PE township church leaders pray for revival, call for Zuma’s removal

President Jacob Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle last week provoked strong criticism by national church leaders and Christians have been involved in protest action across South Africa. We have reports on some of the protest action — in PE and Cape Town

More than a hundred township-based church leaders from different denominations and flows participated in a lively prayer meeting in Kwazakele last night at which it was unanimously agreed to call on God to remove Jacob Zuma as president and replace him with a God-fearing leader.

The meeting at the Daku Hall was arranged in just three days by a few pastors who got together to pray about recent events such as President Zuma’s cabinet reshuffling and the economic instability that followed.

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“After prayer we all felt and agreed that we, the Church can’t keep quiet, hence the prayer was initiated to give all ministers and churches an opportunity to pray in one accord,” said Pastor Zolile Dayimani, one of the prayer meeting organisers.

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“This was not a politically motivated or aligned to any political party or movement but a clear and impartial stand of the Church that Pres.Zuma’s actions are bringing disorder to the country,” he said.

Various pastors led prayer on topics including economic transformation, eradication of racism and xenophobia, godly governance and revival. The prayer from the stage and from the floor was lively — especially on the final topic, revival, which was introduced by Pastor Fezile Dayile.

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Revival was not about increasing the number of church attendees but it was about a radical change of hearts brought about by God stretching out His mighty hand and intervening in circumstances.

Leaders’statement
Before the prayer meeting, Pastor Dayimane sent Gateway News a copy of a statement by church leaders who attended the initial small prayer gathering. It reads: “We as a group or coalition of Church Ministers as we met for a time of prayer and reflection felt the Spirit of God leading us take action in response to what is happening in our country, South Africa. We acknowledge the miraculous way God brought us freedom and peace from our bitter past. During those times the Church was very much involved in what was happening in the country. Yet after freedom we abdicated our role in the civic society and left everything in the hands of political leaders.

We silently allowed the country to move from bad to worse and for this we humbly repent before our Lord and God. While there are many evils facing our country the actions and leadership style of our president Jacob Gedleyidlekisa Zuma especially the current unilateral cabinet reshuffle and open use of state funds to pursue engradisement of those close to him have put the country on the edge of anarchy. We humbly urge that he must either resign or be removed from his office as the president of the country through:

1. Being recalled by his party the ANC, or

2. Being impeached by the parliament and be voted out, or

3. Citizens to stand up and use every legal way of forcing him to resign

Furthermore we humbly ask that in the Spirit of the document, South Africa we Pray For, and the scriptures 2 Timothy 2:1ff and 2 Chronicles 7:14 the Church to pray and take active action on the following:

1. Economic transformation

2. Eradication of Racism and xenophobia

3. Emergency of good leaders (godly, ethical, effective)

4. Families and children

5. Increase of chronic diseases

6. Crime and violence

7. Corruption