By Fr. Zweli Mlotshwa OMI
Fr. Zweli is currently working in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg, South Africa. He previously worked as a missionary to Zimbabwe.
My name is Tshimagadzo Samual Daswa. I was given these names by an
important man in my life, my father. Later in life when I met or rather encountered
another important man I got a new name, Benedict, the name I chose when I got
baptized in the Catholic Church. I was born in 1946 and died tragically in 1990.
I am a man from a small village in South Africa. I am born of a small tribe and
my people are the Lemba clan.
It seems as if my life began when
I died or rather when I was bludgeoned to death by an angry, vengeful, faceless
mob from my own village for refusing to participate and be associated with a witch-hunt.
During an unusual spell of bad weather, elders in my village demanded each
family contribute five South African Rand (less than one US dollar) to hire a sangoma (traditional healer) who would identify
the witch in our midst. It seems the small things in life followed me: five
South African Rand is really a small amount, not even enough to buy a loaf of
bread. But that tiny amount which I refused to pay led to my death.
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Fr. Mohohlo Patrick Maselwane OMI (left) with priests and parishioners from Soweto attending a beautification mass for martyr Benedict Daswa – South Africa (Photo courtesy of Fr. Mohohlo Patrick Maselwane OMI)
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Why did this simple man from a
small village and with little faith refuse to pay this insignificant amount?
Well, that has to do with how I lived. I
did the ordinary things in life; I did my best to be a good father to my
children and good husband to my wife. These are basic things, yet a challenge
in our modern society where the concept of family is diminishing. Even in our
small village we see the breakdown of families. Thus, something as innate as being
a responsible father and husband has become challenging. I kept to ordinary
things and did them well.
I trained and qualified as a
teacher and yes, you guessed right. I was a teacher for the little ones. I taught
at the primary school level shaping little minds to think big. The little ones
followed me wherever I went. I was involved in community life and managed the
local soccer team. Through sports I tried to instill order and discipline in the
minds of young boys so they did not find themselves in serious matters bigger
than them; like prison, alcohol, and becoming young unwed fathers.
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| Fr. Mohohlo Patrick Maselwane OMI (left) with parishioner from Soweto attending a beautification mass for martyr Benedict Daswa – South Africa (pictured in background) (Photo courtesy of Fr. Mohohlo Patrick Maselwane OMI) |
The little things in life matter
and they matter more when done with love and dedication. This was how I lived
my life and through that I realized that people came to respect me and value my
humble opinion. However, when I tried to persuade members of my village to
preserve life and not engage in a witch-hunt, my opinion was dismissed. I so
infuriated them that they killed me. Early in my life I had encountered Jesus
and believed strongly that he, the Lord of life, calls us not to destroy life
but to give and be life. Thus, in his name I refused to be part of the
witch-hunt and tried to convince others to do the same, but it was not to be.
What do I say to those who say my
death was in vain, that witch-hunts still continue, not only in my village but
in countless other places within my country and across the African continent? I
would say it is not just the issues we prevent but the issues we stand for. My
life becomes an example to young African men that your children may not
understand the sacrifices you make for them, but they will respect you for the
strength you exude as a man with values.
Thus, it was on the overcast Sunday
of 13 September 2015 that people from far and big cities like Cape Town, Durban
and Johannesburg came to the small village of Tshitanini, to witness an
historic occasion whereby the Church, which welcomed me as a teenager, conducted
a Beatification ceremony to designate me ‘Benedict; Blessed Servant’, a first
for the Church in southern Africa. I,
the ordinary man from a little village with little faith became like a mustard
seed that grew to be a big shrub, and many came to rest in my shade.
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| Fr. Zweli Mlotshwa OMI |
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