NOT AN ORDINARY MAN

 

An example of an “ordinary” man, whose love of Christ was so great, he was willing to battle against the evils of his day.

BL. BENEDICT DASWA (his full name was Samuel Tshimangadzo, meaning miracle or wonder)  was born in 1946 the eldest of five children, four sons and one daughter, in the small village of Mbahe about 20 kms from Thohoyandou, the capital of the old Venda “Homeland” in the Province of Limpopo. Limpopo is a South African province bordering Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It's known for bushveld and wildlife reserves, including part of Kruger National Park. West of the Kruger are the craggy Blouberg mountains and Makgabeng Plateau with ancient rock art. Near the provincial capital Polokwane are the fossil-rich caves of Makapansgat dating back to early hominids

 Venda is often referred to as “the land of a hundred streams” because of its fertile land and good rainfall. It is a scenically beautiful part of the country with its rolling hills and deep valleys, its lush vegetation and areas of raw, rugged landscape. It was one of the ten tribal areas called Homelands or Bantustans where Africans had limited self-government over areas such as education, health, courts, police, prisons and social services. The Homelands comprised less than fifteen percent of the country. They were one of the main pillars of the racist apartheid system which became government policy in 1948 when Benedict was only a two years old.

For the millions of people who were not part of the White race there was the daily humiliation and injustice of being victims of racial segregation and discrimination on a grand scale. One of the African Catholic Bishops from this country used to say, “I never feel I’m a free person until I step outside South Africa”. This is the South Africa into which Bl. Benedict was born and in which he lived his whole life.

His family belonged to the Jewish Lemba tribe in rural Limpopo, the northernmost province of South Africa. He grew up observing Jewish customs, then converted to Catholicism and was baptized in the Church at the age of 17. He took the name Benedict after the sixth century monk and after Benedict Risimati, his catechist who instructed him in his faith as a teen.  His birthday immediately brings to mind the uprising against the Apartheid government in 1976 in which many young people lost their lives. It is now kept as a public holiday called Youth Day.

At first glance, what strikes one most about Benedict Daswa is how ordinary he was. He came from a family that was poor but not destitute. Like many boys in rural South Africa at a young age he became a herd boy before going to school and eventually becoming a teacher and a school principal. He was the father of eight who helped build a parish.

 The reality is that for those who knew him well, while he was just an ordinary young man in so many ways, he was also an extraordinary man. He was an exceptional human being. He was a deeply committed Christian totally in love with the Lord Jesus Christ and with the human family.

He lived a saintly life and died a martyr’s death. Father Benoit Gueye MSC, the parish priest of Thohoyandou, calls Bl. Benedict a role model, “I am always saying to the people here ‘don’t forget that from among you God chose a role model for all Christianity. From this far place, that’s where God went and picked his role model. This was a simple man who was a witness to Jesus in the world and was willing to die for that.”

 The Church has now added Benedict Daswa to this growing list of modern Saints and Martyrs in Africa. Like the Martyrs of Uganda, Benedict has left us many good lessons for the moral formation of our members and especially the Catholic youth. He is also an inspiration to the wider society in which many people are struggling for inner liberation from the fear and suffering caused by the practice of witchcraft.

In January 1990, the Venda area of northern South Africa experienced unusually heavy rain and lightning. Lightning struck a number of huts in the area, prompting the headman of Mbahe village to convene his council to discuss their concerns, as many villagers did not regard this as a natural phenomenon. Benedict was secretary to this council, but was not involved in the discussion. The council concluded that someone had to be responsible for the erratic weather and that therefore, a traditional healer had to be consulted in order to identify the culprit. A financial contribution of five South African rands was required from all the villagers to pay the healer’s consultation fee. At the time, Benedict  was headmaster of a primary school, a position which in many rural settings in Africa commands great influence and respect. He spoke out against the witch-hunt and refused to pay the fee, immediately earning himself enemies.

On the evening of February 2, 1990 (the same day that South African President F.W. de Klerk announced the unconditional release of Nelson Mandela from prison), Benedict  was attacked by a mob of young men while trying to clear a road of fallen trees. The mob began stoning the car he was driving and injured him. The bleeding saint escaped on foot and found a house to hide him, but eventually the owner of the house, fearing for her safety, revealed his whereabouts to the mob. Having found Benedict, the violent crowd sang and chanted while taunting him, beat him up with clubs, poured boiling water on him, and left him dead. His final words, reportedly, echoed those of Christ on the Cross: “God, into your hands receive my spirit.”

About 30,000 people, including Blessed Daswa's eight children and his 91-year-old mother, attended the beatification at his shrine in his home village of Tshitanini, more than 100 miles northeast of Tzaneen. Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, concelebrated the Mass with many bishops and priests.

Millions of Catholics in Africa are believed to have followed the ceremony on television. Daswa is the first South Africa-born Catholic to be beatified.

Bishop Joao Rodrigues of Tzaneen praised Dawsa (using his full name), saying that "by his courage and his fidelity to the Catholic faith, Tshimangadzo Samuel Benedict Daswa is a model for all the people in Africa."

Pope Francis  declared February 1 as Blessed Benedict Daswa's feast day.