Jason Patrick Hanslo
On 26 November 1992, Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel became the first woman to be ordained as a minister by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church. Shortly after commencing her duties in the Robertson-East congregation, about 120 people left the congregation in protest and joined another congregation.
She was born in Prieska in 1959, the second of 7 daughters. She matriculated at Bergrivier Senior Secondary School in Wellington. She completed a teacher’s diploma at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in 1978. In 1986, she enrolled at UWC in order to be trained as a minister in the Dutch Reformed Mission Church. She obtained a doctorate in theology from the University of South Africa in 2003 and then a second doctorate from the University of Pretoria in 2008.
First Woman Elected as Moderator of United Reformed Church
She was the first black woman to be promoted to full professor at the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University. She was also the first woman to be elected as moderator of the General Synod of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA). She was elected as one of the vice-presidents of the World Council of Churches in 2013.
She established the Phumlani Adult Association in the Nqubela Township near Robertson, the Nikithemba aftercare centre, as well as a shelter for the homeless. She was a staunch activist for causes like black theology, woman’s rights and transformation on many levels. She died at age 60 on 19 May 2020 from complications during surgery.
