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Zimbabwe Briefing Issue 43
Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition
(SA Regional Office)
September 15, 2011
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Accolades
for Bishop Verryn & Elinor Sisulu
My dream is that somehow South Africans and Zimbabweans create relationships
of such a nature that the Limpopo river is no longer a border but
all it is, is a source of water and food,." These were the
words spoken by Bishop Paul Verryn as he received his award, a recognition
for his work on Democracy and Human Rights in Zimbabwe presented
to him by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) last Friday in
the border town of Musina.
CiZC hosted
the awards ceremony to honour and acknowledge human rights activists
who have who have worked tirelessly to ensure that Zimbabweans in
South Africa are given their dignity and their rights are respected.
Bishop Verryn, who attended the colourful ceremony, received the
award along with renowned author and activist, Elinor Sisulu. Since
2003 Elinor Sisulu has been advising on projects on democracy and
human rights in Zimbabwe. She is a Zimbabwean-born writer, human
rights activist and political analyst and was also pivotal in establishing
the presence of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition in South Africa.
(please see the accompanying speech by the latter).
Bishop Verryn,
in his acceptance speech, began by apologising for the criminalisation
of Zimbabweans and the xenophobic attacks they have suffered at
the hands of some South Africans. "I want to apologise for
what [other] South Africans have done in criminalising Zimbabweans
and further traumatising an already traumitised people," he
said remorsefully.
He stressed
the need to continuously restore and reaffirm the dignity of people,
especially the poor and the downtrodden in society, saying without
that, we could never comprehend what it is like to be part of a
nation or broader society. At the Central Methodist Church, Bishop
Paul Verryn has for years provided a haven for indigent and transient
people of Zimbabwe. He has worked tirelessly to provide shelter
for Zimbabweans living in South Africa and has played a leading
role in administering to the welfare and needs of desperate Zimbabwean
and other refugees in the South African city of Johannesburg.
Various representatives
from leading civil society organisations which work closely with
CiZC and present at the awards ceremony made Bishop Verryn and Elinor
Sisulu, gave moving testimonies of the work carried out by the two
activists. And, although she did not speak officially, the mayor
of Musina, Councillor Carol Phiri attended the event in support
of the recognition of both Verryn and Sisulu. Perhaps the most earnest
statement of the night was uttered by the Bishop himself when he
stated that he viewed his opening up of the Central Methodist Church
as a privilege because he had been exposed to priceless human relationships
with people who had walked through the doors of the church. He urged
South Africans to open their eyes and accept the skills Zimbabweans
have brought to the country. "One of the most profound ways
of abusing human rights is not to expose the gifts that are in people,"
he said.
The award ceremony
kick-started South Africa's first-ever Zimbabwe Human Rights
Arts Festival which sought to raise awareness of and highlight various
issues affecting Zimbabweans migrants.
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