Durban — King Cetshwayo District Municipality, led by Mayor Thami Ntuli, hosted the third annual District Prayer at Mzingazi under uMfolozi Local Municipality on Tuesday.
The prayer aimed at seeking divine intervention in social ills such as gender-based violence (GBV), drug abuse and the high unemployment rate.
At least 49 leaders from different churches, congregants and the community gathered together in prayer.
Ntuli said that this was the third year the municipality had hosted this prayer within the district.
“We always get together for prayer around this time of the year, especially as we draw closer to Good Friday. This is to pray away social ills faced by our communities,” said Ntuli.
He said what made this year’s prayer of great importance was to pray for fair and safe elections at the end of May.
“As we approach the elections, we wish to pray for safe, peaceful and violence-free elections.
“We also pray for the restoration of hope to those who are suffering from life’s challenges, letting them know that there is still light at the end of the tunnel,” said Ntuli.
The IFP Women’s Brigade national chairperson, Princess Phumzile Buthelezi, said that the rise of GBV, if not checked, would not only have permanent adverse effects on the lives of survivors, but would erode the country of much-needed human resources.
“We call on the government to recognise that it has lost the war against crime and that its strategy to fight GBV must be overhauled,” said Buthelezi.
A Mzingazi resident, Thembi Mtolo, 33 said that this prayer meant a lot to her and her municipality because they had a high rate of youth who have lost hope because of unemployment.
"Our country has become something that I can not even begin to describe,“ she said.
“It is even hard to get a job, this also contributes to recklessness with the youth.
"This prayer made me get back the hope that I was beginning to lose, I hope that there will be a change in my municipality," said Mtolo.
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995.
Daily News