Obituary: Sipo Mzimela, Apartheid Opponent and Decatur Shop Owner, Dies

The Rev. Mzimela, 77, was a member of former South African President Nelson Mandela's cabinet. He also owned a shop in the Artisan building in Decatur, Pambili African Artworks.

The Rev. Sipo Mzimela, who battled apartheid before joining former South African President Nelson Mandela's cabinet and, in retirement, operated an African art shop in Decatur, died Saturday of complications from pneumonia. He was 77. The Rev. Mzimela grew up in South Africa and was an ordained Episcopal priest. In the mid-1980s, he moved to Atlanta, founded the South Africa Education Fund and assisted at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, according to the Episcopal News Service. The news service said, He returned to his homeland in 1994 to serve as minister of correctional services and represent the Inkatha Freedom Party in the South African Parliament. He worked closely with Mandela to reform the prison system, freeing …

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