Benedict Daswa
1946-1990 20th century Feast day: February 1
The quiet courage of refusing fear and falsehood, to the very end.
Who was Benedict Daswa?
A teacher and school principal of the Venda region in northern South Africa, father of eight, he lived his faith plainly among his own people. When his village decided to make everyone pay for the hunt of a sorcerer blamed for lightning, he refused, holding witchcraft to be a lie and an injustice. He was beaten to death on a road one evening in 1990, the first South African martyr to be beatified.
In their own words
God, into Your hands, receive my spirit.