As South Africa gears towards the highly contested 2024 general elections, thousands of worshippers, leaders of numerous political parties, activists, and government officials gathered at the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) premises in Heidelberg, praying for peace before, during, and after the decisive polls.
Spokesperson for the IPHC, Priest Vusi Ndala, said the faith-based organisations that gathered in Gauteng on Sunday had been drawn from the nine provinces of South Africa and beyond the borders.
The prayer session also focused on praying for peace in the Middle East, which has experienced perennial conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“For some time now, as the International Pentecostal Holiness Church and allied faith-based organisations, we have consciously awoken to the role that we, as faith-based organisations or religious groups, have to play in the social development of society. We are praying for peace, for unity, and security as we realise the social ills bedevilling our society,” said Ndala.
“The social ills include the high levels of crime, including murder and gender-based violence. We are a society under a government that appears not to be taking care of the needs of the people. We have high levels of unemployment and inequality. We believe religion has a role to play in society generally, moreso in politics.”
The interfaith prayer service was themed “Prayer for peace and security in South Africa, Africa, and the Middle East”.
Ndala said traditionally, churches have had an intrinsic role to play in the politics of the nation.
“You would know that most of the political formations that you can think of, including the African National Congress (ANC) and the PAC (Pan Africanist Congress of Azania), were founded by reverends. Those parties were founded by people of faith,” he said.
Ndala said, judging from political trends across Africa, there are concerns that if South Africa’s ruling ANC loses its majority, it will not be able to accept the results of the polls.
“We hear pronouncements like ‘the ANC will rule until Jesus comes back'—let's say in 2024 they lose; would they accept that? That is why we are praying for peace and security in the next elections, realising the dynamism happening in the political landscape. There are a lot of new political parties,” he said.
Ndala emphasised that the IPHC, led by “His Grace, Successor,” Michael Sandlana, has several events and activities working with different stakeholders ahead of the elections next year.
Among several guests, the event was also attended by former health minister Zweli Mkhize; former Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle; several members of the Umkhonto WeSizwe Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) military veterans; members of the National Freedom Party; and Bishop Sandile Ndlela, representing the KwaZulu-Natal Interfaith Council.
The executive mayor of Lesedi Local Municipality, Mluleki Nkosi, said he was representing his community at the interfaith event, and keen on his prayer list was the improvement of service delivery by the State.
“We are praying that our government becomes useful and is able to assist our people. There are multi-faceted issues that we are here for, and we appreciate the IPHC and Tau himself (Sandlana) for inviting us. We are hoping that there will be peace, and we are also praying for rain,” said Nkosi.
“We want the government to deliver services to the people. Also, part of our prayers are for the elections coming next year. There are multiple parties represented here.”
President of African Economic Freedom, Sifiso Mthethwa, said his political party gladly welcomed the invitation to take part in the interfaith gathering.
“We believe in God, and (hope that) when the elections come, there will not be any violence. People must go and vote peacefully and elect the government of their choice,” said Mthethwa.
Chairperson of the African Transformation Movement (ATM) in the City of Joburg, Lubabalo Magwentshu, said his party is deeply concerned about the fairness of the electoral process in South Africa.
“We do not have free and fair elections in South Africa. The reason we do not have free and fair elections in South Africa starts with the personnel that is employed by the Electoral Commission of South Africa. They employ people who are working and belong to certain parties. If you employ people who belong to Sadtu (the South African Democratic Teachers Union), it is then the ANC. Those people try and hide issues.
“There have been instances where ballot boxes are found in rivers. However, because we believe in the rule of law, we will follow it and do things as they are supposed to be done. We are gunning to ensure that we win the elections,” said Magwentshu.
Spokesperson for the newly-formed political party, the United Africans Transformation (UAT), Japhter Baloyi said religion and politics are intertwined and should both serve the populace.
“You will observe that every time the people who participate in the elections are coming from religion. As the UAT, we are here as a partner of the Tau Project, and that Tau Project is in partnership with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. We are here to support the prayer and to ensure that we are guided spiritually as we go to the elections,” said Baloyi.
The Executive mayor of Mogale City, Danny Thupane, said as South Africans prepare to go to the elections, the country is gripped by scourges of counterfeit goods, which have recently led to the deaths of several people.
“We have illegal immigrants who are in our country who are doing all sorts of crime and all of that. I think we should gather more, coming together to pray, particularly about the conflict in the Middle East, which has now become a genocide. We believe that the power of the Lord is more powerful than the artillery,” said Thupane.
IOL