Khangale Makhado

Khangale Makhado

The South African Council of Churches (SACC) is to hold a mass prayer meeting on Sunday aimed at bringing the striking unions and the government together in a bid to end the nationwide strike.

The SACC's Limpopo provincial secretary Reverend Mautji Pataki said the prayer meeting in Polokwane was called to find ways in which people could help to resolve the wage dispute. The venue will be announced today.

The SACC, which has been supportive of the workers' demands since the beginning of the strike, this week raised its concern at what it termed foul language often used by striking workers and displayed on posters.

The SACC said this behaviour undermines the workers' struggle and takes the focus away from the real and genuine demands by labour.

Pataki said that while the church body pledged its solidarity with the workers over their demand for a better wage and improved conditions, they certainly cannot agree with the conduct of some of the strikers who hurled insults at government leaders, especially Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi.

"We need God to help us find an everlasting solution," Pataki said.