Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

A new missionary couple from Cache Valley in Northern Utah arrived in Harare this month to oversee the construction of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple to completion. Elder and Sister Anderson are thrilled to be serving the Saints of Zimbabwe, preparing them for the day when they will become temple workers and patrons. The major structural components for the temple are in place, and more detailed work is underway.

A white frame for the spire of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple has been installed on top of the concrete steeple body frame. The spire will be white and capped with a slender metal finial. A meetinghouse is being constructed east of the temple. Shingles have been laid for the south wing, and wood trusses have been set for the north wing. The temple is the country's first, and it has been under construction for nearly two years.

The eastern surfaces of the concrete structural frame for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple catch the rising sun as another construction day begins at the temple complex. Roof work is making progress on the matching ancillary buildings south of the temple. The roof frame is in place on the eastern building, and shingles have been laid on the western building. A pre-existing fence encloses the construction site.

The concrete frame for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple continues to rise. Columns can been seen for the raised center section that will run from the entry to the back wall. And concrete walls are being poured for the protruding entry that will support a windowed steeple. A pitched roof frame is being installed on one of the ancillary buildings south of the temple.

A recent satellite view of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple site shows that the walls and roof are in place for the east half of the temple. Progress is also evident on the accompanying buildings. The outline of interior rooms is visible for the meetinghouse and ancillary building while roof work for the housing facilities is not far off. Harare is the largest and capital city of Zimbabwe with a population of over two million people.

A satellite image taken last month of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple site shows the walls that have been erected for the two housing and services facilities located just south of the temple. Both the exterior and interior walls are in place, giving an idea of the floor plans for the buildings. Work is also advancing on the 17,250-square-foot temple and meetinghouse.

A tent has been erected at the southwest corner of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple where crews are setting forms and rebar for the concrete that will support the baptismal font. Footing and rebar work is active across the site as preparations are made for major concrete pours including the floor slabs for the multiple buildings under construction. Members in Zimbabwe currently participate in temple ordinance work at the Johannesburg South Africa Temple.

An aerial photograph of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple site was captured this month, showing the placement of the buildings that will be constructed in the complex. The former stake center and mission office were removed several months ago, and it appears that a replacement meetinghouse will be constructed on the east side of the property. The west side will be for the temple (northwest) and two ancillary buildings (southwest).

Trenches are appearing across the Harare Zimbabwe Temple site as crews install conduits, connect to public utilities, and begin forming and pouring footings for the building foundations. The spring weather in Zimbabwe has produced beautiful purple blossoms on the Jacaranda trees that surround the property. The temple is one of four under construction in Africa. The others are the Praia Cape Verde Temple, Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple, and Nairobi Kenya Temple.

The final structures at the Harare Zimbabwe Temple site have come down including the stake center, which was demolished in June, and the mission office, which started coming down in July. Preliminary concept renderings showed that these two buildings would remain, but it appears that the decision was made to replace them with new facilities that would be built at the same time as the temple and other supporting buildings.

A barrel-shaped mound has formed on the northern end of the site for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple. Ground was formally broken in December, and site work began about three months later. The property was cleared of vegetation by the end of April, and grading began in May. The land around the existing meetinghouse has also been cleared including removal of the parking lot and landscaping. The 17,250-square-foot temple will be constructed in the area of the mound alongside two supporting Church facility buildings.

Elder Edward Dube, a native of Zimbabwe and first counselor in the Africa South Area presidency, presided at the groundbreaking for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple on Saturday, December 12, 2020. His Excellency Emmerson Mnangagwa, president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, was also in attendance. President Mnangagwa praised the Church in his remarks, saying, "The contribution of the Church to national development and social well being of the citizenry cannot be overemphasized." In his site dedicatory prayer, Elder Dube said, "As we watch the rising of this building from the ground up, may we also turn our hearts upward to Thee and Thy Son, our Savior Jesus Christ." The single-level, 17,250-square-foot temple will be built on a 6.7-acre site in the Highlands area of Harare.

Ground will be broken for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple, the first in the country, in December 2020. Presiding at the event will be Elder Edward Dube of the presidency of the Africa South Area. The single-level, 17,250-square-foot temple will be built on a 6.7-acre site next to an existing meetinghouse located at 65 Enterprise Road in the Highlands neighborhood of Zimbabwe. During a visit to Zimbabwe in 2018, President Russell M. Nelson said: "You deserve a temple here in Harare because that’s where we get the highest of all the blessings that God can give to His faithful children. I want to be here to see that happen."