New Cape Town Archbishop Calls For Unity and Prophetic Courage

by Admin · March 14, 2026

Installation of Archbishop Sithembele Sipuka. (Photo: Gunther Simmermacher)

Newly-installed Archbishop Sithembele Sipuka of Cape Town has pledged to serve the people of the archdiocese with humility, openness and a commitment to unity as he formally took office in a Mass celebrated in the Grand Arena at the GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World.

The archbishop, who led the diocese of Mthatha for 18 years and currently serves as president of the South African Council of Churches, told the large congregation that he arrived in Cape Town ready to learn from the people he now serves.
“While I come as a bishop, I am aware this is a new place,” he said. “I have come to serve you, people of Cape Town, and so I will adapt to you rather than you adapting to me.”

We are People of Faith and Hope

Acknowledging the cultural diversity of the Western Cape, Archbishop Sipuka added that he hoped to deepen his connection with local communities, including by improving his Afrikaans.
“Although I studied Afrikaans until matric, I did not have the opportunity to speak it much in the Eastern Cape,” he said in Afrikaans. “But it is my intention to learn it, because now I am one of you.”
At the same time, the archbishop said his years of experience as a bishop meant he arrived ready to contribute to the life of the archdiocese.
Archbishop Sipuka reflected on the many challenges facing South Africa, including poverty, inequality, gender-based violence, crime and corruption. But he urged Christians not to lose hope.
“We are people of faith in a God who will never abandon us,” he said.

One reason for hope, he suggested, is the country’s tradition of free speech and the presence of many voices willing to challenge injustice.
“God continues raising prophets,” he said, pointing to civic organisations, trade unions, journalists, church leaders, activists, judges and ordinary citizens who speak out when things go wrong.
“Our country is prophetic from all sectors,” he said. “All will be well if everybody plays their prophetic role — singathuli izinto zisonakala! Do not keep quiet while things get spoiled.”

Poverty and crime

The archbishop challenged South Africans to examine their consciences about wealth and poverty.
“We see obscene wealth among a few in a sea of poverty,” he said, urging people to share what they have rather than offering token gestures.
Quoting the Gospel, he reminded the faithful: “Freely you have received; freely give.”
He also called for a prophetic response to crime, noting that the Western Cape currently faces such severe violence that soldiers have been deployed. Prophecy against crime, he said, includes refusing to buy stolen goods and rejecting vandalism of public infrastructure.
“What we destroy — schools, clinics, trains — serves the common good,” he said. “When we destroy it, we destroy our own future.”

Installation Mass of Archbishop Sithembele Sipuka of Cape Town. (Photo: Gunther Simmermacher)

Societies are Fragmenting

Reflecting on what he called the “signs of the times”, Sipuka said he had been struck by the growing tendency of societies to fragment rather than unite. Humanity, he said, has historically been “at its worst when disunited and at its best when united”.
He pointed to the spirit of reconciliation that marked the early years of democracy under Nelson Mandela, symbolised by Mandela’s famous appearance in the Number 6 Springbok rugby jersey at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
“That spirit is dissipating,” the archbishop warned. “Old wounds are reopening. New resentments are festering. The social fabric is fraying.”

Call to Unity

Against this background, Archbishop Sipuka said he felt called to promote unity — among people, among religions, among Christians and within the Church itself. That calling is captured in the episcopal motto he has chosen for his ministry in Cape Town: “United and Sent”. The archbishop cautioned that unity will not happen automatically. South Africans, he said, have often assumed that simply integrating schools, churches and neighbourhoods would produce unity.
“We have changed the rules without transforming hearts,” he said. “We have integrated bodies without facilitating a genuine encounter.”

Listening and Hopeful

Instead, he called for deliberate efforts to listen to one another and to confront the fears, resentments and attitudes that continue to divide society. He expressed hope that the Church’s renewed emphasis on synodality — listening, dialogue and shared mission — could help foster this deeper unity. Concluding his address, Sipuka expressed gratitude to God and to the people of Cape Town for their welcome.
“In the context of the challenges facing us as a country and as a Church, let us remain hopeful,” he said.
The path forward, he added, will require humility, prophetic courage and a willingness to listen — especially to those on the margins.
“Let us walk this journey together,” he said. “Let us do the hard work of genuine unity. Let us learn from each other. Let us be united in love and sent on a mission.”