Mvume Dandala
Encyclopedia
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa is a member church of the World Methodist Council.Methodism in Southern Africa began as a result of lay Christian work by an Irish soldier of the English Regiment, John Irwin, who was stationed at the Cape and began to hold prayer meetings as early as 1795...
and a former head of the All Africa Council of Churches. He was the presidential candidate of the COPE in the 2009 South African general elections
South African general election, 2009
South Africa held national and provincial elections to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each province on 22 April 2009....
.
Background
Mvume was born on October 26, 1951, the son of the Reverend Killion Dandala, a Methodist minister in the small village of Dandalaville (named after his great grandfather), in Mount AyliffMount Ayliff
Mount Ayliff is a small town in the eastern Eastern Cape province of South Africa, near that province's border with KwaZulu-Natal. In the census of 2001, its population was recorded as being 4,881 people, of whom 98% described themselves as "Black African", and 96% spoke Xhosa as their first...
in South Africa's Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, the last born of four children.
He was a pupil at Ndamase High School, near Umtata before attending the Federal Theological Seminary in Alice
Alice, Eastern Cape
Alice, a town in South Africa, is named after Princess Alice, daughter of the British Queen Victoria. Many of the current political leaders in South Africa were educated at the University of Fort Hare, also the alma mater of former President Nelson Mandela...
where he became the local chairman of the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO) where he was involved in the exploration of black and liberation theology and in developing programmes to assist communities with basic amenities such as dams, schools and clinics.
1980s
He has an MA in TheologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
He became a minister of the Methodist Church of southern Africa (MCSA) in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
in 1978, a post he held until 1982.
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. In July 1985 when South Africa declared a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
he was detained without trial.
From 1986 to 1991 he was General Mission Secretary of the MCSA. At the Missions department, Mvume was instrumental in launching the Malihambe Missions, what was at the time a dangerous policy of sending black and white ministers to work in pairs.
1990s
He was superintendent minister of the Central Methodist Mission from 1992 to 1996, during which he convened 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. This culminated in the founding of the Pan African Methodist Leader’s Consultation, which is held bi-annually.At the Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, Mvume’s mediation and conflict resolution skills were in great demand 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 African National Congress's (ANC) Self Defence Units and the Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP) Self Protection Units in the Eastern Areas of Johannesburg.
In 1996 Dandala was appointed the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa – the highest office in the church. He was subsequently appointed for two further terms.
In 1998 he was appointed President of the South African Council of Churches and again the following year for a second term in office.
2000s
In 2003 the University of TranskeiUniversity of Transkei
University of Transkei was situated in the former Transkei region of South Africa...
granted him an honorary doctorate in Philosophy.
In 2003 he became general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC). His term ended in December 2008.
In May, 2004, he led an AACC delegation to Sudan. His subsequent reportback urged Sudan government to help end hostilities and human rights violations in Darfur, urged the world to keep the whole Sudan in focus beyond Darfur, and said there were strong grounds for investigating and monitoring reports of crime against humanity in Sudan. 1999 to 2009 he was Prior of the Order of St John in South Africa.
He was granted an honorary doctorate in Theology from Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
’s Protestant University in 2005.
Awards
- Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Services Award (1993) The award is presented annually by Africare, an American non-profit organisation to recognize those whose work has made a significant impact on raising the standard of living in Africa.
- the Methodist Church of Southern Africa Peace Award (1994)
- Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellowship Award for excellence (1994)
- Silver Order of the Grand Counsellor of the BaobabOrder of the BaobabThe Order of the Baobab is a South African honour. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the president of South Africa for service to South Africa in the following fields: business and the economy, science, medicine and technological innovation, and community service...
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.
Family
Dandala married Phumzile Dandala on 15 December 1973. His son is former Isidingo star Hlomla DandalaHlomla Dandala
Hlomla Dandala is a South African actor, television presenter and director. He is best known for his roles as Derek Nyathi in Isidingo , title character Jacob Makhubu in Jacob's Cross , and host of All You Need Is Love from 2002-2003.Hlomla is the son of Mvume Dandala and has a sister Gqibelo...
who was one of the first celebrities to come out in support of Cope. He also has a daughter, Gqibelo, a banker. His lawyer niece Thobeka was a founding member of the Cope’s leadership institute.