UMHLANGA resident and artist, Devika Pillay has paid tribute to the late Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who died last Sunday aged 90.

The funeral mass for the Archbishop is taking place at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town today.

Pillay met Archbishop Tutu on several occasions while managing Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel in Cape Town and last year showed him a charcoal drawing she made of him which he signed.

“I was fortunate to meet him and his wife Leah on a few occasions. I was profoundly saddened by his passing.
For me the Archbishop’s loss is a global bereavement. It is like losing a family member. I was struck by his compassion, dignity and his humility. He also had such a good sense of humour. When I showed him the charcoal drawing I did of him, he was blown away and very kindly signed the drawing,” she said.

Pillay, the owner of the Define Art Gallery Studio at The Pearls Mall in uMhlanga also has a piece on display at the gallery of Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama.

“They were great friends and I wanted to capture that. It was fascinating watching them get together and just be so happy. I feel all the tributes pouring in for the Archbishop spoke to the truth of how he was. He was such a happy person and oozed this aura of love wherever he went,” she said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa also paid tribute to Tutu for his role in the South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), his fight against apartheid, his work as an HIV/Aids activist, and his continued work for the attainment of universal human rights.

“We share this moment of deep loss with Mam Leah Tutu, the Archbishop’s soulmate and source of strength and insight, who has made a monumental contribution in her own right to our freedom and to the development of our democracy. We pray that Archbishop Tutu’s soul will rest in peace but that his spirit will stand sentry over the future of our nation,” the President said.

Tutu has been afforded a category one special official funeral.

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