The South African Council of Churches (SACC) will hold a national day of prayer before the upcoming general elections.

This follows a resolution by its national executive committee (NEC) at the council's first quarterly gathering of the year. The NEC “unanimously agreed on the need for dedicated prayer” ahead of the May 29 elections.  

The aim of the prayer day, which will be held on May 5, is to “bring the nation together in a moment of earnestness, praying for a peaceful election process, underpinned by integrity and free of intimidation”, the SACC said in a statement.

It urged the nation to join in the event.

“In the face of the many challenges of our country, we yearn for a renewal of our minds in God, that we might evolve into a transformed society; charged with the mission to reconcile the world we live in, with God’s world through His word,” the SACC's Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said.

“The SACC is aware that there is a general sense of anxiety around the country which stems from the fact that the coming elections will be one of the most contested in our history,” he said. In part, this is owing to the number of political parties, the participation of independent candidates and the possibility of a lack of a governing majority for any party. This calls on all of us to be vigilant so as to play our individual parts in contributing to an election season free of violence and intimidation where all eligible voters can cast their vote freely in making their choice.”

He added: “The SACC is also aware of some of the sporadic violence that can arise, if not already present in the election contestation. This is further reason for us to come together in the presence of God to pray for peaceful elections guided by integrity and fair contestation. Our history has taught us that if we do not commit, and recommit to peace we can be overcome by the kind of cynicism that easily produces violence — some of which, as a nation, we have yet to fully heal from.

“Our people still bear the painful scars of the violent eruptions of our country’s history and we cannot adopt a posture of blindness to the signs of our times. Therefore, our call for a National Day of Prayer for the 2024 general elections is a reminder of the core mission of the church, which is to advocate for hope in the face of hopelessness.”

The SACC's NEC also resolved to continue its work in “advocating a peaceful resolution to the devastating conflict” between Israel and Palestine.

“This commitment includes working with others, especially Palestinian Christians, to expose all forms of discrimination based on race or religion in the Holy Land. As victims of apartheid ourselves, we know apartheid structures and systems when we see them and we are committed to work for its eradication — wherever it is identified,” the council said.

TimesLIVE