The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has implored MPs to rise above party politics and uphold the interests of their constituencies when taking part in the vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma.

“The fact that five draft resolutions about motions of no confidence have been tabled before the National Assembly‚ of which three were unsuccessfully voted on‚ since President Zuma took office‚ is glaring evidence of the eroded confidence in his immoral leadership‚” the SACC said in a statement on Thursday.

“We appeal to the majority party in parliament to take the lead in corrective action through their votes.”

The appeal comes as civil society groups and opposition parties ratchet up the pressure on ANC MPs to “vote with their conscious” and not obey the party line on August 8.

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“The religious leaders are of the view that the current government has lost all moral legitimacy to lead South Africa: a country that finds itself in a political and socio-economic quagmire‚” said the SACC.

The council also asked faith communities to join hands in a nationwide call to prayer this weekend to “persuade our legislators to vote with their consciences and take decisions that will benefit the whole country and not the narrow political interests of a self-serving‚ cynical elite.”

Religious leaders have previously lobbied for Zuma to step down‚ particularly after the Constitutional Court found that he had failed to uphold his constitutional responsibility with regard to the public protector’s findings and remedial action on “security upgrades” to the president’s home in Nkandla‚ KwaZulu-Natal.