A good shepherd remembered

by Letters Editor · July 19, 2012

From Fr Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, Pretoria

Bishop Mogale Paul Nkumishe, who died at 74 on June 29, and I first met as students at St Peter�s seminary, near Pietermaritzburg. At the end of 1963 the seminary was relocated to Hammans-kraal, and this is where we both completed our studies. As a student, young Paul was a quiet, studious and friendly fellow.

The last photo of Bishop Nkumishe in public. (Photo: Mathibela Sebothoma)

It was during these formative years that he showed a lot of interest in the development of young people, some of whom he later recruited to the priesthood. Since we were not in the same class, we did not compete with one another academically, though we did compete on the tennis court.

Thanks to the Dominican Fathers we were deeply inspired by the Second Vatican Council. I would boldly claim that my contemporaries at St Peter�s were typical products of Vatican II. It was not surprising therefore that progressive black priests and religious began to take seriously the challenges of injustice and the denial of human rights in our country. They felt that the Church needed to oppose the apartheid state more vigorously, as well as within its institutions.

Barely five years into the priesthood, Fr Nkumishe witnessed a massive protest march that was led by five black Catholic priests in Pretoria. While he was not one of the leaders, he and his colleagues were very supportive of the grounds for the march. That development led to the formation of the Black Priest Solidarity Group (BPSG), which was eventually joined by many black priests.

When we launched the BPSG, we elected Fr Nkhumishe as its first president, in absentia. He never chaired any of its formal meetings, much to the amusement of everybody. Typical of Paul, he preferred a low profile participation in the affairs of the BPSG. Everybody who knew him respected his decision. We all knew that he would support our cause in every way possible, except to lead it nationally.

Bishop Nkhumishe was honest almost to a fault; he had an infectious smile and was very principled. He was a man of his word and was courageous. He will be remembered for his ground-breaking decision for allowing his priest�myself�to become South Africa�s first Catholic priest to go into parliament.

Although canon law gave him the authority to do so under certain circumstances, it took a lot of courage and humility to exercise that right. He took some flak for doing so, but he stuck to his guns.

When we parted he said he was hopeful that I would carry my priestly ministry into that challenging environment.

I had occasion to visit Bishop Nkumishe before he died. He was very ill in the intensive care unit of a Pretoria hospital. Although in pain, he still managed to smile and make jokes. When his relatives joined us, I insisted that he should give us his blessing to prove that he is still our shepherd. He grinned and said: �Pat, I thought you should be giving me your blessing� (for some strange reason he never called me Smangaliso, but always Pat).

Fr Mathibela Sebothoma later administered the anointing of the sick and Holy Communion. It was humbling for us as priests ministering to our bishop and leader. Yet he was grateful towards our small gesture.

Fr Nkhumishe leaves behind a record of someone who was a great priest, pastor, bishop and a leader of the people. He exercised his ministry at a time when the apartheid regime had gone completely demonic, but he was fortunate that he did witness the transformation of South Africa from tyranny to freedom.

May his soul rest in peace.