Description

The Durban South Africa Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is being built on a hillside property overlooking the ocean near the N2 highway in the Izinga development of Umhlanga Rocks, north of Durban.  It is the second Temple in South Africa, after the Johannesburg South Africa Temple.

The nation of South Africa has 12 stakes, 4 districts, and 1 operating temple in the city of Johannesburg, over 350 miles (570 kilometers) northwest of Durban. The city of Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. With a metropolitan population of almost 4.5 million people, it is the country’s third-largest city, behind Johannesburg and Cape Town.

History

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a long-standing history in South Africa. In August 1853, only 23 years after the Church was officially organized, the first congregation in South Africa was formed four miles from Cape Town. The growth of the Church was amazing. In just two years’ time, one congregation became three, and South African Latter-day Saints in the area totaled almost 130. Government restrictions and challenges in speaking Afrikaans led to a period from 1865 to 1903 in which no missionaries were sent to South Africa. Just a few years after missionary work resumed there, the first Church building was constructed in Mowbray in 1917.

The growth of the Church moved steadily onward. By October 1978, there were 7,200 church members in South Africa, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South West Africa (Namibia), 3,450 of whom attended the area’s first conference. Fourteen years later, 4,200 church members attended a conference in Johannesburg, and four years after that, a regional conference celebrated the attendance of 5,000 church members.

As of 2014, South Africa had over 59,000 Church members of all races, worshiping in unity and working together to overcome some of South Africa’s cultural challenges. Throughout South Africa, there are 154 congregations, and 61 family history centers, where members and others can learn how to do genealogical research.

Announcement

The announcement was made by church president Thomas S. Monson on 1 October 2011, during the Saturday morning session of the 181st Semi-Annual General Conference.^[1]Monson, Thomas S “As We Meet Again”, Lds.org, October 2011. Accessed 17 December 2011.^[2]Walker, Joseph (1 October 2011). “LDS general conference opens with the announcement of six new Mormon temples”. Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Retrieved 1 October 2011

Six new temples were announced at this time. These sacred structures would be built throughout the world, in Provo Utah (in the burned out shell of the Provo Tabernacle), Paris France, Barranquilla Colombia, Star Valley Wyoming, Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Durban South Africa. The Kinshasa and Durban Temples would be the fourth and fifth temples built on the African continent. ^[3]Monson, Thomas S “As We Meet Again”, Lds.org, October 2011. Accessed 17 December 2011.^[4]“Mormon church president announces plans for new temples in Utah, Wyoming, Colombia, Africa”. Washington Post. AP. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.

President Monson expressed the central significance of temples in his announcement, saying,

“No Church-built facility is more important than a temple. Temples are places where relationships are sealed together to last through the eternities. We are grateful for all the many temples across the world and for the blessing they are in the lives of our members.”^[5]Monson, Thomas S “As We Meet Again”, Lds.org, October 2011. Accessed 17 December 2011. Temples are a central part of Latter-day Saint theology and religious practice. As such, they are treated with the utmost respect. Great care is taken to ensure that these houses of worship are beautiful and serviceable for Church members.

Although other temples already stood in Johannesburg, South Africa; Accra, Ghana; and Aba, Nigeria, the announcement of two more temples on the African continent was a milestone in a church with more than half of its membership living outside of the United States.

Groundbreaking

A groundbreaking ceremony, to signify the beginning of construction, took place on Saturday, 9 April 2016, with Carl B. Cook of the Seventy and President of the Church’s Africa Southeast Area presiding.^[6]“Ground Broken for Durban South Africa Temple: Construction to begin on the nation’s second temple”, Newsroom, LDS Church, 2016-04-09

Hundreds of Latter-day Saints and other community members gathered to celebrate the event for South Africa’s second temple.

Elder Cook was joined by his wife Lynett,. Elder Stanley G. Ellis and Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, also of the area presidency, and their wives Kathryn and Claudia, respectively, along with dignitaries and community leaders.

Elder Cook commented, “Today the ceremonial shovels will turn the soil, and the construction of the temple will begin. We can likewise begin building. We can build our personal lives in preparation for the temple. Today we can increase our faith, we can increase our obedience to God, and serve Him more fully.”^[7] Ingram, Aleah. “Ground Broken for Durban South Africa Temple.” LDS Daily, 11 Apr. 2016, .

Open House

On 18 June 2019 The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the dates for the public open house, youth devotional and dedication for the Durban South Africa Temple.

A public open house is scheduled for Wednesday, 22 January through Saturday, 1 February 2020. An open house will not be held on Sunday, 26 January 2020. The open house will afford peoples of all faiths to step inside the temple and see the beauty of the sacred edifice, as well as provide them with information about why the Church builds temples.

Youth Devotional

A youth devotional will be held on the evening of Saturday, 15 February 2020, in a meetinghouse close to the temple, and will be broadcast to meetinghouses in the temple district. Church leaders will speak to the youth during the devotional.

Dedication

The Durban South Africa Temple will be dedicated in three sessions, 9:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 3:00 pm by Church leaders on Sunday, 16 February 2020. All dedicatory sessions will be broadcast to meetinghouses in the temple district.

Dedication Order

The Durban South Africa Temple will be the fifth temple built in Africa and the second built in South Africa, following the Johannesburg South Africa Temple (1985).

Presidents

To Be Announced

Details

Location

The Durban South Africa Temple will be constructed on a hillside property near the ocean and the N2 highway in the Izinga development of Umhlanga Rocks, just north of Durban. Umhlanga is one of the fastest growing cities in South Africa, which enjoys a low crime rate and is known for having the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere—the Gateway Theatre of Shopping

Exterior

Cladding

Symbolism

Inscriptions

Cornerstone

Spires and Moroni

Individuals and Contractors

Sources and Citations