Bishop David Russell: A Benevolent Character

Aristotle said that courage is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor and we cannot achieve anything without it. Courage is an essential virtue and we see Aristotle’s words ring true when people make a difference to the world with acts of admirable courage.

One such person who illustrated great courage time and again is the late Anglican bishop David Russell who passed away on the 17th August 2014. David Russell led his life with profound integrity whilst challenging the apartheid authorities with immense courage.

The immense courage of David Russell, which is recounted in an article in the Daily Maverick, manifested itself through his deep commitment to making an effective contribution the poorest with his ministry. In 1970 he moved to King Williams Town where he worked as a parish priest among the “surplus people” moved to Dimbaza by the Apartheid government.

The people of Dimbaza were completely dis-enfranchised. Widows who had been dumped in Dimbaza were only getting a pension of R5 plus a grossly insufficient R2.58 for rations. David Russell wrote letters to the apartheid government to no avail. Out of frustration he resorted to a public fast on the steps of St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town in close proximity to Parliament, holding up posters claiming “HUNGER IS VIOLENCE” and “M.C. BOTHA COULD HELP”. These efforts resulted in the Minister giving a child grant of just under R3. Disappointingly for David Russell however the Minister later took away the food rations.

In response to this an incensed David resorted to living on the meager pension of R5 himself for a period of six months, writing the minister a monthly letter describing this was like. In a very real sense David Russell put his body on the line in the interests of the poor and marginalized. This means of protest was effective and forced an ashamed government to raise the pensions and build factories in the area to provide employment.

This impressive act of courage is not the only one that the venerable David Russell is to be credited for. At 35 years of age David Russell moved to Cape Town to build a ministry to migrant workers working in Cape Town. He became involved in efforts to prevent the forced removal of informal settlements that had sprung up around the city which were in defiance of labor laws which prevented families from living together.

Once again, in this endeavor, David Russell’s capacity for courage did not disappoint. David Russell, along with a few other courageous souls, lay down in front of a bulldozer intent on destroying informal houses. He also wrote a scathing letter detailing the manner in which the security forces were arming the witdoeke, which was a paramilitary force of black militia whose job it was to chase residents out of informal settlements. For these actions David Russell was arrested and charged and in 1977 he was banned for 5 years.

These are a few of David Russell’s most notable acts of courage. David Russell’s impressive courage, which he illustrated time and again, is not surprising given the benevolence of his character. The benevolence of his character was illustrated by his unwavering commitment to doing what he felt to be right, irrespective of the consequences for himself. This unwavering commitment to do what was right did not only manifest in his acts of courage, it manifested in other ways to. Another manifestation of his unwavering commitment was his impressive 3 year dedication to learning Xhosa, even though he did not have a natural aptitude for languages, in order to be better able to assist those he felt required his assistance.

David Russell provides an excellent moral exemplar. He illustrates that courage is only possible when one has a fundamentally benevolent character. Courage is the manifestation of a character that is fundamentally committed to doing what is right. This should not be a surprise when we remind ourselves of what courage in fact is. Courage is the willingness to put oneself on the line in the service of a cause that is bigger than oneself. Courage requires personal sacrifice and such sacrifice cannot be undertaken by a selfish and malevolent character. The courage illustrated by David Russell demonstrates the benevolence of his character, it demonstrates his willingness to put his own interests aside to pursue what is right.

The actions of David Russell also teach us about the value of possessing such a benevolent character. David Russell was able to make a difference. He was able to make meaningful contributions to those around him. The benevolence of his character ensured that he left a legacy of contribution, his time on this earth was productive of greater harmony. It is these p types of people we in fact admire. All of us know intuitively that this is the kind of character a human being should possess. This is why we admire him. This is also why we should be trying to emulate him. We should be striving to develop the kind of character we admire and in this endeavor there should be no excuses. In this endeavor we require courage!