by Mr N. Miller, London
The late Alexander Mpofu was a most likeable and highly intelligent travelling companion, greatly admired and loved by all the Missionaries for whom he acted as interpreter and guide — from the days of the Rev. John Tallach and Dr Macdonald until he was taken to be with the Master he so faithfully served.
On one occasion Alexander Mpofu was passing through a very remote part of the Shangani Reserve, travelling in the “Ingwenya” truck with one of his European colleagues, when there came into view a group of Africans who had been ordered by their local Headman to repair the rough road or track in the vicinity of their homes. This work consisted in cutting down elephant grass which had grown to a height of three or four feet and in removing tree stumps against which the sump or other underneath part of a truck could so easily strike. The truck came to a halt and about fifty of the men gathered round to exchange greetings with the two missionaries who eventually offered to each man a gospel according to John, written in Sindebele. They were delighted to accept the gift because, although only a few of them could read or write, probably all of them had children at a Kraal School who would be able to read aloud to the whole family at home. Then, using the truck as a platform, Alexander spoke to the assembled crowd of men explaining the way of salvation “through the only Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” He also took the opportunity to tell them what a remarkable thing it was that this good news had been brought to them there in the midst of the bush.
Seated around a camp fire while on trek he often spoke of his long journeys to Ingwenya, from his home at Nkai, a distance of about sixty miles, taking short cuts through the forest. In the early days Alexander had to accomplish this journey by bicycle. The purpose of these visits was to obtain supplies of school books for his Kraal School, to collect teachers’ salaries, and to report on many matters relating to the church at Nkai. On one such journey he was laboriously cycling along a sandy track in the forest when he suddenly came within sight of a lion lying across his path. Hastily dismounting, he turned round and made off in the direction from which he had come. Soon it came into his mind that surely the Lord would take care of him and he therefore decided to make a detour of a mile or two and continue on his way. This he did “praying without ceasing” and reached the Ingwenya Mission safely and with a thankful heart.
Alexander Mpofu was particularly concerned about the backwardness of his fellow Africans both from a spiritual and from an educational point of view and he met with much opposition from those who resented the intrusion of Christianity into the life of the community. He was a man of God whose going about amongst the heathen revealed to them that he was no longer a partaker of their idolatry and witchcraft. These snares, which are so prevalent in the hearts of most Africans even today, had been expelled in Alexander’s case by the power of love to Christ. In this latter connection, there is a very interesting narrative in the book of Alexander McPherson entitled JAMES FRASER, A record of Missionary Endeavour in Rhodesia in the Twentieth Century, part of which is as follows: ‘Some time ago one of our elders, in the course of his travels, came across a great gathering of people assembled under the shade of trees by the wayside. A man, who turned out to be a witch-doctor, was addressing the crowd with great fervour, but our elder did not know him, neither did the witch-doctor know the elder. Being curious to know what the meeting was about, our elder joined the crowd, but he had no sooner done so than the witch-doctor became confused and embarrassed and stopped speaking. After an awkward pause, during which the witch-doctor gazed fixedly at the newcomer, the witch-doctor at length appealed to him to leave the meeting. “Why should I leave the meeting?” asked our elder. “Because I feel and know that you are a Christian. You have nothing to do with us, and if you remain you will only spoil our meeting. Please go away.” It is encouraging to find that Satan sometimes dispels any doubts which we may have regarding the reality of the Christian profession of our people!’ Alexander Mpofu was the elder here referred to.
The removal of such an African as Alexander Mpofu from our Mission is a sad and humbling Providence, and we should endeavour to pray that the Lord of the Vineyard would particularly raise up other Africans to labour among their own people in the spreading of the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
Note: These notes are by Mr Norman Miller, who knew Mr Mpofu while in Rhodesia. — Editor.