Geordin Hill-Lewis Cape Town Desmond Tutu

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis speaks at Desmond Tutu’s interfaith service
Photo sourced via Twitter @CityofCT

Desmond Tutu: ‘He was the greatest Capetonian,’ says Hill-Lewis

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis noted that Archbishop Desmond Tutu was fond of the city, having lived there for decades

Geordin Hill-Lewis Cape Town Desmond Tutu

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis speaks at Desmond Tutu’s interfaith service
Photo sourced via Twitter @CityofCT

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis had nothing but high praise for the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, when he spoke at an interfaith service hosted by the city on Wednesday, 29 December.

The service was attended by a number of prominent figures, including Public Works Minister Patricia De Lille, as well members of the Tutu family. The service was also livestreamed on Facebook and Youtube.

Tutu passed away in Cape Town at age 90 on Sunday, 26 December. He will be cremated then his ashes will be interred at the St. George’s Cathedral on Saturday, New Year’s Day.

Making reference to his activism during the struggle, Hill-Lewis said Tutu worked faithfully for a country of justice and mutual respect, even though he could not see it.

“The large part of his ministry was spent under oppression, harried and harassed, as he persevered in his service, and in so doing kept faith and hope alive for South Africa’s future. He always believed that a better future was possible, even if not yet visible,” Hill-Lewis said.

MAYOR: CAPE TOWN WELCOMED DESMOND TUTU

Geordin Hill-Lewis noted that Archbishop Desmond Tutu was rather fond of Cape Town, having lived in the city for more than 32 years together with his wife Leah. The mayor lauded Tutu for setting an example for fellow residents – even describing him as perhaps the “greatest Capetonian.”

 “As he did, we must keep the faith, keep working, and keep holding ourselves to a higher moral standard for a more just, more dignified, more loving future for our country. In Cape Town we take this higher purpose deeply personally and seriously”

“It inspires us daily, and it is why we regard it as a profound honour to be able to be of service to his family and to the Church at this time, in celebration and remembrance of the greatest Capetonian”

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis

The mayor says when other cities spurned him after he won the Nobel Prize in 1984, it was Cape Town who welcomed him home.

As for us in Cape Town, we thank him for his wonderful example, and we know – we know – that the future he worked for is still possible, it is still attainable, and that we will dedicate ourselves in hope for that brighter future, in faith to work for that future every day here, and in love for one another to deliver us to that future,” he said.