The Right Reverend

Rubin Phillip
Bishop of Natal
ProvinceSouthern Africa
DioceseNatal
Installed1999
Term ended2015
PredecessorMichael Nuttall
SuccessorDino Gabriel
Personal details
Bornc. 1948

Rubin Phillip (born c. 1948) is bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Natal.[1] The great-grandchild of indentured labourers from Andhra Pradesh, Phillip is the first person of Indian heritage in South Africa to hold the position of Bishop of Natal. He grew up in Clairwood, a suburb of Durban with a large concentration of people of Indian descent, in a non-religious household, but converted to Christianity. He was a noted anti-apartheid activist and spent three years under house arrest in the 1970s[2] and was banned in 1973.[3] He was enthroned as bishop in February 2000.[4]

He continues to take political positions and remains connected to grassroots struggles.[5][6]

Black Consciousness Movement

Phillip was involved in the Black Consciousness Movement,[3][6] was a close friend to Steve Biko[7] and was the Deputy President of the South African Student's Organisation in 1972 when Steve Biko was President.[8][9] He was banned - legally excluded from public life - in 1973.[10]

Zimbabwe

In 2008, Phillip, working with the dockworkers' union, successfully obtained a court order preventing arms shipments destined for Zimbabwe from being transported through South Africa.[11][12] He is chair of the Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum in South Africa.[13]

Abahlali baseMjondolo

Phillip has been, and remains,[14][6] a strong supporter of the shack dwellers movement' Abahlali baseMjondolo.[1] He has attended meetings, memorials, mass ecumenical prayers, marches and UnFreedom Day rallied hosted by Abahlali baseMjondolo[15] and supported the organisation's successful battle to have the KZN Slums Act declared unconstitutional.[16][17] In September 2009, he condemned the violent expulsion of Abahlali baseMjondolo from the Kennedy Road informal settlement blaming political interference and stating that "this militia has acted with the support of the local ANC structures".[18] He supported the movement through the case that followed the attack.[19]

He was critical of the 2010 Football World Cup saying that: "If we can successfully host a massive event like the World Cup, spending billions, then why can't we provide water, electricity and housing for a handful of shack dwellers?"[20]

In 2013 he expressed solidarity with Abahlali baseMjondolo after the movement was subject to assassinations, a police killing, shootings and arrests.[5]

Marikana Massacre

Phillip was very critical of the police massacre of striking mine workers at Marikana in 2012. At the time he declared that "And so again, the truth of our country is in dead black bodies littering the ground. The truth of our time is that people asserting their rights and dignity have been brought down in a hail of bullets."[21]

Other activism

He has taken a strong stand against gender based violence.[22]

Awards and recognition

Bremen International Peace award

In 2009 Phillip was given the Bremen International Peace award on the grounds of his work in the struggle against apartheid and his ongoing work "to offer solidarity to the displaced people, victims of persecutions and detainees".[13]

Diakonia award

In August 2010 Phillip was given the Diakonia award in recognition of "his involvement with the anti apartheid movement as far back as the 1960s, through his advocacy and involvement in the Zimbabwe crisis to his solidarity with the shack dwellers movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo." He dedicated the award to "shack dwellers, especially those from Kennedy Road and all those who have stood in solidarity with them."[23][24]

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 Pomfret, Emma (3 June 2010). "A bishop's pursuit of justice for South Africa's shack dwellers". Christian Today.
  2. ↑ Diakonia Council of Churches Award Citation for Bishop Rubin Phillip, 2010
  3. 1 2 Ephraim, Janine (10 May 2017). "Bishop Rubin Phillip- a living legend". Rising Sun Overport. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Man of Indian origin first Anglican Bishop". The Tribune India. Chandigarh, India. 22 February 2000. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 Charter, Luke (12 October 2013). "Christian leaders won't remain silent for Zuma". The Daily Dispatch'.
  6. 1 2 3 Unfreedom Day Rally: Freedom a figment of elite imagination, say 50,000 shack dwellers, Dennis Webster, The Daily Maverick, 24 April 2018
  7. ↑ Phillip, Rubin (27 September 2012). "Biko: A bright guiding light in dark times -Address by the Anglican Bishop of Natal at St Philip's Anglican Church, Fingo Village in Grahamstown, 19 September 2012". Pambazuka News. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  8. ↑ Denny-Dimitriou, Julia (31 October 2009). "Bishop of Natal honoured in Germany". The Witness. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  9. ↑ Paulo Freire and Popular Struggle in South Africa, Zamalotshwa Sefatsa, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Dossier No. 31, 2020
  10. ↑ Paulo Freire and Popular Struggle in South Africa, Zamalotshwa Sefatsa, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Dossier No. 31, 2020
  11. ↑ Günsche, Karl-Ludwig (21 April 2008). "Simbabwe: Deutsche Förderbank will Mugabes Waffenschiff an die Kette legen" [German Development Bank wants to put Mugabe's gunship on the chain]. SPIEGEL ONLINE (in German). Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  12. ↑ Kirk, Paul (21 April 2008). "Arms ship heads to Angola". The Citizen. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008.
  13. 1 2 Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum Congratulates Rubin Phillip
  14. ↑ Nduzulwana, Anele (20 October 2017). "Abahlali choir dedicates music to shack dwellers". Rising Sun Overport. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  15. ↑ Bishop Rubin Phillip's UnFreedom Day Speech
  16. ↑ The Archbishop of Cape Town Speaks Out
  17. ↑ Shackdweller Comments Evoke Strong Response, Housing Department
  18. ↑ Phillip, Rubin (1 October 2009). "Democracy under attack in Kennedy Road". Pambazuka News. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  19. ↑ Trewhela, Paul (26 August 2011). "The ANC and the failing of democratic governance". politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  20. ↑ Hlongwane, Agiza (15 August 2010). "Durban gets 2020 thumbs-up". Sunday Tribune. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012.
  21. ↑ Lebert, Tom (14 August 2015). "Marikana mining massacre: three years on, justice still denied". New Internationalist. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  22. ↑ "Teen's rape, murder widely condemned". iol.co.za. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  23. ↑ "Bishop Rubin Phillip awarded Diakonia Award". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  24. ↑ Makgoba, Thabo (1 September 2010). "Ad Laos - To the People of God".
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