Rubin Phillip

Background

He grew up in Clairwood, a suburb of Durban with a large concentration of people of Indian ethnicity, in a non-religious household, but converted to Christianity before being enthroned as bishop in February 2000.

Career

The great-grandchild of indentured labourers from Andhra Pradesh, Phillip is the first of East Indian heritage South African to hold the position of Bishop of Natal. He was a noted anti-apartheid activist and spent three years under house arrest in the 1970s. He continues to take political positions and remains connected to grasroots struggles.

In 2008, Phillip successfully obtained a court order preventing arms shipments destined for from being transported through South Africa.

He is chair of the Solidarity Forum in South Africa. Phillip has been a strong supporter of the shack dwellers movement" He has attended meetings, memorials, mass ecumenical prayers, marches and UnFreedom Day hosted by and supported the organisation"s successful battle to have the KZN Slums Acting declared unconstitutional.

In September 2009, he condemned the violent expulsion of from the Kennedy Road informal settlement blaming political interference and stating that "this militia has acted with the support of the local African National Congress structures". He supported the movement through the case that followed the attack.

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?" In 2013 he expressed solidarity with after the movement was subject to assassinations, a police killing, shootings and arrests.

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." He has taken a strong stand against gender based violence.

Bremen International Peace award Diakonia award.

Achievements

• 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". 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 crisis to his solidarity with the shack dwellers movement, " He dedicated the award to "shack dwellers, especially those from Kennedy Road and all those who have stood in solidarity with them.".

Connections

Friend:

Black Consciousness