Retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu says he was not invited to attend a state funeral for his dear friend, fellow Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela.

In a Saturday statement, Tutu said he would have loved to attend the service and say a "final farewell" to someone he "loved and treasured." However, he said it would have been "disrespectful" to Mandela to "gatecrash what had been billed as a private family funeral."

At least five thousand people, including Prince Charles, heads of state and other dignitaries, are expected to attend Mandela's funeral in his hometown of Qunu, on Sunday.

The apparent omission of an invitation has been seen by some as a snub towards the religious leader, who has been an outspoken critic of the ruling African National Congress. However, the government denies Tutu was snubbed.

A South African government spokeswoman says if Tutu wanted to attend the funeral, he should have called. The spokeswoman's statement was published by the South African Press Association .

According to SAPA, the government spokeswoman also said if Tutu had called, he would have been given accreditation. She said "There were no malicious shenanigans.".

Tutu's daughter said Saturday the archbishop would not be attending because he was not designated as an accredited clergyperson for the event. Also, Tutu's staff says he canceled a flight to the Qunu region after receiving no indication that his name was on the guest list.

Tutu and Mr. Mandela had warm relations. The former South African president appointed Archbishop Tutu to head South Africa's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In recent years, Tutu had accused the ANC of mismanagement.

He was also left off the official program at Tuesday's memorial service for Mr. Mandela. However, he was invited to speak at the podium before the service ended. [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: Economy and Finance