In a moving eulogy delivered before mourners that included traditional VhaVenda royalty, senior government officials, and religious leaders, President Cyril Ramaphosa described the late Dr Dean Tshenuwani Farisani as “an extraordinary man who led an extraordinary life”.
Held in the heart of Venda in Limpopo, the funeral drew high-profile guests from across the country, all paying tribute to a man who defied the brutality of apartheid, challenged the church, and stood as a towering voice in both the pulpit and the political arena.
“It was no coincidence that Dr Tshenuwani Farisani was born in 1948,” Ramaphosa told the mourners. “It was a turning point in the history of our country. This was the year when the National Party swept to power and ushered in the reviled and evil system of apartheid that was declared a crime against humanity by the United Nations.”
Ramaphosa, who co-founded the Black Evangelical Youth Organisation with Farisani in the 1970s, said the injustices the cleric endured shaped his political awakening.
“Dean Farisani was born into circumstances that mirrored the lives of many millions of black South Africans at the time,” he said. “He was just a child, barely three years old when his family was confronted with the ugly face of injustice.”
The president recounted Farisani’s testimony to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission about how his family was forcibly removed from their land in Makhado.
“He recounted how they had to carry their belongings on their backs and leave on foot. That which could not be carried, including all the family livestock, was left behind. They were never compensated for the land that was stolen from them,” Ramaphosa said.
But Farisani’s trauma did not end there. “Eight years later in 1959, the family was forcibly removed again. Two years later in 1961, again they were moved,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa praised Farisani for refusing to separate his theology from his activism.
“For him there was no contradiction between the teachings of his faith and the mission of national liberation,” he said.
He also recalled how Farisani challenged dogmatic religious teachings that justified racial subjugation.
“He did not agree with theological teachings that ‘God created the lion to feed upon the buck’. He ridiculed the notion that ‘Wherever you find yourself, God has placed you there. Do not complain’.”
Ramaphosa spoke fondly of their friendship, recalling the first time he met Farisani at Mphaphuli High School.
“Dean Farisani and I formed an immediate and lasting bond of friendship, comradeship and loyalty based on respect and love.”
He also remembered their time co-leading the Black Evangelical Youth Foundation. “Dean Farisani was not one who yearned for the limelight and positions. He saw himself as a mentor. Indeed, he was my mentor, and he was my teacher as well.”
Ramaphosa honoured the immense personal price Farisani paid for standing up to apartheid.
“He was detained by the Venda police on suspicion of being involved in a bombing of a police station here in Sibasa. He was held for more than eight months and he was severely tortured,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa called upon South Africans to emulate Farisani, not in word, but action.
“He was a man of unwavering principle. Nothing could swat him from what was right. He inspired a generation to reclaim their pride and to stand up for their rights. I was one of those who were hugely inspired by him.”
Farisani died on May 29, 2025, at the age of 77. His life leaves behind a poetic prophecy and a righteous rebellion etched in the conscience of a democratic South Africa.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not buckle,
He rests me in the land of freedom,
I drink from the cup of liberty,
Even when I wander in the valley of torture,
I shall fear no human beasts,
He shall fight my fight,
His angels and his visions
Guide me through brutal interrogations,
He gives me life in the hands of murderers,
Giving me a crown for a victory his own.
