have wanted to get a smile from us'"

January 1 2022- 11:47

Ramaphosa offers his condolences to Tutu's widow Leah and family. Reflects on Tutu's life and impact.

January 1 2022- 11:46

The congregation stands as President Cyril Ramaphosa takes to the pulpit to deliver the eulogy. 

January 1 2022- 11:42

The national anthem is sung ahead of the eulogy delivered by president Cyril Ramaphosa

January 1 2022- 11:35

January 1 2022- 11:30

January 1 2022- 11:25

President Ramaphosa is among those taking the communion. Mourners are now gathering to designated points in the church to recieve the offering.

January 1 2022- 11:13

Communion

Archbishop Makgoba prepares the bread and wine for communion that will follow.

January 1 2022- 11:10

A recorded musical performance is shown on screens.

January 1 2022- 11:07

Former president of Ireland Mary Robinson delivers another of the prayers.

January 1 2022- 11:05

Tutu's daughter Mpho is emotional as she reads the prayers of the people.

January 1 2022- 11:02

Apostles' creed

Archbishop Makgoba asks mourners to stand and leads them in the apostles' creed.

January 1 2022- 11:00

A praise song for Tutu

"I conclude this intertwined sermon and eulogy with the words of a personal Praise Song, looking back on our Arch’s remarkable life and held in awe by his going from us now:

Yo! Desmond Mpilo TutuBorn and raised where the gentle Batswana live, Land of the cameeldoring tree and the wide, wide vlakte; his mother a domestic worker, his father a teacher; Polio survivor, TB survivor, visited unforgettably in hospital by one Trevor Huddleston CR, bright child, living in the shadow of the great injustice.

"Raised through sickness to a priestly calling, finding the fire in your breast that prevented silence. Articulate scholar, prophet, pastor, pray-er, preacher of passion with arms stretched out, diminutive person making presidents tremble. Small person of the past becoming great in the unfolding purposes of God.

Yo! Mbishobhi, Learning the art in mountain kingdom, being greeted ‘Khotso, Ntate’, visiting parishes in Basotho blanket astride a hardy horse. Learning the harder way in the city of gold, the bitter irony of red carpets abroad and icy stares back home. Learning to lean on God and the safety valve of an irrepressible, self-deprecating humour.

Voice of the muted multitude, son of the dark mysterious land, Called at the height of crisis to the Cape of Storms to transform it into the Cape of Good Hope; Mbishobhi Omkhulu!

Take rest at last, lala kahle, our dear friend, the Arch. You have tended the wounds of noble strife, the wounds of Ubuntu; enter now into the full embrace of the great and generous God you served.

January 1 2022- 10:58

Walk humbly with your God

"What many perhaps did not realise was that the prayer undergirded, guided and prompted all the rest.

"A daily Eucharist was his custom, regardless of the circumstances; I remember having one with him in Frankfurt airport when we waited for a connecting flight.

"It is utterly appropriate that his funeral service today is immersed in what we call a Requiem Eucharist, and it would be his wish that all of us be free to receive the sacred body and blood of Christ at it."

"So I give you, in memory of this holy and very human man, this humane leader, a threefold cord which we too can try to emulate: pursue justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God."

January 1 2022- 10:57

Nuttall has to pause for a few seconds as he is overcome with emotion.

January 1 2022- 10:56

The Arch: Comforting those in mourning

Nutall shared from his own personal loss, and Tutu's suport: "When my wife of 57 years died on All Souls Day, 2016 he was on the phone to me, despite great physical frailty, to comfort me and to offer, as he would say, a little prayer from the heart.

"Desmond was quite at ease praying on the telephone with others. Actually, he prayed anywhere and everywhere".

January 1 2022- 10:54

"Love kindness: This was our ‘Arch’ at his very best"

"His was not a harsh, ideological quest for justice. Always it was grounded in mercy, in hesed (to use the Hebrew word), in an enduring loving-kindness: the gentle touch, the forgiving heart, the warm smile – ah yes, the warm smile."

January 1 2022- 10:52

Desmond’s response to grave injustice came from the depths of his being

"Desmond’s response to grave injustice came from the depths of his being and often in response to what he called ‘the divine nudge’.

