IN PICTURES | Final farewell for Shaleen Surtie-Richards

SA acting legend Shaleen Surtie-Richards was laid to rest on Sunday after a fitting final send-off at Durbanville Memorial Park in Cape Town. 

The veteran actress was found dead in a guest house in Cape Town on June 7 where she was staying during the filming of the TV series Arendsvlei. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday approved the request for Shaleen to be honoured with a category 2 special provincial funeral. 

Friends and family who spoke at the funeral service shared fond memories of how Shaleen touched lives with her “larger than life” personality. 

Michelle Surtie De Bruyn took to the podium to speak on behalf the family. She fondly referred to Shaleen as her aunt, and reminisced about how the star’s colourful personality impacted on her childhood.  

“We knew auntie Shaleen was famous but this week we found out how much she was loved. Shaleen Surtie-Richards was not a star because of the characters she played but because of her ability to inspire people to believe they could be anything they wanted.”