Mourners from across the world will remember the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu at an official state funeral held at the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town on Saturday morning.
Tutu, the last surviving SA 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.
The service is expected to start at 10am and will be attended by several high-profile politicians.
Only 100 people will be in attendance at the service, but it will be streamed online.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to present a eulogy at the service.
The service will follow instructions 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
RECORDED | The funeral service of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Mourners from across the world will remember the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu at an official state funeral held at the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town on Saturday morning.
Tutu, the last surviving SA 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.
The service is expected to start at 10am and will be attended by several high-profile politicians.
Only 100 people will be in attendance at the service, but it will be streamed online.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to present a eulogy at the service.
The service will follow instructions 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
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