16.07.2021

Intercession Prayer for South Africa

Mural painting in the cultural center in the Langa township in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: M. Pauly/UEM)

The situation in South Africa is tense. On the one hand, the Corona pandemic is once again hitting the country with great force in a third wave. The government adopted tough lockdown measures at the end of May and has now extended them again in mid-June - for example, a blanket ban on meetings, schools remaining closed, a ban on alcohol sales and a curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

South Africa's three aggravating realities - namely: poverty, unemployment, and inequality - are exacerbated by the economic impact of the pandemic and particularly affect the poorest.

Since the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, following his conviction for contempt of the Constitutional Court and his refusal to testify before a commission of inquiry into corruption charges, blockades of roads and looting have begun - especially in Zuma's home province of KwaZulu/Natal (KZN), as well as in Gauteng, South Africa's economic hub. These are now no longer just Zuma supporters, but also people trying to grab something for themselves in their difficult situation and those who are taking advantage of the chaos out of self-interest. The situation has escalated in the provinces of KZN and Gauteng to such an extent that the president has declared a state of emergency and is deploying the military to support the overstretched police to prevent further violence and stop further looting.

We, the undersigned churches and mission organizations in Germany, call for an intercession prayer for the people of South Africa:

• Berlin Mission Agency

• Bread for the World

• German Institute for Medical Mission e.V.

• German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation

• The Protestant Academies in Germany

• Moravian Church

• Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

• Protestant Church in Baden

• Evangelical Church in the Rhineland

• Evangelical Church in Germany

• Evangelical Church of Westphalia

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe

• Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower Saxony

• Evangelical Mission in Solidarity

• Evangelical Mission Worldwide

• Evangelical Methodist Church - World Mission

• Gossner Mission

• Herrnhuter Mission Aid e.V.

• Mission 21

• United Evangelical Mission

• Ecumenical Center of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau and the Protestant Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck

* * *

God of life,

we commend to your heart the people of South Africa,

who are suffering from the pandemic,

who are sick and do not receive adequate medical care,

who can no longer go to school,

who do not know how to provide the necessities of life,

who suffer from hunger with no prospect of recovery.

God of justice,

we commend to you the political leaders who are caught between all the different interests,

the judges, who are supposed to decide according to the law and without respect for the person, and who are exposed to great pressure,

those who have to make economic decisions, even against their own interests and for the common good.

God of peace,

we urge you to transform and change those who think they must resolve conflicts by force,

those who bear responsibility in churches, let them raise their voices for justice and work for a constructive solution of the problems.

We lay the people of South Africa close to Your heart. Give them insight, confidence and hope, for a peaceful and just coexistence. Amen.