By Rachel Kalidass, Awakening South Africa, Prayer and Repentance movement
Awakening South Africa, Prayer and Repentance Movement, has launched the City Connect 50 Days of Prayer Guide, calling Christians, churches, ministries, prayer groups and communities across South Africa to unite in 50 days of focused prayer ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections.
The national prayer campaign runs from September 14 to November 3, leading into the Local Government Elections on November 4. The City Connect 50 Days of Prayer Guide is available free of charge (in English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa and isiZulu) at https://prayerandrepentance.com/city-connect.php
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“I realised that the challenges facing our nation required a change of people’s hearts,” says Rachel Kalidass, visionary leader of Awakening South Africa, Prayer and Repentance Movement. Some people will campaign. Some will volunteer. Many will vote. But one of the most powerful contributions Christians can make is to pray.
South Africa needs more than political solutions — we need watchmen on the walls who will pray, intercede and believe God for transformation. When a city flourishes, its people flourish. That is why we are calling believers in every town and city to stand in the gap for the places where they actually live.”
City Connect began with a simple but significant question: what could happen if believers in every city and town across South Africa united in prayer for 50 days?
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Anchored in Jeremiah 29:7 — Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you… Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper — the initiative calls Christians to stand in the gap for their communities and to pray for righteous leadership, peaceful elections, good governance, justice, reconciliation and the wellbeing of South Africa’s municipalities.
Scripture also instructs believers to pray for those in authority so that society may experience peace, order and stability (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Elections are more than political events: they determine leadership, influence policy, affect service delivery and shape the future of communities.
The guide sets out a structured daily journey of Scripture, Prayer and Proclamation, so that individuals and groups across the country can pray together around common themes. The 50 days of prayer are framed by days of preparation before the campaign opens and by prayer that continues through Election Day itself.
The journey begins with thanksgiving, consecration and repentance, before moving into prayer for national hope and peace; for the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), electoral workers, voters and political leaders; for municipalities, wards and communities; and finally for the elections, the results, and the commissioning of believers to continue serving their communities beyond Election Day.
Participants are encouraged to make the prayers local by naming their province, municipality, ward, voting district, voting station, community leaders, IEC officials, candidates and residents as they pray.
A national call to prayer
South Africa continues to face significant challenges, including crime, corruption, unemployment, poverty, violence, substance abuse, social division and difficulties within many municipalities.
City Connect is founded on the conviction that prayer is not passive, but an invitation for believers to seek God for wisdom, protection, righteousness, healing and transformation.
The initiative does not set prayer against action, and it does not seek to replace civic responsibility. It calls Christians to combine spiritual responsibility with responsible citizenship — to pray, participate, serve their communities, promote peace and exercise their democratic responsibility wisely.
City Connect is non-partisan. It does not endorse, support or oppose any political party, candidate or campaign, and it prays for all who stand for office and for all who serve in the electoral process.
The vision is to see prayer rising from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban to Mahikeng, Bloemfontein to Gqeberha, Polokwane to Kimberley and Mbombela and throughout hundreds of towns, townships, suburbs, villages and rural communities across South Africa.
National Day of Prayer and Repentance
A significant moment within the campaign will be the 2026 National Day of Prayer and Repentance for South Africa, to be convened at the Nieuwmeester Dome at Parliament in Cape Town on Friday September 25 2026 from 11am to 3pm.
The Nieuwmeester Dome serves as the temporary home of the National Assembly following the 2022 parliamentary fire.
Church and community leaders from towns and cities across the country are being invited to take part.
The gathering will be livestreamed via the Awakening South Africa Prayer and Repentance movement website, YouTube channel and social media platforms, enabling South Africans across the country to take part.
Why 50 days?
The number 50 carries particular significance for the initiative.
Scripture records Abraham interceding for a city on behalf of 50 righteous people in Genesis 18. Following Passover, Israel counted 50 days to Pentecost, a number associated with preparation, expectation, harvest and the outpouring of God’s Spirit. In the Year of Jubilee, proclaimed in the 50th year, captives were released, debts were forgiven and restoration was declared.
The year 2026 also marks 50 years since the Soweto youth uprising of June 16 1976, a watershed moment in South Africa’s resistance to apartheid.
“Awakening South Africa, Prayer and Repentance movement was launched in Sharpeville. The young people of 1976 gave their lives for the freedom South Africans will exercise at the ballot box on November 4. Fifty years on, we are calling this generation to steward what they bought with their lives; to vote, to serve and to pray.”
Awakening South Africa, Prayer and Repentance movement sees these 50 days as an opportunity for a new generation of South Africans to seek God together for repentance, unity, restoration, righteous leadership and renewed hope for the nation.
How South Africans can participate
From September 14, Awakening South Africa Prayer and Repentance movement invites individuals, families, churches, ministries and prayer groups to download the City Connect Prayer Guide, to use it daily, and to establish prayer gatherings within their communities.
The movement is asking churches and community leaders to host City Connect prayer groups, bringing believers together locally while joining others praying across the country.
The campaign culminates in prayer immediately ahead of Election Day, followed by a dedicated Local Government Elections Day Prayer on November 4 2026 for peace, voter wisdom, electoral integrity, protection, fairness, responsible participation and servant-hearted leadership.
Key dates
- City Connect: 50 Days of Prayer — September 14 to November 3
- National Day of Prayer and Repentance – September 25, 11am to 3pm, Nieuwmeester Dome, Parliament, Cape Town (by invitation only, livestream available)
- Local Government Elections Day Prayer – November 4
- Local Government Elections – November 4
Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you… Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. — Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)
Website: prayerandrepentance.com
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