Elder Gerrit W. Gong Dedicates the Harare Zimbabwe Temple

Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Harare Zimbabwe Temple on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

In remarks shared before offering the dedicatory prayer, Elder Gong expressed deep gratitude to all who had prayed, worked and sacrificed for this sacred day. He emphasized the blessings of regular temple attendance and described it as an invitation from the Savior to “create a new gospel temple culture.” 

“Instead of going to the temple once in our life, or once a year on a temple trip, we can plan and come ourselves to the Lord in the house of the Lord more often,” he said.

As Saints follow Jesus Christ willingly, obediently and joyfully, they prepare to “return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World), he said.

Elder Gong explained that the Lord gives us holy temples so we and those we love can return to the holy presence of God our Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ, spotless and clean, justified, sanctified and exalted.

“The Atonement of Jesus Christ helps us repent and change,” Elder Gong said. “The Atonement of Jesus Christ helps us forgive and be forgiven. The Atonement of Jesus Christ helps us mend and heal our relationships.

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“Jesus Christ’s gospel and Atonement make bad men and bad women good and good men and good women better. Temple ordinances and covenants connect us by our own name with the name and infinite and eternal Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

He then recalled a story shared with him by a Zimbabwean friend that illustrates the virtues of compassion and humanity prevalent in African communities known as the Spirit of Ubuntu, a principle he deeply cherishes.

“If a child had a piece of candy, no matter how big or small, that child broke the candy into pieces so every child in the village could have a piece to taste. No one tasted sweet on their own. Everyone shared sweet together,” he said.

Elder Gong then extended an invitation to share the blessings of the temple: “Please share the sweet of the temple. Do not keep the sweet to yourself. Please share the sweet. Share the sweet with your dear family members. They are waiting for you to share sweet so they can taste sweet through their temple ordinances and covenants.

“All good things are possible in Jesus Christ because His gospel is true,” Elder Gong concluded. “It is all true. And it is always true.”

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A Sacred Dedicatory Prayer

In the dedicatory prayer, Elder Gong asked that the “light and blessings from this holy house chase out darkness and bring in goodness” and for blessings to “contribute to peace, stability, and firm foundation in our countries and communities, our stakes, wards and families.”

He continued, dedicating the structure: “We dedicate its physical framing from its foundation to its steeple; all its working systems; its beautiful grounds and gardens. We dedicate the adjacent meetinghouse as a place of gathering and worship. We dedicate every room, space, and sacred fixture for its holy purpose.

“Please, dear Father, protect this Thy Holy House from natural disaster and any evil intent or design. Please let this truly be a house of the Lord with holiness to the Lord.”

Church News Read the Harare Zimbabwe Temple dedicatory prayer

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from across the temple district gathered to witness the historic milestone. Elder Gong was accompanied by his wife, Susan; Elder Denelson Silva, General Authority Seventy and First Counselor in the Africa South Area Presidency, and his wife, Regina; and Elder Steven R. Bangerter, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Susan.

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Sixteen-year-old Lizzie Nyasha Akili, the temple president and matron Dunstan and Pertunia Chadambukaka, Elder Bangerter and Sister Gong were among those who shared their testimonies, together with Brother Peter Chaya, a pioneer member and one of the first African missionaries to serve from Zimbabwe. Other members of the temple presidency and assistant matrons offered prayers, while local members comprised the choir that sang during the dedication.

The dedicatory session was broadcast to Church members in the temple district, including Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.

Located in the capital city, the 1,602.3-square-foot Harare Zimbabwe Temple is the first dedicated house of the Lord in Zimbabwe and only the third in Southern Africa.

The Church in Zimbabwe

Over 27 770 people toured the house of the Lord during the open house, which ran from January 22 through February 7, 2026. The Temple was first announced by then–Church President Thomas S. Monson during the April 2016 General Conference, and ground was broken on December 12, 2020.

The preaching of the restored gospel in Zimbabwe began in the 1920s, when South African immigrants were baptized in Southern Rhodesia and began holding worship services in their homes. In December 1999, the first Stake was organized: The Harare Zimbabwe Stake. Today, more than 51 600 Latter-day Saints in over 100 congregations call Zimbabwe home.

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