Rev. Matale challenges women leaders as she retires

November 8, 2017

As Reverend Dr. Suzanne Matale steps down as the General Secretary of the Council of Churches of Zambia (CCZ), she reflects on a decade promoting justice, fairness and equality.


Reverend Dr. Suzanne Matale

“Coming here was not the easiest of things,” she recalled.  “People judged me purely because I was a woman, instead of my ability to do the job. This to me reflected the church being very patriarchal. To this day there are some churches who do not believe that a woman can be clergy. I knew that I had to perform, I knew that I had to deliver, I knew that I had to work well with the people.”

While her tenure was challenged from the very beginning, it was never a question of her competence. Ten years ago, Rev. Matale outperformed 13 other candidates – all of them men – only for the appointing authorities to decide the position of CCZ General Secretary was too important to be held by a woman.

Read more about Reverend Dr. Suzanne Matale HERE..