"Listen to what his favourite prophet, Jeremiah, wrote: 'There is in my heart, as it were, a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.' (Jeremiah 20:9)

"That is how Desmond Tutu lived and ministered in a situation of systemic and often brutal injustice in his own beloved country."

"Nor did the fire in his breast die out in his years of retirement and old age, though he was thrilled with the coming of democracy in 1994.

"'Watch out, watch out, watch out!' he warned sternly when the new government stalled expediently in giving a visa to his friend and fellow Peace Laureate, the Dalai Lama, at the time of the Arch’s 80th birthday celebration. He was not similarly turned down when he went to Dharamsala in India for the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday and, together, they produced a remarkable book called The Book of Joy."

January 1 2022- 10:50

Tutu was not on some crusade of personal aggrandisement or egotism

He explains the values Tutu stood for : “What does the Lord require of you but to pursue justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”

"Desmond was not on some crusade of personal aggrandisement or egotism, though he often and disarmingly admitted that he loved to be loved, and what is wrong with that?"

January 1 2022- 10:48

An 'unlikely partnership'

"Desmond and I became close in an unlikely partnership at a truly critical time in the life of our country from 1989 – 1996, he as Archbishop of Cape Town and I as his deputy when, as Bishop of Natal, I was elected by my brother bishops to be also what is called 'Dean of the Province'.

"I was asked during a pastoral visit we made to Jerusalem what this cumbersome ecclesiastical title meant. My answer, on the spur of the moment, was that it meant 'number two to Tutu'".

January 1 2022- 10:48

A message to mama Leah

"Many times you wiped away the tears of your husband for, as we all know, he cried very easily and, in the life of our country, both past and present, he had much to cry about, not to mention the wider world which seems in many ways to be tearing itself apart.

"Today we are here to try, in a small way, to wipe away your tears, though tears are, of course, a very necessary part of our grieving."

January 1 2022- 10:46

Rev. Michael Nuttall's message to the Tutu family

Retired Bishop of Natal, rev. Michael Nuttall, starts his sermon with the words: “What does the Lord require of you but to pursue justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

"In Desmond Mpilo Tutu this threefold cord was interwoven in a long, lived authenticity. That is why we loved him and respected him and valued him so deeply. Small in physical stature, he was a giant among us morally and spiritually.

"His faith was authentic, not counterfeit or half-hearted. He lived it, even at great cost to himself, with an inclusive, all-embracing love.

His friend, Nelson Mandela, put it perfectly when he said: 'Sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid and seldom without humour, Desmond Tutu’s voice will always be the voice of the voiceless.'”

January 1 2022- 10:43

January 1 2022- 10:41

John 15:1-17 is read by Reverend Jo Tyers

January 1 2022- 10:39

Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer rings out as mourners stand to join in song.

January 1 2022- 10:36

Scriptures are read by Tutu's grandchildren

Tutu's grandchildren read scriptures from the pulpit, repeated by the congregation.

January 1 2022- 10:33

Archbishop Makgoba leads the collect, as mourners remain standing to repeat.

"God our Father, your Son Jesus Christ died and rose again for our salvation.

We entrust to you the soul of your servant Desmond, praying that he and all the faithful departed may be revealed as your children when Christ shall come again, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen"

January 1 2022- 10:31

The wonderful voices of one of the Arch's favourite choirs, Imilonji Kantu, rings out in song.

January 1 2022- 10:30

Synaxis is read and repeated by the congregation, with the choir giving another hymn.

January 1 2022- 10:29

Another hymn is sung before Archbishop Makgoba shares acclamations

January 1 2022- 10:27

"Tutu's light will not be extinguished"

"May God rest his soul and his family. May God bless South Africa."

January 1 2022- 10:25

Archbishop of Canterbury pays tribute

A video message from Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev. Justin Welby pays tribute to Tutu. Thanks SA for sharing Tutu with the world.

"In the dark, he brought light. That light lit up communities around the world".

January 1 2022- 10:20

Tutu's daughter gives thanks

Tutu's daughter, Reverend Naomi Tutu shares a thanks on behalf of the Tutu family.

