Archbishop Desmond Tutu to lie in state in Cape Town for two days

Published on

29 December 2021

The body of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will lie in state for an extra day at St George’s Cathedral and will now include tomorrow and Friday.

This will allow more members of the public to pay their last respects.

In a joint statement, The Archbishop Desmond Tutu IP Trust and the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said the Arch asked that his coffin be the “cheapest available”, and that he wanted no ostentatiousness or lavish spending.

The presidency announced that Tutu’s funeral, set to be held on Saturday, would be a “special category 1” official service.

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.

Liesl Smit

Liesl is the Smile 90.4FM News Manager. She has been at Smile since 2016, with nearly 20 years experience in the radio industry, including reading news, field reporting and producing. In 2008 she won the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award, Western Cape region. liesl@smile904.fm