Meet Archbishop Zolile Mpambani: A Shepherd Formed by the People He Serves

by Kati Dijane · January 21, 2026

By Kati Dijane – When Archbishop Zolile Mpambani arrived in Bloemfontein on June 10, 2020, the city was silent. Churches were closed, Masses suspended and the world was locked down by Covid-19. His appointment as Archbishop of Bloemfontein, announced on April 1, 2020, by Pope Francis, was initially met with disbelief and many thought it was an April Fool’s joke.

But amid uncertainty and isolation, a new chapter quietly began for the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein, one that would later be defined by a renewed emphasis on formation and deep engagement with the people of God.

On 12 January 2026, a day after launching the 75th Jubilee of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein at the packed Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, the archbishop, who’s also the first vice-president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, shared his priesthood journey:

A vocation born at the altar

Archbishop Mpambani’s journey to the priesthood began remarkably early. Raised in a deeply Catholic family, he traces his faith roots back to his grandfather, the first in his village to join the Catholic Church in 1923 when the missionaries arrived.

“I felt a vocation at the age of six,” he recalls. Too young to serve as an altar boy on Sundays, he attended daily Mass from Monday to Saturday, serving alone until the older boys finally allowed him to join. Standing so close to the altar ignited a dream: one day, he would stand on the other side, celebrating the Eucharist.

That childhood vision came full circle on 26 April 1987, the day after his ordination as a priest, when he celebrated his first Thanksgiving Mass alongside the same parish priest who had inspired him as a boy.

Ordained on 25 April 1987 after his studies at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal, Archbishop Mpambani has never wavered from that childhood “yes”, a calling his parents initially questioned but ultimately blessed.

Formation as a lifelong mission

Much of Archbishop Mpambani’s priestly life has been dedicated to formation. A member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ), he spent 18 years involved in formation work, both in South Africa and internationally, including service in Rome as a general counsellor responsible for formation worldwide.

For him, formation is not about shaping priests into replicas of a model cleric. “The formator does not form the student,” he explains. “He helps the student to form himself.” Central to this process is accompaniment — helping future priests unpack psychological, emotional and spiritual baggage so that they can minister as whole, healed individuals.

Without this inner work, he warns, unresolved trauma can follow priests into ministry, harming both themselves and the communities they serve.

From Kokstad to Bloemfontein

In 2013, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Kokstad, where he was consecrated on 3 August. It was his first experience of episcopal leadership, and one he describes as profoundly formative. Kokstad, largely rural and deeply relational, taught him how to be a bishop among the people.

After seven years and seven months, he was transferred to Bloemfontein, a very different context, more urban, more reserved and complicated by the realities of a global pandemic.

Drawing inspiration from Pope Francis’ image of shepherds who must “smell like their sheep,” Archbishop Mpambani set out to foster closeness and visibility, encouraging interaction beyond the sanctuary. His vision for Bloemfontein centres on the formation and empowerment of the laity, whom he believes must be equipped to understand Scripture, liturgy and the life of the Church.

Empowering the laity

A consistent theme in his preaching is preparation for Mass, for Scripture and for the Eucharist. He challenges Catholics to read the readings beforehand, to engage both the table of the Word and the table of the Eucharist with intention.

He also urges a renewed appreciation for confession and catechesis, encouraging priests to teach from the pulpit and help the faithful deepen their understanding of Catholic teaching. For Archbishop Mpambani, a knowledgeable laity is essential to a vibrant and mature Church.

Serving the Church beyond the diocese

Beyond Bloemfontein, Archbishop Mpambani plays a key leadership role in the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) as its First Vice President. Together with the President (Cardinal Stephen Brislin of Johannesburg) and Second Vice President (Siegfried Mandla Jwara CMM), known as the “troika”, he helps guide the Conference’s pastoral direction through consultation and shared leadership.

His responsibilities include working closely with the Theological Advisory Committee, ensuring that bishops are well supported in addressing theological and pastoral issues affecting the Church today. He also chairs meetings in the absence of the president and contributes to shaping plenary sessions and conference priorities.

Crucially, he emphasises that the SACBC is not distant from ordinary Catholics. Through its departments, especially those focused on the laity, family life, youth, and formation, the Conference remains connected to parish realities via diocesan structures and councils that channel the voices of the faithful to the bishops.

The bishops are presently meeting in Pretoria, where they marked the opening of their first plenary of the year with Mass on 20 January 2025 at St John Vianney Seminary, together with the faithful, religious, and the Nuncio to Southern Africa, Archbishop Henryk Jagodziński.

Celebrating 75 years of ecclesial maturity

The year 2026 marks 75 years since the establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in Southern Africa, including the creation of the Archdioceses of Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria. For Archbishop Mpambani, this jubilee is not just a historical milestone, but also a moment of gratitude and renewed mission.

It celebrates a Church that has grown from missionary beginnings into a locally rooted, self-governing community, and it calls today’s Catholics, clergy and laity alike, to deepen their faith, strengthen communion and carry the Gospel forward with courage and compassion.