diff --git a/internal/rbd/group/util.go b/internal/rbd/group/util.go
index a588eba3e..39583edf0 100644
--- a/internal/rbd/group/util.go
+++ b/internal/rbd/group/util.go
@@ -57,13 +57,16 @@ type commonVolumeGroup struct {
 	pool      string
 	namespace string
 
+	// csiDriver is the CSI drivername that is required to connect the journal
+	csiDriver string
+	// use getJournal() to make sure the journal is connected
 	journal journal.VolumeGroupJournal
 }
 
 func (cvg *commonVolumeGroup) initCommonVolumeGroup(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	id string,
-	j journal.VolumeGroupJournal,
+	csiDriver string,
 	creds *util.Credentials,
 ) error {
 	csiID := util.CSIIdentifier{}
@@ -87,7 +90,7 @@ func (cvg *commonVolumeGroup) initCommonVolumeGroup(
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get pool for volume group id %q: %w", id, err)
 	}
 
-	cvg.journal = j
+	cvg.csiDriver = csiDriver
 	cvg.credentials = creds
 	cvg.id = id
 	cvg.clusterID = csiID.ClusterID
@@ -113,18 +116,27 @@ func (cvg *commonVolumeGroup) Destroy(ctx context.Context) {
 	}
 
 	if cvg.credentials != nil {
-		cvg.credentials.DeleteCredentials()
+		// credentials should only be removed with DeleteCredentials()
+		// by the caller that allocated them
 		cvg.credentials = nil
 	}
 
-	log.DebugLog(ctx, "destroyed volume group instance with id %q", cvg.id)
+	if cvg.journal != nil {
+		cvg.journal.Destroy()
+		cvg.journal = nil
+	}
 }
 
 // getVolumeGroupAttributes fetches the attributes from the journal, sets some
 // of the common values for the VolumeGroup and returns the attributes struct
 // for further consumption (like checking the VolumeMap).
 func (cvg *commonVolumeGroup) getVolumeGroupAttributes(ctx context.Context) (*journal.VolumeGroupAttributes, error) {
-	attrs, err := cvg.journal.GetVolumeGroupAttributes(ctx, cvg.pool, cvg.objectUUID)
+	j, err := cvg.getJournal(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	attrs, err := j.GetVolumeGroupAttributes(ctx, cvg.pool, cvg.objectUUID)
 	if err != nil {
 		if !errors.Is(err, util.ErrKeyNotFound) && !errors.Is(err, util.ErrPoolNotFound) {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get attributes for volume group id %q: %w", cvg.id, err)
@@ -197,6 +209,12 @@ func (cvg *commonVolumeGroup) getConnection(ctx context.Context) (*util.ClusterC
 		return cvg.conn, nil
 	}
 
+	if cvg.credentials == nil {
+		log.DebugLog(ctx, "missing credentials for common volume group %q: %s", cvg, util.CallStack())
+
+		return nil, errors.New("can not connect to cluster without credentials")
+	}
+
 	conn := &util.ClusterConnection{}
 	err := conn.Connect(cvg.monitors, cvg.credentials)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -209,6 +227,29 @@ func (cvg *commonVolumeGroup) getConnection(ctx context.Context) (*util.ClusterC
 	return conn, nil
 }
 
+func (cvg *commonVolumeGroup) getJournal(ctx context.Context) (journal.VolumeGroupJournal, error) {
+	if cvg.journal != nil {
+		return cvg.journal, nil
+	}
+
+	if cvg.credentials == nil {
+		log.DebugLog(ctx, "missing credentials for common volume group %q: %s", cvg, util.CallStack())
+
+		return nil, errors.New("can not connect the journal without credentials")
+	}
+
+	journalConfig := journal.NewCSIVolumeGroupJournalWithNamespace(cvg.csiDriver, cvg.namespace)
+
+	j, err := journalConfig.Connect(cvg.monitors, cvg.namespace, cvg.credentials)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to connect to journal: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	cvg.journal = j
+
+	return j, nil
+}
+
 // GetIOContext returns the IOContext for the volume group if it exists,
 // otherwise it will allocate a new one.
 // Destroy should be used to free the IOContext.
@@ -254,7 +295,12 @@ func (cvg *commonVolumeGroup) Delete(ctx context.Context) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get pool for volume group %q: %w", cvg, err)
 	}
 
