Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s statue unveiled

A statue of the late South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu wearing a Palestinian scarf has been unveiled in Cape Town to symbolise his support for the Palestinian cause.

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said the statue would be temporarily on show until the bombing of Gaza stops.

Israel says it is trying to eliminate Hamas, which launched an attack on Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,300 people and taking some 240 others back to Gaza as hostages.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 23,350 people – mostly women and children – have been killed by Israel in the war.

Archbishop Tutu was an outspoken critic of Israel’s policies towards Palestinians which he likened to the actions of the apartheid authorities in South Africa.

The governing ANC party has also long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause.

At the Interactional Court of Justice in The Hague on Friday, Israel has been defending itself against South Africa’s accusation that it is carrying out a genocide in Gaza.

It said South Africa has distorted the truth and that it had presented “a sweeping counter-factual description” of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.