Temple Site Possibilities: Africa Southeast Area

Hello again, everyone! Here I am with the second in the series of posts I referenced just a few minutes ago. This post will examine potential future temple sites in the Africa Southeast Area of the Church. So, let's dive right in to it!

The Africa Southeast Area currently only has 1 temple in operation, the Johannesburg South Africa Temple. But there are also two under construction (in Durban South Africa and Kinshasa DR Congo). There are also two others announced (in Harare Zimbabwe, and Nairobi Kenya). Until all of these temples are a bit further along, it is difficult to know whether or not any others will be announced.

That said, the Kinshasa temple is anticipated to be dedicated next year, with Durban in 2019. Additionally, Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, who presides over the Africa Southeast Area, was quoted at some point in 2016 after the Harare temple was announced that a site announcement and groundbreaking would likely take place in short order during 2017. As we know, that has not happened as of yet, but may happen at some point early next year.

Also, our native Kenyan General Authority, Elder Joseph W. Sitati, represented the Church at a media event for the Nairobi Temple. He said that the Church usually takes a year or two after a temple announcement to announce a site (which, as far as I can tell, has been the average for temples in this area). So the groundbreaking for that temple might happen anytime in the next 2 or 3 years.

The Johannesburg Temple district is currently comprised of 54 stakes and 37 districts. Of those, a minimum of 17 stakes and 3 districts in DR Congo will be served by the Kinshasa Temple, and some surrounding nations that will be closer to the DR Congo than to South Africa will also be taken from the Jo-burg (as my mother, a native South African, affectionately calls it) district.

Additionally, other cities in South Africa will be part of the Durban SA Temple district, being closer to it than Jo-burg. And once both the Durban and Kinshasa Temples are completed, more will be known about their temple districts. And as the Harare and Nairobi Temples get further along in the construction process and are dedicated, that will also divide these districts further.

That said, in terms of potential future sites, I have the following possibilities: Antananarivo Madagascar; Maputo Mozambique; Lubumbashi DR Congo; and Cape Town South Africa.

First, Antananarivo is home to the only mission of the Church in Madagascar. In Madagascar, there are two stakes and two districts, which in turn comprise 14 wards and 15 branches, which totals 29 congregations, making that nation a strong contender for its own temple.

In Mozambique, Maputo is the headquarters of the only mission. Additionally, there are 3 stakes and 1 district, which in turn are comprised of 20 wards and 9 branches, bringing the total number of congregations in Mozambique to 29 as well.

As already noted, at minimum, the Kinshasa Temple will serve the 17 stakes and 3 districts in the DR Congo. Those stakes and districts are further subdivided into 137 wards and 42 branches, which is a total of 179 congregations. That is a lot of congregations for one temple, making it likely that another temple could be announced in that nation before too much longer. Additionally, the DR Congo is home to 3 missions. The first mission in that nation was established in Kinshasa, and the second one was created in Lubumbashi 7 years ago. Since that time, not only has another mission been created, but additionally, 6 stakes and 2 districts have also been created. Anyway that is considered, it is impressive. So I see a second temple in DR Congo as something that will happen sooner rather than later.

If and when South Africa might get its third temple is going to depend on how busy the other two are, before, during and after the construction of all other temples that are or will be constructed in the Africa Southeast Area. Many people have contended that George may be a better candidate for South Africa's third temple, if and when that happens, but I know that Cape Town is the third of the three most populous cities in that nation, and I see it as being the better candidate.

Additionally, when the Durban Temple is dedicated, Cape Town will be the only South African city with an LDS mission that does not have its own temple. And while we don't know how the Jo-burg district may be divided with that of Durban, what we do know is that South Africa as a nation has 16 stakes and 8 districts, which in turn is divided into 107 wards and 75 branches. That brings the number of South African congregations to a total of 182, which is large for one or even two temples, even if not taking the other nations into account. That is why I have felt a third temple in Cape Town may make a lot of sense.

So there you have it. I have now "sounded off" about my temple picks for the Africa Southeast Area, and now I want to hear your thoughts. Is there merit in any or all of these selections, have I missed any that I should be considering, and how might the prospects for temples in this area change with the completion of those under construction and announced? Let me know.

That does it for this post. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each of you all the best and pray the Lord's blessings upon you.