Desmond Tutu statue with keffiyeh will be built Cape Town

A statue of Archbishop Desmond Tutu wearing a Palestinian scarf will be put up in Cape Town from Friday to symbolise his decades-long work championing justice for Palestinians, his foundation said.

The late Nobel peace laureate’s “life-size statue” will be temporarily on show “until the bombing of Gaza stops”, the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said on Thursday.

“He was an outspoken critic of the State of Israel’s policies and treatment of Palestine and Palestinians, which he likened to the policies and actions of apartheid South Africa,” the foundation said.

The announcement comes as lawyers for Pretoria present their case at the UN’s top court in The Hague after the country lodged an urgent appeal to force Israel to “immediately suspend” military operations in Gaza.

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

The country has cut off diplomatic ties with Israel over its response to the deadly 7 October Hamas attacks.

Tutu’s statue will be on display on the balcony of his foundation’s headquarters.