She apologises for not being able to respond to all the messages of support received.

"We thank you for loving our father, grandfather and brother".

"Daddy would say, it warms the cockles of my heart. He would laugh and say: 'I don't know what a cockle is, but is is warmed'".

January 1 2022- 10:18

Tutu's coffin is adorned with symbols of the episcopal office

Great is Thy faithfulness echoes through the cathedral as the congregational stands as a sign of respect.

During the hymn the coffin of the late Archbishop is adorned with symbols of the episcopal office.

January 1 2022- 10:16

A welcome and few gentle reminders

Dean of Cape Town, Reverend Michael Weeder, offers a welcome to the service, ahead of the opening hymn: Great is Thy faithfulness.

January 1 2022- 10:13

Makgoba offers a prayer

The Archbishop continues: "Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding: deal graciously with Desmond’s family: Nomalizo Leah his wife, Trevor, his son, and his daughters, Thandeka, Nontombi and Mpho, and all of their families, his extended family, his friends, the church he served and all of us who mourn his passing.

"Grant that they and we may not be overwhelmed by this sudden, sad loss, but have confidence in your goodness, and strength to meet the days to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"

January 1 2022- 10:11

'God loves you'

Archbishop Makgoba wishes mourners a happy new year and says Tutu would have called them beautiful people.

He urges the congregation to say out loud: God loves you.

January 1 2022- 10:10

Tutu's grandchildren carry his coffin into the church

The plain coffin, as requested by the Arch, carried into the church by his grandchildren.

A series of scriptures are read from several clergy.

January 1 2022- 10:09

Here's who will preside over the requiem mass and conduct the service

Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba will preside over the requiem mass for Desmond Tutu, while the service will be conducted by his long-time friend, the Rt Rev. Michael Nuttall Retired Bishop of Natal & Dean of the Province to Archbishop Tutu

January 1 2022- 10:06

Funeral service underway

The service begins with a hymn.

Choir singing now fills the cathedral as the funeral procession moves into the church.

January 1 2022- 10:05

Silence as the funeral service prepares to begin

There is silence at the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, as the funeral service for the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu prepares to begin.

January 1 2022- 09:59

WATCH | Mourners gather to pay tribute to 'the Arch'.

January 1 2022- 09:58

The service is just about to get underway

We are just minutes away from the start of the official funeral service for the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, with a procession forming to start proceedings.

January 1 2022- 09:55

Remembering Desmond Tutu: The Munsieville 'boy' who became a world icon

To the world he was a symbol of hope and forgiveness, those who knew him in his youth also remember Tutu as a soccer-loving guy from a generous, open-hearted family.

January 1 2022- 09:53

The clergy and pall bearers take their seats

The clergy forming part of the funeral mass has just taken up position at the front of the church, as the pall bearers take their places.

January 1 2022- 09:52

Ramaphosa comforts mama Leah

Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa took a few minutes to speak to mama Leah Tutu, who was quietly wiping her tears as they waited for the funeral service to start.

January 1 2022- 09:50

Tutu left a proud legacy and an indelible mark that will transcend generations

Mahikeng Ministers Fellowship (MMF) hailed ArchBishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu as a fearless servant of God who has left a proud legacy and an indelible mark that will transcend generations.

“We can without fear of contradiction declare that all the recognitions that the Arch received during his lifetime of selfless service to humanity including the Nobel Peace Prize do not measure the invaluable contribution that he has made.

"A crown of righteousness awaits this extraordinary and remarkable servant leader who had impacted as well as deeply enriched our lives when he meets his creator and the GOD that he served with passion and dedication to the very end,” said chairperson, Senior Pastor Moss Tlalang.

“He did not spare any ounce of energy to shine the spotlight on its atrocities as well as mobilising the international community to support the call for sanctions while preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ based on the greatest love for all and calling for repentance from racial hatred, discrimination and social injustice,” he stressed.

He highlighted that the Arch will always be affectionately remembered for his principled servant leadership, for being a forthright and upright theologian, a true man of God, one of unshakeable conviction that all faith leaders had looked up to for guidance and inspiration.

