One week after Ghana’s second temple groundbreaking, ground was broken for another house of the Lord in Africa — the Cape Town South Africa Temple.
Elder Carlos A. Godoy, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Africa South Area, presided over the Oct. 25 groundbreaking in South Africa.
Once dedicated, it will be the country’s third temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the southernmost house of the Lord on the continent of Africa.
The Cape Town temple groundbreaking was broadcast online, and information about the ceremony was published on the Church’s South Africa Newsroom on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Elder Godoy spoke to attendees about the history of ancient temples and the reason to build them in modern times, including the opportunity to return to a celestial home.
Speaking of vicarious work, he added that “those ordinances are possible, thanks to our Savior, Jesus Christ, thanks to His atoning sacrifice that brought these blessings and this possibility of uniting what happens here on earth with heaven.”
In his prayer dedicating the site and construction process, Elder Godoy expressed his love and gratitude for friends and neighbors in the community.
“Please bless them with peace and prosperity,” he prayed. “Allow this holy house to be a light upon the hill and a place of peace, reverence and inspiration for all who come near. May everyone feel Thy Spirit when they are close to this sacred place.”
Elder Godoy noted that “the temples in Africa are being built for the rising generation,” evident by the white stones bordering the area of symbolic turning of the soil. These stones — decorated with the names of Primary children from the Bellville South Africa and Cape Town South Africa stakes — were laid to symbolize the faith of future generations setting the foundation of the house of the Lord.
The Cape Town South Africa Temple is planned to be a single-story edifice of approximately 9,500 square feet, with a meetinghouse and arrival center also on the grounds. It will be built on a 3.79-acre site at 3 Liesbeek Ave., in Cape Town’s Observatory suburb.
The Church in South Africa
The late Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Cape Town, South Africa, on April 4, 2021. The 20 temple locations he identified in that general conference included another two African temples — for Kumasi, Ghana, and Beira, Mozambique.
The Cape Town temple is one of South Africa’s three temples in various stages, the other two in operation. The first is the Johannesburg South Africa Temple, dedicated in 1985 by President Gordon B. Hinckley, then second counselor in the First Presidency. It was also the first on the continent of Africa.
The country’s second house of the Lord is the Durban South Africa Temple, dedicated in 2020 by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
In 1852, Brigham Young directed three missionaries to open a mission in South Africa and preach the restored gospel. They were called to serve in the Cape of Good Hope, Africa, a British colony, and arrived in Cape Town on April 19, 1853.
By the end of 1855, six branches had been established in and around Cape Town.
Church President David O. McKay arrived in Cape Town on Jan. 9, 1954, the first general authority to visit the African continent. The first stake in South Africa, the Transvaal Stake, was organized on March 22, 1970, in Johannesburg.
Today, South Africa is home to more than 74,000 Church members in nearly 200 congregations.
On Oct. 24, the Church announced 16 new missions would be created in Africa, including one for East London, South Africa. These were among 55 mission creations that will go into effect July 1, 2026, around the world.
East London, on the southern coast of South Africa, has been part of the South Africa Cape Town Mission.
