Fans all across Mzansi will be able to pay their respects and bid a final farewell to the legendary performer when her funeral service takes place Sunday 13 June.
Monday morning South Africa woke to the devastating news that 66-year-old Shaleen Surtie-Richards had been found dead at a guest house in Cape Town. She was in the mother city to shoot scenes for the series Arendsvlei.
During her decades-long career, she won numerous awards and will always be remembered for her starring role in Egoli and for her moving portrayal of Fiela in the 1988 film Fiela se Kind.
The funeral service will take place Sunday, 13 June at Durbanville Memorial Park, Cape Town, at 14:30. Those attending the service will have to observe strict Covid-19 protocols and numbers will be limited. The service will be broadcast via a live stream on various digital platforms. Further details are to be released later this week.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to request a Special Provincial Funeral for Shaleen, and should Ramaphosa assent to the request, support will be made available for the funeral service.
In a statement to the press, the Surtie family said: “We have lost a sister, an aunt, a cousin and a niece, and we are trying to process, to come to terms and to still our broken hearts. We understand that she was not only in our hearts but in the hearts of this great nation, and we thank you for your love, support and respect as we prepare for her final curtain call."
