Rev. Father Donald Mabitsela

Father Sellaboshego Donald Mabitsela is a South African Catholic priest, author, and philanthropist serving in the Diocese of Polokwane. Ordained on 16 December 2009, he currently serves as the Parish Priest at St. Gregory the Great in Turfloop, Mankweng. Having grown up in severe poverty without proper footwear, Mabitsela has dedicated much of his ministry to uplifting vulnerable rural communities in the Limpopo province.

Driven by his childhood experiences, he founded the Father Mabitsela Foundation in 2020 after a chance encounter with a struggling mother in Polokwane. The non-profit organisation focuses on restoring dignity to underprivileged learners by sourcing and distributing school shoes and sanitary towels to children in remote, under-resourced schools.

In 2022, he published his debut book, Unspoken Feeling of a Broken Healer, which addresses the mental health challenges faced by religious leaders. The work reflects on the severe emotional, spiritual, and financial strains placed on the clergy during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to destigmatise depression and anxiety among spiritual guides. The book examines themes including exorcism, ancestral spirits, saints, healing, divine power, deliverance, sacrifices, spiritual possession, demons and the power of darkness.

Father Mabitsela was born and raised in Moletjie Monyoaneng. He is the youngest son of the late Frans Koena and Stephinah Puledi Mabitsela. In 2000, he joined St Paul’s Formation House in Welkom, Free State, to pursue his calling to the priesthood.

He graduated from St Peter’s Seminary with a Diploma in Philosophy and later obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and Ministry from St John Vianney Seminary. He also holds a Higher Certificate in Project Management from MSC Business College.