Times Of Swaziland: REVEREND BHEKINDLELA DIED A SAD, DEPRESSED MAN

REVEREND BHEKINDLELA DIED A SAD, DEPRESSED MAN
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Ntombi Mhlongo on 21/01/2024 15:49:00


MBABANE – “He died a sad man”.
These words were heard now and again as different speakers took turns with the
microphone to deliver speeches at a fully packed memorial service for the late
Reverend Bhekindlela Magongo, who passed away in a car accident last week. Even
though others tried to not say it openly, others stated it straight that prior
to his death, Magongo had become a depressed man and was finding it hard to deal
with challenges emanating from the tensions that have, for months, been
threatening to split the Eswatini Diocese of the Anglican Church between the
leadership and congregants at the main Cathedral of the church.
Magongo, who was the Archdeacon of the West where he was overseeing a number of
parishes, over and above being Rector of Sigangeni Parish, had been caught in
the mix of the tensions which have hogged the headlines on countless occasions
since the leader, Bishop Dalcy Badeli Dlamini, assumed leadership of the local
diocese, taking over from the late Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya in February last
year. The challenges involving the late reverend started when he was transferred
from Sigangeni to Hlatsi, something which he was unhappy about and tried to
oppose but with no success. He was also demoted from being an archdeacon and
further had his allowances cut.
Also, there were reports that he received an unfriendly letter in November last
year informing him of a possible revoking of his pastoral licence. His situation
was not unique as other senior pastors had faced the same predicament, with some
even taking the legal route, leading to fears that the church could be set for a
split. One of the speakers at the memorial, All Saints Senior Warden Lolo
Mkhabela described how Magongo arrived at All Saints following the news of his
transfer and she enquired from him how he ended up being there.
She said the reverend then explained how the move had to do with the tensions.
“I will not dwell much because I know that many of you have been following the
issue. Off late I had been engaging the reverend privately because some of us
have now become counsellors due to the issues. Our last conversation was last
Thursday, where I asked how far he had gone with the issues affecting him in the
church. He was a very sad man, I must say. He was deeply sad,” she said.
Elaborating, Mkhabela said last Sunday, she requested other congregants to come
together and pray hard for the reverend. “That was my last message to the
church. We spent four hours praying and discussing his issue. When I received
the message on Wednesday at 11am from his wife to tell me the sad news, I
recounted what had happened in the past few days,” she stated.
She mentioned that what caused the pain on the reverend was that the leadership
of the church was not willing to listen to him. She said Reverend Magongo had
confided in her how hurt he was at the fact that each time he knocked on the
doors of the leadership, he was not welcome. “I must say this today that we
need very strong conflict-resolution mechanisms in this church because we will
continue to die. We will die because of the pain of feeling like you are not
being heard. Whether the outcome is negative or positive, we must try to allow
for a platform where issues are discussed,” Mkhabela said.
She said as she was counseling the late reverend, he did inform her that he had
tried to request an audience with the executive of the church but did not
receive a response. “We are gathered here today, sadly, to commiserate about
something that should not have been. We request the leadership to listen to us
and allow congregants to use the right structures to have issues resolved. Let
us use those structures honestly and learnt to confront these tensions,” she
said. Nathi Bhembe, a friend to Magongo, also spoke of the sadness that Magongo
felt before his death due to the tensions at the church. In vernacular Bhembe
said, “Ufe abuhlungu”.
Also speaking was Reverend David Zungu, who spoke on behalf of Magongo’s
colleagues and said he was one man who forged good relationships with everyone
and hated lies and gossip. He said Magongo loved the church and always had
advice for everyone. “Magongo was concerned with the welfare of the clergy. He
would get worried whenever a senior priest was being transferred to another
region under questionable circumstances,” Zungu said. Reverend Canon Advent
Dlamini, who also spoke at the memorial service said Magongo was positive even
when the tensions seemed to be getting out of hand.
Worth noting is that Advent also had his fair share of challenges and last year,
he was investigated for allegedly being in the process of acquiring land to form
a breakaway church.
When speaking at the memorial, Advent would now and again make reference to what
both he and Magongo were going through. “Magongo loved this church so much
that not many people even realised that he was no longer with the people he was
supposed to be with. Death found him in the wilderness just like most of us. We
are encompassed by this hatred and we do not know how it came about. A lot of
things were said in the newspapers but I do not remember even once someone
explaining what I was being accused of. I am happy that Magongo was able to pour
out his heart,” Advent said.
He said recently Magongo informed him that he was no longer angry towards all
the people who were ill-treating them. Meanwhile, Maswazi Mnisi, who spoke on
behalf of the Anglican Schools Association, said they were at a loss for words
and were struggling to come to terms with the fact that the man they believed
would help restore peace was gone. Speaking on behalf of soccer giants Manzini
Wanderers Football Club was Barnabas Dlamini, who mourned for all affected by
the loss of Magongo. Dlamini made it known that Magongo was very passionate
about the soccer team. “He took a leaf from his father Bruno, who formed part
of the elders who formed the team in 1957. Bruno followed the team throughout
until he became part of the council of elders. The reverend simply followed in
the footsteps of his father. This is the biggest loss for us,” said Barnabas.
He explained that Magongo was always positive and never supported decisions to
sack coaches.
Instead, according to Barnabas, Magongo would encourage the management and
supporters to not lose hope but believe in the team. “The car accident
happened when he was fresh from watching the team after it had won against Green
Mamba FC. We are grateful to have had a person like him who continued to attend
the soccer games even when the results were bad in the team. We have fans who
desert the team and not go to the stadium when the results are not good,” said
Barnabas. Regarding the accident that killed the reverend, it was reported that
he lost control of the car he was driving and knocked it against the medium
concrete wall at the Galp/Breweries off-ramp, towards Mahhala in Matsapha along
the MR3 Highway, He was said to have been travelling with three passengers, who
also sustained serious injuries and were admitted to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial
Hospital in Manzini.