A Morning of Promise and Light
On a breezy Saturday morning, October 25, 2025, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in great numbers to witness a momentous milestone — the groundbreaking of the Cape Town South Africa Temple. The ceremony unfolded under the majestic shadow of Table Mountain, where beams of light pierced through the clouds, symbolically reminding all present of the Savior’s divine light and presence on this sacred day.
Leaders and Saints United in Faith
Presiding at the event was Elder Carlos A. Godoy, General Authority Seventy and President of the Africa South Area. He was joined by Sister Mônica Godoy, Elder Carl F. Krauss, Area Seventy, and several local leaders and dignitaries. Together, they stood as witnesses to a new chapter of faith and devotion in southern Africa — one that would bless generations to come.
Testimonies of Hope and Devotion
The ceremony began with heartfelt remarks from members of the Cape Town area, each sharing their personal testimonies of temple blessings.
Zandile Nkomo of the Milnerton Ward spoke first, expressing her love for the house of the Lord. “I have a testimony of temples - that they are the closest place to heaven on earth. That is the house of the Lord, and the Spirit constantly resides in there,” she said with conviction.
Jean Pierre Lawrence, a member of the Strand Branch, reflected on the temple as a place of identity and divine purpose. “Temples are a breeding ground for identity,” he shared. “We can find who we truly are, and I am so grateful that we are members at this time.”
Dorothy Gray of the Milnerton Ward — part of one of Cape Town’s pioneer Latter-day Saint families — offered a tender reflection. Having joined the Church in 1969 with her deaf parents, she likened the temple to Moses’ sacred journey on Mount Sinai. “In the Old Testament, Moses had to go up the mountain to meet with the Lord,” she said. “Here in Cape Town, this temple will become our mountain of the Lord — where we can have that closer connection to God and where we can also experience the temple as a great metaphor for what heaven will be like.”
Elder Godoy’s Message of Eternal Unity
When Elder Godoy addressed the congregation, his words carried both reverence and deep emotion. With tears in his eyes, he expressed profound love and gratitude for the Saints of Cape Town.
“The temples in Africa are being built for the rising generation,” he declared. He spoke of the blessings that will flow to both the living and the dead, uniting families through sacred ordinances performed within the holy walls of temples.
Addressing the question of why the Church builds so many temples, Elder Godoy gave a simple yet powerful answer: “To unite families forever.” He then concluded with a prayerful statement of faith: “The Lord has many holy houses in the world, and this one will be His holy house in Cape Town.”
A Sacred Prayer of Dedication
Elder Godoy’s dedicatory prayer filled the hearts of all who listened with peace and reverence:
“We are especially grateful, Father, for the holy temples which are Thy house among us — where heaven and earth meet.
Bless this community with peace and prosperity, and may this holy house stand as a light upon a hill, 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.”
He continued, dedicating the ground and all that would follow:
“I dedicate this ground and all that will happen here from now on. I pray for all those who will be involved in this work
Symbols of Faith and Future Generations
As part of the ceremony, soil was turned on a site bordered with white stones — each inscribed with the names of Primary children from the Bellville and Cape Town Stakes. These stones symbolised the faith of future generations, physically and spiritually woven into the foundation of this temple.
The event was broadcast live to members across the Cape Town Temple district via YouTube, Zoom, and Facebook Live, allowing Saints near and far to share in this sacred experience. More than 400 Saints attended in person, their hearts united in gratitude and joy.
Reflections of Peace and Assurance
Following the ceremony, Tlhabenelo Diholo of the Montana Ward shared his impressions. “When Elder Godoy offered the dedicatory prayer, it was so calm, and that calmness was an assurance to me that this spot where the Cape Town South Africa Temple will be built is the right spot. It’s exactly where the Lord wants his Temple to be.”
His words captured the collective feeling among those present: a profound sense of divine confirmation and peace. For many, this groundbreaking represented not only the beginning of construction but the fulfillment of years of earnest prayers and patient faith.
A House of the Lord for Cape Town
The Cape Town South Africa Temple will be built on a 3.8-acre site on 3 Liesbeek Avenue, Observatory, Cape Town. Plans include a single-story temple of approximately 890 square meters, accompanied by patron housing and arrival facilities.
President Russell M. Nelson first announced this temple during the April 2021 General Conference, reminding members that “temples are a vital part of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness. Ordinances of the temple fill our lives with [God’s] power and strength available in no other way.”
A Legacy of Faith in Africa
Cape Town, located on the southswestern coast of South Africa, holds a sacred place in Church history as the home of South Africa’s first congregation of Latter-day Saints, established in Mowbray in 1853 — the very beginning of the Church’s presence on the African continent. Today, South Africa is home to more than 76,000 members in nearly 200 congregations.
The Cape Town South Africa Temple will stand as the nation’s third temple — a beacon of light and testimony that the Lord’s work continues to roll forward in this land of faith, diversity, and promise.
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