A group of priests in black robes have arrived at the Milnerton home of the late Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu, to pay their respects.
Tutu died on Sunday in Cape Town. He was 90. A Category 1 State Funeral will take place for Tutu on Saturday.
The priests who have visited the Tutu home in Cape Town include former Presidents of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), Mvume Dandala and Peter Storey.
The Reverend Storey was President of the SACC when Tutu was its General Secretary. He says Tutu will be missed across the globe.
“There are people through the world saying ‘thank you God for this man, who was small in stature but had a heart, so good he embraced everyone, everywhere, every oppressed, every poor person, every person struggling with pain or guilt, every person living under cruel regimes’. Everywhere in the world people like that are saying our champion has left us.”
Mourners arrive at Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s home to pay their last respects:
Tutu’s concern over the status quo
Meanwhile, Tutu’s family says he should be celebrated for his selflessness, but also be remembered for the agony that befell him, during his last days of life.
The family says the Archbishop was not happy about the current state of governance, where some residents are still deprived of basic services, such as water and housing.
Chairperson of the Desmond and Leah Foundation Niclas Kjellström-Matseke has emphasised that, while the man many described as a moral campus had retired from public life and commentary, he kept tabs on what was happening.
“He felt the pain of the people. There is no doubt he also felt the pain of the people in the old [olden days] but even here and now. He felt the pain in the recent weeks, in the recent months and in the recent years and that is the huge challenge for this country to organise itself,” says Kjellström-Matseke.
Discussion | Reflecting on Archbishop Tutu’s Legacy and Leadership:
