On the 6th of September 2024, Baldwin Sjollema, one of the great and heroic Christian fighters against the system of apartheid, passed away at his home in Geneva in Switzerland at the age of 97.
The Thabo Mbeki Foundation and its patron Thabo Mbeki add their voice in paying tribute to this heroic and dedicated fighter for peace and human dignity, as well as convey our condolences to his family, friends and the World Council of Churches.
The people of South Africa and all peace loving and anti-apartheid activists the world over mourn the passing of this committed fighter for freedom, justice and respect for all human beings regardless of the colour of their skin.
In commemorating the life and times, legacy and work of Baldwin Sjollema- The World Council of Churches (the WCC) Moderator, Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, reflected that Sjollema ‘embodied the Christian conviction that racism is a sin against God and human beings.’
He said, “This conviction is fundamental for the work of the WCC
“Baldwin Sjollema was one of the most forceful and impressive protagonists of this conviction in WCC’s history.”
Bedford-Strohm added that “Sjollema made a difference in helping to bring down a racist regime in South Africa. We see the traces of his blessed work until today.”
Such was the respect and impact of Baldwin Sjollema that tributes were received from all over the world.
WCC president from North America Rev. Dr Angelique Keturah Walker-Smith expressed gratitude for Sjollema’s legacy. She said, “We thank God for his powerful legacy that serves as a powerful witness of bold courage and love of neighbor.
Such (courage and love) resulted in voices and actions of hope denouncing the scourge of racism – voices and actions that have benefited all of us. May we too exhibit a bold courage of radical love that results in positive change with and for all of us today.”
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, former WCC general secretary, described Sjollema as “a man of profound faith and unyielding commitment to justice.”
Here in South Africa Sjollema was honoured in 2004 when then President Thabo Mbeki admitted him into the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo.
Sjollema was decorated for his commitment to the South African liberation movement and to the struggle against apartheid in particular.
The WCC tribute to Sjollema from which we have quoted said:
“The decision to honour Sjollema was a formal sign of South Africa’s recognition of the WCC’s efforts to support the liberation movement in South and Southern Africa.
“At that time, Sjollema himself noted that millions of people were engaged in the struggle against apartheid all over the world. “Together, we made a small contribution to the overall struggle which was fought first and foremost by the people of South Africa themselves,” he said.
The tributes paid to Baldwin Sjollema are living testimony that apartheid incurred the wrath and contempt of all decent and God-fearing people the world over.
It was indeed an irony and a blemish on the Christian religion that the Dutch Reformed Church in our country tried to find a “theological justification” for apartheid, claiming “that it was God’s will and that the Bible supported it.”
It was only in 1998 that the DRC “officially recognized apartheid as wrong and sinful.”
The WCC has reported that in 2019, during an Ecumenical Strategic Forum convened by the WCC, Sjollema was among religious leaders who examined the painful history of racism and also asked difficult questions about how churches may be accountable for racism today. This is what he said:
“We seek to forget rather than to remember…
There is no doubt that the issue of refugees and asylum, of hospitality to and solidarity with people of different races, religions, cultures and sexual identities are part and parcel of the racism and discrimination today.
“The WCC became part of a worldwide movement of resistance against apartheid, trying to achieve racial justice. In order to achieve that goal, much resistance had to be overcome from within the churches hampered by theological traditions and historical prejudices.”
As South Africans, we are privileged that one of our own, Professor Barney Pityana, followed in Baldwin Sjollema’s footsteps and also served as Director of the same WCC Programme to Combat Racism.
May the eminent fellow freedom fighter, Baldwin Sjollema, rest in eternal peace.