-	err = cvg.journal.UndoReservation(ctx, pool, name, csiID)
+	j, err := cvg.getJournal(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = j.UndoReservation(ctx, pool, name, csiID)
 	if err != nil /* TODO? !errors.Is(..., err) */ {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to undo the reservation for volume group %q: %w", cvg, err)
 	}
diff --git a/internal/rbd/group/volume_group.go b/internal/rbd/group/volume_group.go
index da6824356..d268b1142 100644
--- a/internal/rbd/group/volume_group.go
+++ b/internal/rbd/group/volume_group.go
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/container-storage-interface/spec/lib/go/csi"
 	"github.com/csi-addons/spec/lib/go/volumegroup"
 
-	"github.com/ceph/ceph-csi/internal/journal"
 	"github.com/ceph/ceph-csi/internal/rbd/types"
 	"github.com/ceph/ceph-csi/internal/util"
 	"github.com/ceph/ceph-csi/internal/util/log"
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@ var ErrRBDGroupNotConnected = errors.New("RBD group is not connected")
 
 // volumeGroup handles all requests for 'rbd group' operations.
 type volumeGroup struct {
-	*commonVolumeGroup
+	commonVolumeGroup
 
 	// volumes is a list of rbd-images that are part of the group. The ID
 	// of each volume is stored in the journal.
@@ -62,12 +61,12 @@ var (
 func GetVolumeGroup(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	id string,
-	j journal.VolumeGroupJournal,
+	csiDriver string,
 	creds *util.Credentials,
 	volumeResolver types.VolumeResolver,
 ) (types.VolumeGroup, error) {
 	vg := &volumeGroup{}
-	err := vg.initCommonVolumeGroup(ctx, id, j, creds)
+	err := vg.initCommonVolumeGroup(ctx, id, csiDriver, creds)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to initialize volume group with id %q: %w", id, err)
 	}
@@ -235,7 +234,12 @@ func (vg *volumeGroup) AddVolume(ctx context.Context, vol types.Volume) error {
 		volID: "",
 	}
 
-	err = vg.journal.AddVolumesMapping(ctx, pool, csiID.ObjectUUID, toAdd)
+	j, err := vg.getJournal(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = j.AddVolumesMapping(ctx, pool, csiID.ObjectUUID, toAdd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to add mapping for volume %q to volume group id %q: %w", volID, id, err)
 	}
@@ -304,7 +308,12 @@ func (vg *volumeGroup) RemoveVolume(ctx context.Context, vol types.Volume) error
 		toRemove,
 	}
 
-	err = vg.journal.RemoveVolumesMapping(ctx, pool, csiID.ObjectUUID, mapping)
+	j, err := vg.getJournal(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = j.RemoveVolumesMapping(ctx, pool, csiID.ObjectUUID, mapping)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to remove mapping for volume %q to volume group id %q: %w", toRemove, id, err)
 	}
diff --git a/internal/rbd/manager.go b/internal/rbd/manager.go
index 325943e9e..7eaf536c2 100644
--- a/internal/rbd/manager.go
+++ b/internal/rbd/manager.go
@@ -140,22 +140,12 @@ func (mgr *rbdManager) GetVolumeByID(ctx context.Context, id string) (types.Volu
 }
 
 func (mgr *rbdManager) GetVolumeGroupByID(ctx context.Context, id string) (types.VolumeGroup, error) {
-	vi := &util.CSIIdentifier{}
-	if err := vi.DecomposeCSIID(id); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse volume group id %q: %w", id, err)
-	}
-
-	vgJournal, err := mgr.getVolumeGroupJournal(vi.ClusterID)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
 	creds, err := mgr.getCredentials()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	vg, err := rbd_group.GetVolumeGroup(ctx, id, vgJournal, creds, mgr)
+	vg, err := rbd_group.GetVolumeGroup(ctx, id, mgr.csiID, creds, mgr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get volume group with id %q: %w", id, err)
 	}
@@ -236,7 +226,7 @@ func (mgr *rbdManager) CreateVolumeGroup(ctx context.Context, name string) (type
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to generate a unique CSI volume group with uuid for %q: %w", uuid, err)
 	}
 
-	vg, err := rbd_group.GetVolumeGroup(ctx, csiID, vgJournal, creds, mgr)
+	vg, err := rbd_group.GetVolumeGroup(ctx, csiID, mgr.csiID, creds, mgr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get volume group %q at cluster %q: %w", name, clusterID, err)
 	}