January 1 2022- 09:45

No general public access to the St. George’s Cathedral precinct for the funeral

The City of Cape Town said while there will be no general public access to the St. George’s Cathedral precinct for the funeral, and most roads in the vicinity will be closed, a viewing space has been made available on the Grand Parade for the funeral service of the late Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu. Access to this area will be via the entrance to the Grand Parade along Castle Street.

The Company’s Garden will be closed due to the funeral service.

Motorists are advised to please find alternative routes during this time, or to avoid the St. George’s Cathedral precinct entirely, if possible.

A full list of road closures are available HERE

January 1 2022- 09:40

Tutu had specific plans for his funeral

The service today will follow instruction outlined by Tutu before his death.

"He wanted no ostentatiousness or lavish spending," his foundation said this week.

“He asked that the coffin be the cheapest available, and that a bouquet of carnations from his family be the only flowers in the cathedral.” 

Minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele said based on the late archbishop’s wishes, “the SANDF ceremonial content will be limited to the handing over of the national flag to Mam' Leah Tutu [his wife].”

Tutu's daughter, Reverend Naomi Tutu, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev. Justin Welby, are also expected to speak

January 1 2022- 09:35

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba comforts some of the bereaved

Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, is now greeting and interacting with the bereaved already seated inside St. George's cathedral. Elderly family members quietly wipe their tears as they are comforted.

January 1 2022- 09:32

WATCH | President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at Tutu's funeral

The president is expected to present a eulogy at the service.

January 1 2022- 09:30

WATCH | The funeral service of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

January 1 2022- 09:23

Mlambo-Ngcuka and Motlanthe arrive

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who was the deputy president from 2005 to 2008, have just arrived, shortly after former president Kgalema Motlanthe, who was in office between September 25 2008 and May 9 2009, following the resignation of Thabo Mbeki.

January 1 2022- 09:20

Tutu's final farewells

“But when I went into the bedroom at the hospice, he gave me a smile and said ‘Thank you, ke a leboga.’ He was full of gratitude. And for me it was like he was saying to SA, to Africa and the world, ‘Live a life of gratitude.’

“He held my hand tightly and he was not letting go. He wanted to say something. I could say he was grateful to have been born before apartheid, lived under apartheid, challenged apartheid and lived in a democratic SA and challenged it and played his part.

“Maybe the call there is how we should emulate his moral strength, his moral courage, his clarity, and how we challenge dishonest politicians and profiteers.” - Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba 

January 1 2022- 09:15

Tributes have been pouring in for the late Archbishop

Tributes from around the world have been flooding in for the late Archbishop Emeritus since his passing the day after Christmas last week.

January 1 2022- 09:12

Tutu's widow,family members and dignitaries have started arriving for his funeral

A motorcade carrying the widow of archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu, Leah, as well as other family members is approaching St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, where his funeral service is due to start at 10am.

Among the early arrivals are deputy president David Mabuza, former president Thabo Mbeki and wife Zanele, CT mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, businessman Patrice Motsepe, premier Alan Windie, struggle activist Cheryl Carolus and deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo.

January 1 2022- 09:11

January 1 2022- 09:10

A week-long remembrance

The days following Tutu's death have been filled with events remembering the anti-apartheid icons life.

These included 

• an interfaith memorial service arranged by the City of Cape Town on Wednesday;
• an ecumenical thanksgiving service at St Cyprian’s Cathedral in Kimberley at 10am on Thursday;
• an ecumenical and interfaith service at 11am on Thursday at St Albans Cathedral in Pretoria;
• a memorial service hosted by the Diocese of Johannesburg in St Mary's Cathedral on Thursday;
• a gathering of friends hosted by the Archbishop Tutu IP Trust and the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation at the Old Granary in Cape Town on Thursday evening; and
• a memorial service at St Mary's Cathedral in Gqeberha on Friday.

January 1 2022- 09:00

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will be honoured in an official state funeral held at the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, on Saturday morning.

Tutu, the last surviving South African laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, died in Cape Town last week at the age of 90.

He was the first black cleric to be elected as the Bishop of Johannesburg before being inaugurated in 1986 as the first black cleric to become Archbishop of Cape Town.