'Sisulu epitomised altruism'
2003-05-17 19:00
Johannesburg - The late ANC struggle hero Walter Sisulu epitomised the characteristic of altruism, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said on Saturday.
Delivering the sermon at Sisulu's official funeral service at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, he said Sisulu's altruism led him to do things for others, not for self-aggrandisement.
The service was to celebrate "a wonderful life lived humbly and unselfishly on behalf of others".
The best tribute South Africans could pay to Sisulu was to invoke the spirit of altruism, and not to amass power and wealth for oneself only.
God wanted all South Africans to become caring, sharing and compassionate people, Tutu said.
Sisulu died at his home in Linden, Johannesburg on May 5. He was one of many ANC leaders who fought for the end of apartheid, and had spent years in prison with Mandela during the struggle.
He would have turned 91 on Sunday - the day after his burial.
- SAPA