Sr. Tshifhiwa Munzhedzi OP, an Associate General Secretary of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) since 1st July 2020, was born in Sibasa Area at Limpopo Province, South Africa. She is the eldest child in her family.
She did her Primary Education at St Scholastica’s Primary School from 1970-1975, and later went to Motse Maria Secondary School in 1976 and completed her Matric in 1980.
After Matric she continued her tertiary education at Venda College of Education from 1982-1984, where she obtained her Diploma in Education, and there after worked as a teacher for one year at St Scholastica Primary School before she was called to join Dominican Sisters of St Cathrine of Siena of King Williams’s Town in 1986.
In her new home she continued her work as a teacher in various schools, including Vhaluvhu High School, while she continued carrying out her pastoral responsibilities at St. Scholastica Parish.
After two years as a teacher, in 1991 she went to further her studies at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedera, in KwaZulu Natal, where she pursued her Bachelor of Theology, and finished at the end of 1996.
The completion of her Theological Studies paved a way for Sr Tshifhiwa when she was called to serve at Lumko Institute, a SACBC Pastoral Centre, now located in Benoni in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg, as a pastoral agents’ trainer for “CALLED TO SERVE” program from 1997-2001.
After four years of service at Lumko Institute, once more she was allowed by her congregation to further her studies at Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Kenya, pursuing her Licentiate in Biblical Theology from 2001-2003.
Among other responsibilities she undertook in her Dominican Congregation Sr. Tshifhiwa was assigned to be in the Novitiate Community from 2003-2008, while she was a teacher at the Catholic Bible College of South Africa. Also she has been in the Leadership of her congregation for a long time, both at the local and regional level.
For many times she also facilitated chapters of different congregations.
In 2017, Sr. Tshifhiwa was appointed to be a promoter of the Cause for Canonisation of Blessed Tshimangazho Samuel Benedict Daswa who is still to be canonised. During that time he was working full time in the Tzaneen Diocese where the Shrine of Blessed Benedict Daswa is located until her new appointment as SACBC Associate Secretary General in the year of the Lord 2020.
She takes over from Fr Patrick Rakeketsi CSS who has completed his term of office.
By Fr Paul Tatu CSS
1st July 2020
