Elder Clement M. Matswagothata

When Elder Clement M. Matswagothata was a child in Botswana, he would read the Bible out loud to his grandmother. He came across 1 Samuel 3, where God speaks to Samuel, who was later called as a prophet.

“My natural question was, ‘Does God still do the same thing?’”

That question began his journey of trying to find a God who still spoke. He met Latter-day Saint missionaries when he was 16 years old, read the Book of Mormon in a few days, and called them at 3:00 a.m. to tell them he wanted to be baptized.

Later he became the first stake president called in Botswana, then the first Area Seventy, and now the first General Authority Seventy.

“I have a deep-rooted testimony that God lives and speaks to us in these final days and that we live in a day and time when prophets walk the earth,” he said.

Clement Mosiame Matswagothata was born in Middlepits, Botswana, on January 8, 1980, to Bojotlhe J. and Rachel M. Matswagothata. After serving in the South Africa Cape Town Mission, he met his wife, Novelty Busisiwe Buthelezi, at an area young single adult convention. They were married in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple on February 28, 2004. They have three children.

He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He has worked in the automotive industry with various car brands, holding several leadership positions, including sales manager, general manager, and country manager for Barloworld Motor.

At the time of his call, Elder Matswagothata was serving as a temple ordinance worker in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple and as an area self-reliance specialist.