By Wezi Tjaronda WINDHOEK Barely a year after being installed Dean of the Cathedral Church of St George, Reverend Nangula Kathindi has been appointed as the Provincial Executive Officer (PEO) for the Anglican Church in Southern Africa. She takes up the position in January 2007. This is the very first time in the history of the Southern African Church that a woman and a non-South African has been appointed to the position. In April, Kathindi was installed the first woman Dean of the Cathedral Church of St George, which is the mother church of the Diocese in Namibia and part of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, of which the Rt. Reverend Nathaniel Ndaxuma Nakwatumbah is the Bishop. Kathindi, who has been a Reverend for the past 12 years, was appointed to serve as the Dean of the St Georges Cathedral Parish in Windhoek as from August 1, 2005. The new position is the most senior administrative post in the church after that of the Archbishop. Making the announcement, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Njongonkulu Ndungane said Kathindi is a highly competent person with wide experience in administrative matters due to the experience she gained as Secretary General of the Council of Churches in Namibia from 1999 to 2005. As PEO, Kathindi will among other things act as secretary of the Provincial Synod, which is the highest legislative body of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa and also act as secretary to the Synod of Bishops. Archbishop Ndungane held the position of PEO during Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s reign. Ndungane said, “In addition to her administrative ability, she is a deeply spiritual person and the appointment of a woman into the position is in recognition of the diversity within our church in the Southern African region.” Contacted for comment, Kathindi said she was thrilled about the appointment, which she viewed as coming from above. “I am particularly humbled by this appointment because the archbishop and my bishop felt I could do the job,” she said, adding, “It is a job I would want to do well.” Kathindi will relocate to South Africa with her family in December.