Johannesburg, 16 September, 2025 / 10:00 PM
At the 10th anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Benedict Daswa, South Africa’s first potential saint, a Catholic Priest has highlighted the virtues of courage and prayerfulness and the spiritual gift of apostleship in the late teacher murdered for denouncing witchcraft.
In his homily during the September 13 celebration in South Africa’s Catholic Diocese of Tzaneen, Fr. Jacques Antoine Yakeng challenged the pilgrims at Nweli, the place where Blessed Daswa's remains were transferred in 2015 and are currently buried in the Assumption of Mary Parish church, to draw strength from his Christian faith witness and to reflect deeply on the meaning of martyrdom in today’s world.
“Today, we gather here at Nweli to give thanks to the Lord for the powerful testimony of Blessed Benedict Daswa. He was a model of courage, an apostle of life, a man of prayer, and a man who loved the Church so much that he would do anything for it,” Fr. Yakeng said during the Eucharistic celebration that was held at Our Lady of the Assumption Nweli Parish of Tzaneen Diocese, where Blessed Daswa reportedly lived, prayed from and ultimately laid down his life for Christ.
The member of the Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) noted that the celebration was not about glorifying death but about rejoicing in the victory of life through the person of Jesus Christ.
He reminded the people of God that authentic believers are called to live with integrity and righteousness even in adversity.
“Powerlessness rather than power, shame rather than honour, poverty rather than prosperity,” Fr. Yakeng said, “are often the price of authentic faith.”
He compared Blessed Daswa’s faith witness to the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies to bear much fruit. He said, “Our brother Daswa shed his blood not out of heroism but out of love. Faith was not a garment he wore on special occasions; it was the very fabric of his life.”
September 13 marked the 10 years since Blessed Benedict Daswa was beatified to become the first martyr in the Catholic Church in South Africa. A miracle recognized by the Catholic Church is needed before Blessed Daswa is declared a Saint.
Blessed Daswa was a teacher from Limpopo, Northern South Africa. He was killed by fellow villagers for his lack of belief in witchcraft, which he considered to be against the teachings of Jesus Christ. He was aged 43.
Born on 16 June 1946 as Tshimangadzo Samuel Daswa to the Jewish Lemba tribe in rural Limpopo, the Northernmost Province of South Africa, he adopted the name Benedict upon converting from Judaism.
An account of his life indicates that a November 1989 storm accompanied by lightning strikes hit Daswa’s village, with a similar catastrophe being experienced three months later.
The village elders believed that the lightning catastrophe was caused by magic and thus demanded a financial contribution from each village to pay a “sangoma (traditional healer)” who would “sniff out” the witch.
Daswa, a staunch Catholic and non-believer in the magic narrative, refused to pay the tax, insisting that the lightning was a natural phenomenon.
While driving back home from a family errand on 2 February 1990 at 7.30 p.m., he found the road blocked by fallen trees. As he removed the trees, a group of young men who had waylaid him in a nearby bush ambushed him and started stoning him.
A wounded and heavily bleeding Daswa ran to a neighbouring woman’s house for refuge, but the woman gave him up after the young men threatened to kill her. Daswa was hit on the head, and hot water was poured into his ears and nose.
As he died, he said, “God, into your hands, receive my spirit."
During his burial on 10 February 1990, celebrants wore red vestments as an indication that he died due to his attackers’ hatred for his faith.
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In his address during the September 13 anniversary Mass, Bishop João Noé Rodrigues of South Africa’s Tzaneen Diocese thanked God for this decade of grace since Daswa’s beatification and prayed for the spread of devotion to him and for his eventual canonisation as a saint of the universal Church.
“Blessed Daswa is a gift to Southern Africa and to the world. May his courage inspire us to live as true disciples of Christ,” Bishop Rodrigues said.
For pilgrims and Clergy alike, the September 13 celebration was both a thanksgiving and a call to renewed witness, those who spoke to ACI Africa testified.
“It was a great experience for me to be part of this celebration and to stand near Blessed Daswa’s relics,” Fr. Sanele Msomi from the Archdiocese of Durban told ACI Africa on the sidelines of the September 13 event.
He added, “We learned about Blessed Daswa even in the Seminary. His witness as a family man is so encouraging, because many saints we know are Priests or Nuns. Blessed Benedict Daswa shows us that we are all called to holiness.”
On his part, Fr. Yakeng expressed joy at seeing the community embrace Daswa’s legacy.
“He is a model of courage for us. I pray that after today’s celebration, we see many fruits in our Parish and a renewed involvement of Christians in the Church. God chose one of our own to be an example of holiness—this is truly a blessing,” he said.
Keba Nyathi, Coordinator of pilgrimages in the Catholic Diocese of Gaborone in Botswana, also shared how significant it was for them to be present.
“Blessed Daswa is someone the people of Southern Africa can relate to,” Mrs. Nyathi said.
She added, “He was a family man, committed to his community and to God. Instead of building his own house first, he helped build a church. That is an example of selflessness that continues to inspire us. We wanted to be here to honour his memory and draw strength from his witness.”
Kati Dijane contributed to the writing of this story
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