The life and work of the Reverend Mapala Marcus Maphoto: his management of the church, 1965-2001?

Abstract

This article is an appraisal of the life and work of the Reverend Maphoto, who served the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) for a period of thirtysix (36) years. It has been observed that many servants of different churches left no recorded footprints in history. In the URCSA many priests (or Dominees, as they are called) went the same route, either by ill-health, death or retirement. They were praised at their funerals, at their retirement ceremonies, but rarely when they were still alive and strong. At the time of writing this document, the Reverend Maphoto is still alive and an emeritus of the URCSA. He was interviewed at his home at ga-Matlala, where he built his family home. The paper is written from the perspective that religious leaders have tremendous influence in shaping the direction of the church. Their contribution to communities is immense and they manage the church, each in his or her own way. This article therefore sets out to present the facts about the life and work of the Reverend Maphoto and particularly about his management of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. The researchers went to his home at ga-Matlala to interview him. The major findings of the study indicated that his achievements in managing the church outweighed Lesiba Matsaung & S M Seloana 2 his failures and that he deserves to be rated among the effective church managers.