Global icon Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was so much against any display of violence and opulence that he made sure his funeral would be kept simple with no gun salute.
Tutu will be laid to rest with a special official funeral category 1 which will be led by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, Western Cape, on Saturday.
Preparations for his funeral began six years ago with a committee that would co-ordinate it being established.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa, who is part of the committee, told Sowetan this week that the team held several meetings with the Tutus over the years where details of the icon's wishes were discussed.
Holomisa said initially the Arch, as he was affectionately known, did not want a lavish send-off, let alone a state funeral, and it would take them months for him to agree to the idea.
“He was completely against being buried with a state funeral. He was against fancy things and displays of luxury. We eventually reduced the funeral proceedings to a minimum, including limiting the role of the army, for the Arch to concede,” Holomisa said.
“He made his intentions clear that he did not want any gun salutes at his funeral, hence the army’s role will only be restricted to the handing over of the flag to his widow on Saturday. The government will take the cue from the family and not the other way around.”
In accordance with Tutu's wishes, this week the presidency announced that the army's role will be restricted to the handing over of the national flag to his widow, Leah.
Ordinarily, a category 1 state funeral features a heavy presence of armed soldiers who would perform a 21-gun salute.
“The MpiloPlan document is a reality. It was created back then. We had to be prepared because we knew how big his funeral would be. The committee would meet every time we got a message that he was sick. We’d meet to revise our strategy and to check if all of us [members] are still alive and would be able to carry out our duties,” said Holomisa.
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town and the police have cordoned off streets surrounding the cathedral until on Saturday night and will deploy extra security to limit movement in the area and to enforce Covid-19 restrictions.
Only 100 mourners, who will include global leaders, will be allowed inside due to the pandemic.
Dean of St George's Cathedral Rev Michael Weeder said all 100 attendees would be expected to register from today at a centre near the cathedral and get a unique number which they will have to produce when they enter the cathedral on Saturday. The number will also be scanned at the door for verification.
“Even I would be turned away at the door if I don’t have this number despite having worked here [at the cathedral] for years. Protocol will be very strict because we will be hosting all three tiers of government and we also have to observe the Covid-19 protocols.
“We have been preparing for this moment for about six years now and things have changed along the way according to Archbishop Tutu’s wishes and now with the presence of Covid. He [Tutu] would have been proud of us for giving him a decent celebration,” said Weeder.
Tutu’s remains have been lying at the cathedral since on Thursday for public viewing. A memorial service will be held at St Mary's Cathedral in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, at 10am today.
His funeral service will start at 10am and will be broadcast by mainstream media and live streamed on various social media platforms.
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