User:David Barritt/Sandbox

Bishop Mvumelwano "Mvume" DANDALA

South African Mvume Dandala is known and respected worldwide as a peacemaker, visionary church leader, and passionate advocate for African social justice.

He has also spoken out about high levels of violence in South Africa, taking the view that poverty and hunger are root causes of crime and saying that the government should review the amount of money spent on weapons and redirect efforts towards resolving basic economic needs.

He has deep concerns about the pace of land reform in South Africa saying as far back as 2001 that in the context of land invasions and unrest then that there can be no can be no peace in the country unless poor people have access to land where they can live safely. At that time he called for a land summit to address the issue of homeless and inadequately housed people.

He was an early supporter of government provision of free anti-retroviral drugs to people living with HIV-Aids.

Mvume was born on October 26, 195l, the son of the Reverend Killion Dandala, a Methodist minister in the small village of Dandalaville (named after his great grandfather), in Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape, the last born in a family of four children.

He attended Ndamase High School, near Umtata before attending the Federal Theological Seminary in Alice where he became the local chairman of the South African Students’ Organization (SASO), and thus foremost in the exploration of black and liberation theology. Developing programmes to assist communities with basic amenities like dams, school and clinics, this proved to be more than merely an intellectual exploration, but instead became deeply entrenched in his character and a worldview which he continues to expound.

He has an MA in Theology from the University of Cambridge. In 2003 the University of Transkei granted him an honorary doctorate in Philosophy and in 2005 he was granted an honorary doctorate in Theology from Cameroon’s Protestant University.

He became a minister of the Methodist Church in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal in 1978, a post he held until 1982. While at Empangeni he was faced with the three-fold challenge of helping develop one of the Methodist Church’s first racially integrated circuits; developing ministries to young people at the surrounding high schools and at the University of Zululand; and, develop ministries to the very poor rural communities of Northern KwaZulu/Natal. Mvume has always sought to emphasise the need for self-reliance among the poor and his leadership and mobilization gifts came to the fore at this stage of his ministry and resulted in opening new markets for the produce of these communities locally in Johannesburg, and internationally in Sweden.

From 1983 to 1985 he was Superintendent Minister of the North Circuit of the Methodist Church in Port Elizabeth, at the time the largest Circuit of the MCSA.

In Port Elizabeth he participated in reconciliation ministries among warring political factions and helped in establishing three pre-school centres in New Brighton, Zwide and Motherwell. He also played a pivotal role in finding solutions to the black education crisis there.

Port Elizabeth was one of the key areas from which the liberation movements drew their greatest support, thereby placing it under the constant surveillance of the apartheid regime. Mvume led the Methodist community into a formidable ecumenical partnership with other churches through the Interdenominational African Minister’s Association (IDAMASA) of Port Elizabeth. The key challenge was to help stop the communities from self-destructing ???activities whilst at the same time, keeping an eye on the goal of freedom. Not surprisingly, Mvume as one of the leaders landed behind bars for a spell during the first state of emergency in July 1985.

He was General Mission Secretary of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa from 1986 to 1991. At the Missions department, Mvume was instrumental in launching the Malihambe Missions - one of the church’s most imaginative evangelism thrusts. This initiative achieved what at the time was unthinkable and politically untenable, by taking ministers in pairs across the racial divides and sending them out to witness together to the gospel in which all men and women are equal! This exposed people to social situations with which they were unfamiliar and effectively prepared them for life in a free society.

He was superintendent minister of the Central Methodist Mission from 1992 to 1996 A high point of his career was the convening of the Institute for Evangelism both for the Southern African Methodist Churches and later a Pan African Institute for Evangelism for the Methodist churches in Africa held in Nairobi 1994. These experiences led to further involvement with the Methodist Church continentally, culminating in the founding of the Pan African Methodist Leader’s Consultation which is held bi-annually in various countries on the continent.

The significant role he plays as Moderator of the Joint Working Group of the Roman Catholic Church/World Council of Churches is further evidence of his strong ecumenical commitment. ??? At the Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, Mvume’s outstanding mediation and conflict resolution skills were in great demand and were tested to the maximum during the preparation for the political transition in the late ‘nineties. He found himself having to be at the forefront of helping to reduce violence in order to create an atmosphere where elections could happen peacefully. This led – in the years directly after the elections - to his playing a critical role in the disarmament of the ANC’s Self Defence Units and Inkatha’s Self Protection Units in the Eastern Areas of Johannesburg.

Specifically in the hostel violence, the name Dandala became synonymous with peace brokering. This in turn meant extensive involvement in peace monitoring and the retraining of youth for peaceful existence.

In 1996 Mvume was appointed the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa – the highest office in the church. His leadership qualities were confirmed when he was appointed for two further terms. In this period he was chairperson of the Johannesburg Housing Company.

In 1998 he was appointed President of the South African Council of Churches and again the following year for a second term in office.

From 1998 to 2003 he was president of the World Council of Churches. In 2003 he became General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC). His term ended in December 2008.

He became Prior of the Order of St John in South Africa in 1999. The Order of St John is a major international charity which is providing first aid, care and support services in 42 countries around the world. It is also an Order of Chivalry with some 25,000 members worldwide. The Order's charitable activities are delivered through the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and St John Ambulance worldwide. With staff and volunteers the Order numbers around 250,000.

Bishop Dandala has received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions for the benefit of South Africa. He holds the:

•	Silver Order of the Grand Counsellor of the Baobab for excellence. (2002) The Order of the Baobab is awarded to South African citizens for distinguished service in the fields of business and the economy, science, medicine, and for technological innovation and community service. •	the Methodist Church of Southern Africa Peace Award (1994) •	Italy’s Golden Dove Peace Award (1994) •	Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellowship Award for excellence (1994) •	Leadership Recognition & Affirmation Award (1993) WHO AWARDS THIS •	Peace Hero (1993) WHO AWARDS THIS? •	Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Services Award (1993) The award is presented annually by Africare, an American non-profit orgsanisation to recognize those whose work has made a significant impact on raising the standard of living in Africa.

Dandala married Phumzile Dandala on 15 12 1973. Their daughter Gqibelo is a banker and their son Hlomla is a filmmaker. For recreation he writes poetry