The Sunday Mail
Philip Mataranyika
Special Correspondent
ON Monday, we laid to rest a physical and spiritual giant, Reverend Vusumuzi Samuel Sifelani.
We all have a special calling that gets illuminated once our vocation gets aligned with our purpose in life.
Once we realise and apply ourselves at what it is we are good at, we become experts at it.
This is why we have individuals in different professional fields whose names immediately come to mind in any discourse we have relating to excellence.
Rev Sifelani was a man of the cloth who was good at his craft.
It was with a sense of shock, disbelief and deep pain that I received the news of his passing on September 29, a few weeks after his 43rd birthday, leaving behind a heartbroken and grieving wife, Patience, and their four children.
As I join the Sifelani and Mapolisa families in mourning their beloved son, I implore them to take comfort in the knowledge that he led an exemplary life and lived by God’s word up to the end.
I am, therefore, not ashamed to state, unequivocally, that his life was testament to the positive impact those who pursue their calling make.
The outpouring of grief that followed his passing bears testimony to the many lives he touched.
Born to John and Esnath Sifelani in Silobela on August 15, 1977, in a family of seven, the then-young Vusumuzi once tried his hand in the automotive industry after completing a course in motor mechanics at the Kwekwe Polytechnic.
He later realised that his purpose in life was to shepherd God’s flock, and left to join the clergy.
In the nearly two decades he was involved in God’s ministry, Rev Sifelani took heed of Apostle Paul’s teachings in the Holy Book by becoming a vessel to the Gentiles who yearned for a God-centred life in a pagan-filled world.
He schooled us on how to live and lived by example himself.
His teachings were relevant and mirrored what is happening in communities around us.
He was on point and fearless in speaking out against the evil that men do.
He spoke against violence, chastised discrimination and advocated for gender balance.
As the ecumenical liaison officer for the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, a position he held until his promotion to glory, he became a voice for the voiceless and also helped in bringing clarity to the Church’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rev Sifelani was a father-figure and mentor who inspired the youth and counselled newly-weds about the sanctity of marriage.
Father to two daughters — Unathi and Vuyiswa — he detested biases against the girl-child; this must have been inculcated in him from a young age, given that he was the only boy in a family of seven.
Environmentalist
He understood the interconnectedness between people and the environment, and that the Earth belongs to the Almighty, who designated men as stewards in charge of its care.
He was particularly alarmed by the rate at which deforestation is occurring in Zimbabwe and across the globe, which forced him to join the green movement.
It was because of his passion for the environment that our paths met in 2015 when he participated for the first time in the Friends of the Environment (FOTE) annual walkathons.
Along with other environmental enthusiasts numbering over 400, we walked with him from the City of Kings and Queens — as Bulawayo is affectionately known — to Plumtree in Matabeleland South province, covering a distance of about 100 kilometres over a period of three days.
We wanted to raise environmental awareness, particularly on the importance of tree planting.
His participation in FOTE walkathons inspired him to form the Green Church Movement, which focussed on tree planting and environmental sustainability.
That same year, he was appointed chaplain of the environment desk for the Anglican Church’s Harare Diocese — a task he performed with distinction.
After his inaugural participation in 2015, Rev Sifelani became a familiar face during all subsequent walkathons.
It was in our interactions during walkathons that we both realised that we shared much more in common.
Apart from our Christian faith, Rev Sifelani and I were ardent golfers and enjoyed listening to Afro-music, especially jazz.
His favourite local artiste was Victor Kunonga.
In 2016, working with various Anglican parishes, he introduced ‘A tree for every conferment’, which saw most children who were confirmed in the Anglican Christian faith getting a tree seedling to plant to celebrate their confirmation.
FOTE supported the initiative and he also established nurseries at various Anglican Church schools.
His tree planting initiatives went as far as Lower Gweru, Mutoko, Ngezi and some such places.
We were only too happy to participate at one of their workshops, which came up with a five-year strategic plan on the Anglican Church’s response to climate change.
When he introduced the Green Church Competitions for the Harare Diocese, it was an honour to be invited to participate in the adjudication process as FOTE.
Nelson Henderson, who played for Scotland’s national rugby team in the 1890s, once said: “the true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shed you do not expect to sit.”
Rev Sifelani did not just plant thousands of trees under whose shed he never expected to sit, he planted and spread the word of God so that those who believe in Him can have eternal life.
With the benefit of hindsight, I think we should have sat down and talked a little longer, if only I knew he would be lost to us in his prime.
Rev Sifelani was raised and grounded in Christian values.
He lost his father as an infant, was baptised and confirmed at St Matthews Mtapa Parish Church, served at the church as an altar server; member of the choir; member of the St Peters Guild and at one time he was the Anglican Diocese of Central Zimbabwe youth president.
He played a major role in the planning and launch of the Zimbabwe Anglican Youth Association in 1998 and in 2000.
A national Anglican youth conference held at St Augustine’s in Penhalonga marked a new reality for Anglican youths in Zimbabwe.
He attended St Mark’s Lozane and St Michael’s schools for his primary and Thornhill High School for his secondary education. After completing his secondary education, he went to Kwekwe Polytechnic and on graduation, he worked for Zimbabwe Alloys Limited in Gweru and Mutangiri Buses in Masvingo.
In 2002, he was selected to test his vocation at Bishop Gaul Theological College in Harare.
After ordination training, he was made deacon in 2005 and ordained priest in 2006.
Reverend Sifelani served in the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe at St Patrick’s Mission and St Barnabas’ Parish respectively.
In 2007, he went to the University of Zimbabwe to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Religious Studies and later on a Master of Arts Degree in Religious Studies.
After serving in the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe, he was transferred to the Diocese of Harare, where he served in many parishes as the Rector, including Chipadze, Marlborough, Highlands and finally as honorary assistant priest in Greendale.
He was popularly known as Father Sam or Sam Sif.
It is sad to bid farewell to a good friend and a walkathon partner for many years.
I pray for his widow Patience (nee Mapolisa) and children Unathi, Vuyiswa and twin sons Vuyile and Vuyani to find healing and comfort in the Lord during this difficult time.
Mhofu, you fought a good fight and were a beacon of light in good and bad times.
May your loving soul rest in eternal peace!
Zororai murugare, gamba redu!
Lala ngokuthula qhawe lethu!
Philip Mataranyika is the chief executive officer of Nyaradzo Group. He writes here in his personal capacity.
