President Cyril Ramaphosa has, as a mark of deep respect, declared that the late Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu be accorded a Special Official Funeral \u2013 Category 1.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Archbishop, who was a globally venerated theologian, anti-apartheid campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, passed away on Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Special Official Funeral will take place in St George\u2019s Cathedral, Cape Town, on New Year\u2019s Day, Saturday, 1 January 2022.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cDesmond Tutu was the first black cleric to be elected as the Bishop of Johannesburg before being inaugurated in 1986 as the first black cleric to become Archbishop of Cape Town.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also served as the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) and as Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,\u201d the Presidency said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In recognition of the late Archbishop Emeritus\u2019 distinguished life and invaluable contribution to the nation, President Ramaphosa has designated the late leader\u2019s funeral as a Special Official Funeral \u2013 Category 1.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This designation is enabled by the State, Official and Provincial Official Funeral Policy Manual.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe distinguishing features of a Special Official Funeral \u2013 Category 1 include ceremonial elements by the South African National Defence Force.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cOn this particular occasion and based on the late Archbishop\u2019s wishes, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) ceremonial content will be limited to the handing over of the National Flag to Mam Leah Tutu,\u201d the Presidency said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As part of this funeral designation, the National Flag will be half-masted throughout the country and at South African diplomatic missions worldwide from sunset on 28 December 2022 until the evening of the funeral.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The funeral will be held in compliance with the provisions of the COVID-19 health regulations that apply under Adjusted Alert Level 1 of the national state of disaster.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: South African Government News Agency<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Cyril Ramaphosa has, as a mark of deep respect, declared that the late Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu be accorded a Special Official Funeral \u2013 Category 1.The Archbishop, who was a globally venerated theologian, anti-apartheid…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n