Edwin Makue named South African Council of Churches next General Secretary

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

The National Executive Committee of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) today announced the appointment of Mr. Edwin “Eddie” Makue as the Council’s next General Secretary. Mr. Makue will succeed the outgoing General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Molefe Tsele, whose five-year term expires in April.

Mr. Makue, 52, has a distinguished record of service to the ecumenical movement that spans two decades. He began working for the SACC in 1986 as a field worker and programme facilitator. His responsibilities included providing material and moral support to victims of unjust prosecution, political prisoners and their dependents. He went on to direct the Council’s Democracy Education programme from its inception in 1992 before becoming head of the Justice Ministries Unit in 1994. For the past eighteen months, he has served as the SACC’s Deputy General Secretary, in addition to his Justice Ministries post.

“Mr. Makue has a demonstrated commitment to social and economic justice, gender equity, human rights and the inclusiveness of Christ’s Church – all central themes in the Council’s prophetic witness,” said Prof. Russel Botman, President of the SACC and Chair of the Search Committee that selected Makue. “His organisational management and development skills will also continue to be great assets to the Council.”

A graduate of Kliptown High School, Mr. Makue studied theology and sociology at the University of the Western Cape and UNISA. He also holds a Master of Science from Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in the United Kingdom. He is an elder and lay leader of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, one of the Council’s 26 member denominations, and an active member of the URCSA congregation at Eldorado Park.

In addition to his duties at the SACC, Mr. Makue is involved in a range of other civil society organisations. He was instrumental in the formation of the Ecumenical Service for Socio-Economic Transformation (ESSET) in 1994. He is National Co-ordinator of the South African Civil Society Election Observation Coalition (SACSOC), a commissioner of the International Affairs Commission of the All-Africa Conference of Churches and a member of the boards of the BenchMarks Foundation of Southern Africa for Corporate Social Responsibility and the Joint Enrichment Project, a youth development organisation.

Mr. Makue and his wife have three daughters and two grandchildren.

Mr. Makue will take over as General Secretary from 1 April. The outgoing General Secretary, Dr. Molefe Tsele, will become Executive Director of the newly established Batho-Batho Trust, in addition to returning to ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa. He will also serve as an advisor to the Premier of NorthWest on a part-time basis.

“The National Executive Committee gives thanks for Dr. Tsele’s ministry and leadership over the past five years and wishes him well in this new phase of his career,” Prof. Botman said. “We are grateful for his commitment to the ecumenical movement and hope that he will continue to make his talents and expertise available to the SACC.”