IMBISA Praises Bishop’s “firm faith, humble heart” following Appointment to South African Archdiocese

Pretoria, 13 January, 2026 / 4:59 PM

The Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) has welcomed with joy the appointment of Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka as the new Local Ordinary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town.

In a statement ACI Africa obtained on Monday January 12, IMBISA congratulates the Archbishop-elect for the appointment, recognizing his “firm faith, humble heart and generous service are a beacon for us all.”

The regional body describes the appointment of the member of Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) as “a sign of divine providence for the flock entrusted to him.”

“On behalf of all the People of God in the IMBISA region, we express our profound joy,” the statement IMBISA Secretariat shared reads in part referring to the appointment.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Sipuka on January 9, transferring him from the Catholic Diocese of Mthatha to the Cape Town Metropolitan See, where he is set to succeed Stephen Cardinal Brislin, who has been the Apostolic Administrator since October 2024.

In the message, the regional body  prays that “the Lord, the Good Shepherd” continues “to enlighten and grant the Archbishop-elect wisdom and perseverance to guide the people of God “with love and dedication” in his new Pastoral mission.

Expressing solidarity with the Archbishop-elect, IMBISA says, “We assure you of our prayers for your ministry to be fruitful and full of blessings in the Archdiocese of Cape Town. May we, together, build a new era of faith, hope and charity, under the light of the Gospel.”

The Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town became vacant on 28 October 2024 following the transfer of  Stephen Cardinal Brislin, who had been at the helm of the Metropolitan See since 2009, to the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Capetown has issued a message of goodwill, describing the news of the appointment of Bishop Sipuka as “pleasing.”

“On behalf of the City of Cape Town, I send our warm congratulations to Archbishop-elect Sithembele Sipuka on his appointment by Pope Leo XIV as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Town,” Geordin Hill-Lewis said in a July 12 message on his Facebook page.

He added, “We send our warm wishes to the new Archbishop-elect, and to all Catholic Capetonians, on this pleasing news. We wish him all of the very best in this important faith leadership role.

The Cape Town Mayor expressed readiness to work with the Archbishop-elect, saying, “We look forward to working together in building a city of hope for all.

The South African Archbishop-elect, who is the immediate former President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC), previously served as Assistant to the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

Bishop Sipuka is the current Chairman of the Finance Committee and the Catholic Board of Education of SACBC.

On 4 July 2025, he was among the three of the 22 new members that Pope Leo XIV  appointed to the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, including others serving as Catholic Bishops in Kenya and Burkina Faso.