Archbishop Siegfried Mandlenkosi Jwara CMM’s call to shepherd the Archdiocese of Durban is deeply connected to a simple conviction: “the Church belongs to all.”
Since being appointed Archbishop of Durban in 2021, Archbishop Jwara has come to understand the Archdiocese not simply as an urban Catholic community, but as a complex local Church stretching from the cosmopolitan heart of Durban to rural communities, townships and small towns. His journey to Durban followed years of missionary and pastoral experience. Born on 1 February 1957, he was ordained a priest of the Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries (CMM) on 14 February 1987. In 2016, he became Bishop of the Vicariate of Ingwavuma before being transferred to Durban in 2021.Five years into his episcopacy in Durban, Archbishop Jwara reflects on a local Church that has taught him much about diversity, belonging, listening and the responsibility of leadership.
A city and a rural Church
Although Durban was not unfamiliar territory for him, Archbishop Jwara says his experience as a religious had already prepared him for the diversity of the city. “Durban as a city is my home city,” he says, recalling that he had regularly travelled there for shopping. His years serving in the multicultural community of Mariannhill Missionaries , as well as his experience in Rome, also exposed him to different cultures and ways of life.
Yet one aspect of the Archdiocese surprised him. “From outside the Archdiocese of Durban, it looks very urban, but most part of it is black and rural,” he says. Beyond the large townships and better-known urban centres, the Archdiocese encompasses rural parishes and small towns. This reality, he says, has been one of the most striking discoveries of his time as Archbishop. His own missionary identity has also shaped the way he understands his role.
As the first Mariannhill Missionary to serve as Archbishop of Durban, he sees a continuity between the missionary heritage of the Archdiocese and his CMM spirituality. Archbishop Jwara says in our interview on 27 August 2026 that the words of his founder, Abbot Francis Pfanner, remain significant: “The kingdom of God has no boundaries.” That conviction has become central to his understanding of the Archdiocese: a Church in which cultural, racial, linguistic and social differences should not become barriers to communion.
Synodality in Durban
The Church’s ongoing journey of synodality has given Archbishop Jwara an opportunity to translate that vision into practical initiatives. One example has been his encouragement of English-speaking Catholics to participate in the Archdiocese’s annual Marian pilgrimage. He recalls being concerned that the English-speaking Catholic community was often absent from major diocesan celebrations. His encouragement resulted in greater participation, which he describes as “very interesting” and something he hopes will grow in the future.
For him, synodality cannot remain a theological concept. It must be experienced through people coming together. “Synodality is us joining together, whether you’re a lay person or a religious person,” he says. He repeatedly emphasises what he describes as the Archdiocese’s three important pillars: the clergy, religious and laity. “Whatever we do in the diocese, I want to see those three pillars,” he says, stressing that each has an important role to play. His understanding of leadership flows from the same vision. A good leader, he says, must be able to share a deep faith in Jesus Christ, listen, create opportunities for dialogue and participation, empower others, promote social cohesion and act as a bridge builder.
Building bridges in a divided society
That commitment to bridge-building has also taken Archbishop Jwara into some of the most difficult social questions facing South Africa. Amid tensions surrounding migration, he asked the Archdiocese’s Justice and Peace Department, in June, to facilitate a dialogue between the citizen-led civic movement, March and March, immigrants and church leaders. The purpose was not simply to comment on the crisis from a distance, but to listen directly to those affected. “The emotions were very high, but the dialogue was very successful,” he recalls. He believes the Church needed to get “to the ground with the issue” rather than rely only on what was being reported or discussed in the media.
The experience reinforced one lesson for him: people can be too quick to judge when they have not genuinely listened. “As a church, we must develop the skill of listening without prejudice,” he says. Archbishop Jwara adds that the Church also has a responsibility to challenge government more firmly on issues contributing to social tensions, including lawlessness, economic hardship and the country’s immigration system. His answer is not to retreat from difficult conversations, but to create spaces where people can encounter one another. Since arriving in Durban, he has consistently emphasised that the Archdiocese is “the home for all”, regardless of nationality. “We should be seen as one family,” he says.
Faith on African soil
Another important part of Archbishop Jwara’s ministry is that of the relationship between Catholic faith and African culture. Reflecting on the Church’s teaching on inculturation, he says the Catholic Church respects culture, but culture cannot be placed above the Gospel. “There is no culture superior over the Gospel of Christ,” he says, adding that inculturation therefore requires discernment. Cultures must be respected while also being “purified by the message of Christ”. He is particularly concerned that some young Catholics may lack a strong cultural identity while being increasingly attracted to European and American influences.
The Church, he argues, has a role in helping young people understand who they are and their identity as Africans before helping them understand what it means to live the Catholic faith on African soil.
From feeding people to empowering them
Archbishop Jwara’s vision extends beyond the life of the Church itself. South Africa’s poverty, unemployment and inequality are among the realities that he believes demand a different approach from the Church. He argues that Catholic social action must go beyond simply providing welfare.
After more than a century of collecting money to feed and assist the poor, needy and orphans, he believes the Church must increasingly focus on empowering people with skills so they can become self-employed. Archbishop Jwara says that this is particularly urgent when considering young people who have qualifications but remain unemployed. He believes the Church needs to work with the private sector and other people of goodwill to provide rehabilitation, training and employment opportunities.
Young people and the future of the Church
Young people occupy a special place in Archbishop Jwara’s ministry. Having spent many years accompanying young people, religious and seminarians, he is concerned about the shortage of vocations to priesthood and religious life in South Africa compared with other African countries. His hope is that South Africa will one day become more self-sustaining in terms of personnel. But before asking young people to consider vocations, he believes the Church must first learn to see and hear them. “Sometimes, we fail to acknowledge their presence in the church,” he says. “We fail to listen to them and give them space to express who they are.”
Recalling the 2018 Synod on Young People in Rome, he says young Catholics spoke about being overlooked in their parishes, sometimes even being unknown by name to their parish priests. His adds that the Church needs to take a special interest in young people rather than take their presence for granted. As the Church looks towards World Youth Day 2027, the archbishop hopes young Catholics who are able to attend will return home and make a difference by sharing their experiences with others. He acknowledges, however, the painful reality that many young people will not be able to participate because of the cost.
A shepherd who finds peace in music
Away from the responsibilities of episcopal ministry, Archbishop Jwara finds relaxation in music. At home, he has a music organ, which he describes as a source of refreshment. His spiritual life is also nourished through meditation. “Those who sing pray twice,” he says, echoing the traditional attribution to St Augustine.
His own patron saint is St Sigfrid, whom he was named after and whose feast is celebrated on 22 August. He adds that he finds meaning in the name itself: “victory in peace”. His favourite saints include the young St Carlo Acutis and St Kizito. The archbishop frequently invokes the example of young saints when celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation, reminding newly confirmed young Catholics that holiness is not reserved for the elderly. Ultimately, Archbishop Jwara’s hopes for Durban are expressed in two aspirations: a united Archdiocese in which different races and cultures blend well together, and a well-educated clergy capable of serving its people faithfully.
They are aspirations that bring together many of the themes running through his episcopacy: unity, listening, formation, cultural identity, participation and service.
For a shepherd who has moved from rural Ingwavuma to one of South Africa’s most diverse metropolitan archdioceses, the challenge appears clear: not to erase the differences among God’s people, but to help them discover that those differences need not prevent them from walking together. And at the heart of that journey is the conviction he inherited from his missionary founder: the kingdom of God has no boundaries.
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