In his final address as president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha highlighted key challenges facing the Catholic Church in the region, including declining membership, financial sustainability, and pressing social issues. (Main photo: Sheldon Reddiar)
At the current plenary session, Bishop Sipuka will be succeeded by Cardinal Stephen Brislin as SACBC president.
Bishop Sipuka noted the difficulty the SABC faces in finding qualified personnel, particularly women religious, for various diocesan roles. He called for greater collaboration between bishops and religious superiors to better train young religious for service within the local Church and the Conference.
Church Membership
Bishop Sipuka acknowledged a decline in Catholic membership within the SACBC region. According to 2016 statistics, approximately 7% of the total population — close to 4 million people — identified as Catholics. However, Bishop Sipuka expressed concerns that these numbers have decreased further, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic.
He pointed out that the faithful who remain often lack a culture of financial support for the Church, prompting the need for new strategies. “Relying solely on the contributions of the laity is no longer sustainable,” he said. “We need to explore cooperative and consolidated investing strategies among dioceses.”
Bishop Sipuka also emphasised the importance of generating alternative income streams and better managing resources. He mentioned the Bishop’s Foundation as a starting point, but stressed the need for further collaboration among dioceses to invest wisely and pool resources.
The bishop also raised concerns about the accuracy of statistical reporting, particularly when it comes to measuring active Catholic participation in the Church. Current statistics, which are based on parish records, only reflect historical membership, such as baptism, he noted.
The bishop outlined a new initiative introduced in his diocese of Mthatha to digitalise parish data, ensuring real-time updates on active membership. This system will allow for more precise statistics, enabling dioceses to better track participation and support.
“With this program, priests do not need to send paper-based statistics to the chancery. When the chancery needs to send statistics to Rome, it only takes pressing a button because the real-time data updates the central system,” he explained. “The programme enables you to print baptism, confirmation, marriage certificates, and removals by just typing the name and surname of the person requesting the certificate.”
He said that the Diocese of Mthatha would be happy to share this system with other dioceses.

(Photo: Sheldon Reddiar)
National Dialogue
Bishop Sipuka also discussed the proposed national dialogue in South Africa, calling for a forum that is independent from the government. He emphasised that the national dialogue should be led by citizens who are not appointed by the government, to ensure its legitimacy. Key issues for discussion, he suggested, should include electoral reform, civil service professionalisation, and GBV issues.
“During this plenary, we will consider how the national dialogue platform can be formed and its agenda,” he said.
SA’s Education Problems
Bishop Sipuka commended South Africa’s record-breaking 87,3% matric pass rate for 2024, noting that “Catholic schools have significantly contributed the most to this high pass rate.”
While acknowledging the achievement, he raised concerns about the quality of education, criticising a narrow, results-oriented approach that prioritises exam preparation over holistic student development.
“A question remains about whether these results are indicators of high-quality students. Over the past few years in the Eastern Cape, especially last year, matric students have been forced to attend school every day, from Monday to Monday, and it has been impossible to get them to come to church because, on the weekends, they are at school,” the bishop noted.
“They had matric camps close to exams, some sleeping at school and being coached for exams from morning to evening. Such a teaching method is narrow, too result-oriented, and focused on assessment. It encourages regurgitation, making students poor candidates for tertiary education and lacking in critical thinking. These candidates will rely on artificial intelligence for their assignments and will memorise for exams,” he warned.
“Furthermore, by focusing on getting learners to pass matric while depriving them of the time to rest on weekends, be with family, do home chores and attend Church, you are truncating them because you are developing only their brain and not the total person.”

Bishops at Plenary Opening Mass. (Photo: Sheldon Reddiar)
Politics and Solidarity
Shifting focus to regional issues, Bishop Sipuka spoke about developments in countries across the Conference. In Botswana, he praised the successful elections that resulted in a peaceful transition of power, marking a rare positive political shift in Africa. However, he highlighted the ongoing challenge of violence against women in Botswana, urging the Church to advocate more strongly against gender-based violence (GBV).
In Eswatini, Sipuka noted the devastating impact of climate change, particularly recent floods that caused widespread destruction. He welcomed the government’s commitment to a substantial rehabilitation fund to restore infrastructure and support affected families.
Bishop Sipuka expressed solidarity with regions affected by conflict, particularly in the Holy Land. Welcoming the recent ceasefire, he lamented “that it has taken so much suffering and loss of life for the leaders to finally understand what the Church has been saying all along: that war is not a solution. We pray that this ceasefire is the beginning of the end of war and the start of a just and peaceful existence for all the people in the Holy Land.”
He also called for continued support for peace efforts in Mozambique and Sudan. “We pray and hope that the solidarity visit made to Mozambique when post-election violence erupted will strengthen the Church to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the present conflict, he said.
However, “more could have been done to show solidarity with the Church in Sudan as we have done before through the Denis Hurley Peace Institute. I hope the incoming leadership will find ways to make up for this lack and continue engaging for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Sudan.”
New SACBC Leadership
Concluding his address, Bishop Sipuka reflected on the end of an era as the current troika leadership of the SACBC, comprising himself, Archbishop Dabula Mpako and Bishop Graham Rose, and the SABC Board prepare to step down. He expressed gratitude for the trust placed in him and his deputies during their tenure, particularly during the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which he said had “thwarted our Pastoral Plan” only two months after its launch.
“As we turn the page to a new chapter with new leadership, we are filled with hope and anticipation for the future and pledge our utmost support. The challenges of today will shape the future of this Conference, and with the continued faith and support of all in this house, the new leadership will be empowered to rise to meet them,’ He said. “Together, we look to a new era driven by fresh vision and progress towards fulfilling our shared mission in service to God’s mission and his people.”
- Archbishop Tlhagale: The ‘Gangster’ - February 7, 2025
- Bishop Edward Risi: The Liturgist - February 5, 2025
- Archbishop Nubuasah: Apostle of the Batswana - February 3, 2025