Methodist Church's first female bishop a crusader against patriarchy

Growing up on a farm in KwaZulu-Natal, Purity Malinga was told by her mother there was nothing she could not do. Now she has a top post in the Methodist Church and wants to change men’s attitudes to women

19 January 2020 - 00:00 By Sarah Hudleston

I heard about Purity Malinga, the first female Methodist presiding bishop for Southern Africa, from a fellow passenger on a recent bus ride from Johannesburg to Gaborone. I was intrigued by the story of her long crusade against patriarchy in the church and her rise to the top in what is still largely a man’s world...

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