Tutu mural defaced

The mural of Desmond Tutu in Longmarket Street has been defaced. (Please note the offensive word has been blurred out) Picture: Saamwiet Moos

The mural of Desmond Tutu in Longmarket Street has been defaced. (Please note the offensive word has been blurred out) Picture: Saamwiet Moos

Published Sep 25, 2021

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The mural of archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town CBD, has been defaced with the k-word.

The colourful display of the South African Anglican cleric is located near Newspaper House, home to Weekend Argus.

Cape Town videographers Wesley Fester and Saamwiet Moos made the shocking discovery on Saturday afternoon. The pair say they had just returned from a lunch meeting in the city. "At first we couldn't believe our eyes," said Fester.

Moos said: "We had to do a double take. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. And then I stopped Wesley and said, check what someone did here.We were baffled. It took us a bit of time to process it. And then we filmed it."

Both cameramen posted video clips on their Youtube pages.

Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate has been praised worldwide for his tireless work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. And his relationship with Cape Town is also well documented. Tutu was elected as the city's first black Anglican bishop in 1986.

Moos added: "It's not like the Arch has a questionable past. So it is a bad reflection on whoever wrote it (the k-word on the mural) and how that person sees him and the role he (Tutu) played. And that made it more shocking. The person who the Arch is, you wouldn't expect anyone to refer to him like that."

Tutu was made a patron of National Braai Day in 2007, a day that coincides with Heritage Day. He retired from public life three years later.

Tutu will turn 90 on October 7.

Weekend Argus

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