The legacy of Prof Mary-Anne Plaatjies-van Huffel will continue to have an impact on society for generations to come. This was evident at the third Mary-Anne Plaatjies-van
Huffel memorial lecture hosted by the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University (SU) recently. The establishment of the MA Plaatjies-van Huffel Bursary Fund was also announced at the event.
Tribute to trailblazer
Plaatjies-van Huffel, who passed away on 19 May 2020, was a pioneer in the church landscape in South Africa, Africa and further afield.
She was the first woman to be ordained in the former Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) (now the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, or URCSA). In fact, she enrolled at university to study theology at a time when her DRMC denomination did not allow female ministers. Not daunted by the discriminating stereotypes of women in the church, she was later also elected as the first woman moderator of the URCSA general synod.
Moreover, this trailblazer was the first black woman to be promoted to full professor at SU's Faculty of Theology and the first female president of the World Council of Churches.
Bursary to carry on her work
At the event, Emeritus Rev Dawid van Huffel thanked guests for paying tribute to his late wife and officially launched a bursary fund in her name. “The fund will help students, especially female postgraduates from a historically disadvantaged background, to pursue advanced studies in Theology," he said.
Ms Madré Arendse, current Theology postgraduate expressed her gratitude for the financial support. She praised Plaatjies-van Huffel's transformative work in the church and in education. “I cannot begin to imagine what she had to go through. She moved mountains," Arendse said. “We will continue her legacy, and she will forever be a source of hope to me and others as we make the journey through our studies and life."
This year's memorial lecture themed “The first [black] woman – an epistemological disturbance?" was delivered by Prof Fundiswa Kobo, an associate professor at Unisa. Further celebrating Plaatjies-van Huffel's life and work, the evening's programme also included the official launch of a festschrift in her honour, The life and work of Mary-Anne Plaatjies-van Huffel, which was published in 2021.
Holding high her values
In his address, Prof Reggie Nel, dean of the Faculty of Theology, said: “As a faculty, we are committed to keeping alive the legacy of Prof Plaatjies-van Huffel. I can assure you that many young women, young scholars in Theology at large and leaders in the church will continue their work and have an impact on society."
This was echoed in prayer by SU's Prof Nadine Bowers-du Toit, who asked that Plaatjies-van Huffel's legacy be carried forward for posterity: “As we celebrate her life and her legacy today and, in the years, to come, let us hold high the values that she embodied of justice, freedom, equity and liberation for all."
Photo of Plaatjies-van Huffel taken by Dominique Jeftha, MatieMedia (2019)
