Some human rights defenders and development experts have described the late Dewa Mavhinga as passionate and committed to the enthronement of human rights.
Mavhinga, who died on 04 December, 2021, was the Southern Africa Director at the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Mavhinga, 55, died after carrying out a research assignment in Zimbabwe, according to the HRW.
‘Our beloved colleague, Dewa Mavhinga, passed away suddenly overnight. He had just returned to Johannesburg after a research mission in Zimbabwe’, a tweet from HRW verified handle confirmed.
‘We are heartbroken and devastated by the news. Our priority right now is to support his family’.
HRW noted that Mavhinga, who cofounded the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute – a public policy research think tank in Harare – oversaw and supported a broad range of human rights work in the southern Africa region.
‘Dewa was a deeply empathetic and highly effective human rights activist whose work made many people’s lives better, whether it was pushing the Zimbabwe government to respect the right to protest in the face of economic hardship or ensuring that victims of human rights abuses across southern Africa have access to justice’, Executive Director of HRW, Kenneth Roth, said.
Mavhinga’s colleague at HRW, Caroline Treur, said Mavhinga was a thoughtful and kind man. ‘This breaks my heart, Dewa was such a thoughtful, warm, and kind person. It has been an immense privilege to work with him. I will miss him’, she tweeted.
Other development professionals, colleagues and institutions have also paid glowing tributes to the renowned activist and development expert.
The Advancing Rights in Southern Africa (ARISA) team stated that Mavhinga’s death was a great loss to the human rights movement.
‘Dewa, a strong partner of ARISA, was a fearless defender of human rights throughout the region. His death is a great loss to the human rights movement. Our deepest condolences to Dewa’s family and friends’, ARISA tweeted.
Amnesty International (AI) for southern Africa said Dewa was selfless and dedicated in his tireless fight for the protection of human rights.
‘We are heartbroken and saddened by the death of human rights defender, Dewa Mavhinga (@dewamavhinga). Dewa was a selfless and dedicated human rights defender who worked tirelessly to protect people denied justice in Southern Africa and beyond’, AI tweeted from its verified handle.
In his reaction, Leonard Mulunda, who noted that he met Mavhinga at the 2018 working session of the African Parliamentarians Association for Human Rights (AfriPAHR), said Mavhinga was an ‘incredible human right and social justice fighter’.
‘I am surprised by the passing of this Incredible human right and social justice fighter. I had a privilege to meet with him at @Afri_PAHR working session in March 2018 in Cape Town. My deepest condolences to @hrw team and his biological family. @N_Kwankwa @ida_sawyer’, Mulunda replied to HRW tweet on Dewa’s death.
‘A human rights warrior has tragically fallen, southern Africa has lost a fearless voice of the voiceless! You had a presence that was inspiring, RIP bro’, another user, Gracious Chihuri, replied.
The Dumiso Dabengwa Foundation described Mavhinga as a ‘humble servant’ to the fight for the respect of human rights.
‘It is with huge sadness that we learn of the passing of Dewa Mavhinga. A dedicated humble servant who fought for the respect of human rights in Zimbabwe and beyond. Thank you for standing with everyone and being there to listen. Farewell fighter. #RestinPeaceDewaMavhinga’, the foundation said in a tweet.
For their part, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said they will continue to protect human rights and human rights activists as a way of preserving Mavhinga’s legacy.
‘We have lost an extraordinary activist who showed the skills of leadership and great determination and his legacy will stand as an example to all of us to persist in our pursuit of progress and a just and democratic world’, ZLHR said in a statement.
‘In solidarity, ZLHR reaffirms its commitment to protect human rights and the human rights defenders who uphold them. This was the ideal to which Dewa was dedicated and we must ensure that this will be his legacy’.
A recipient of the British Chevening and Canon Collins Trust scholarship, Mavhinga held a bachelor of law honors degree (LLB) from the University of Zimbabwe and a master of law degree in international human rights (LLM) from Essex University, United Kingdom.
Photo source: Dewa Mavhinga
