The body of the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will lie in state at Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral for two days from Thursday where thousands of mourners are expected to pay their last respects.
Earlier in the day, his body was carried into his beloved church in a simple pine coffin by members of the clergy.
Tutu died in Cape Town on Sunday.
Hundreds of South Africans are expected to pay their respects to him in the coming days as his body lies in state.
The Archbishop Tutu IP Trust and the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said the Archbishop was very clear on his wishes for his funeral.
“He wanted no ostentatiousness or lavish spending. 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," the two organisations said in a statement.
Mourners have been urged to donate to Tutu's foundations instead of sending flowers.
"The Tutu family would once again like to express its profound gratitude to all across the world who have sent condolences this week – and to the state for its magnificent support. This deluge of love serves to compensate, to some extent, for Covid regulations restricting the size of gatherings and the nature of the send-off our beloved Arch so richly deserves," the statement read.
The Archbishop will be cremated privately, and his ashes interred in the cathedral.
IOL