SA Coat of Arms 4.jpg

Absa Stadium, Durban, 22 May 2016

 

 

President Jacob Zuma

 

Address to the National Day of Prayer for

 

Unity, Peace, Rain and Successful Local Government Elections

 

 

Leader of Government Business of KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, MEC
Willies Mchunu

Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini

Members of the Provincial Executive and Legislature

Executive Mayor of EThekwini Municipality, Cllr James Nxumalo

President of the National Interfaith Council of South Africa, Bishop
Matebesi nabafundisi bonke abakhona and leaders of Religious Formations,

 

 

Umphakathi namakholwa onke ahlangene la namhlanje,

 

Fellow South Africans,

 

I greet you all in the name of our Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Namaste, As-Salaam-o-a-Alaikum, Shalom.

 

Siyanibingelela nonke, egameni likaMvelinqangi, usonini nanini.

 

We wish to thank the Almighty God for allowing us to gather on this
important occasion, on which we seek to renew our commitment to peace,
unity, nation building as well as an inclusive non-sexist and non-racial
society.

 

We have set this day aside as the National Day of Prayer because we
acknowledge that faith plays a fundamental role in advancing values which
bind us together as a nation.

 

Our country was founded on the ideals of diversity and religious freedom
which are enshrined in our Constitution.

 

Across all faiths, in our nation and across the globe, prayer is a powerful
force that unites nations and promotes national unity.

 

Siyanibingelela nonke bazalwane, kulenkonzo ebalulekile.

 

Sihlangene nabaholi bethu bezenkolo, sizothandazela izinto ezimbalwa
ezibalulekile ezweni.

 

Sithandazela ukuthula ezweni lakithi. Ngonyaka ka1994 savota safaka
uhulumeni wentando yeningi ukuba aphathe izwe.

 

Sathi akube uhulumeni osebenzela ukuthula nobunye kubantu baseNingizimu
Afrika.

 

Lohulumeni usebuse iminyaka edlulile kwamashumi amabili, eqhakambisa
ukuthula kubantu bonke kanye nobumbano.

 

Sicela umphakathi wonke uthandazele ukuthi kungaphazamiseki ukuthula ezweni
lakithi.

 

Sesibonile ukuthi kukhona abazama ukufaka imfundiso embi, abafuna ukubuyisa
udlame ezweni lakithi. Bafuna ukufundisa izingane zethu ubuxhwanguxhwangu.

 

Sibona izinto ezintsha ezethusayo, njengodlame ephalamende obekuyindawo
ehlonishwa kakhulu lapho kushaywa khona imithetho ezoletha uguquko ezweni.

 

Sibona udlame emalokishini ngisho nasezindaweni zasemakhaya ngengako-Vuwani
nje eLimpopo. Sibona  kushiswa izikole, into eshaqisayo.

 

Sibona udlame emanyuvesi kushiswa amabhilidi nezinye izakhiwo ko-Fort Hare,
University of Johannesburg, Tshwane University of Technology, Wits
University, North West, KZN nakwamanye amanyuvesi.

 

Izingane esifuna zibe izifundiswa zikwazi ukuxazulula izinkinga
ngokusebenzisa ingqondo nokuthula, sezisebenzisa udlame.

 

Njengabantu baseNingizimu Africa, sithi asiyazi lento eyenziwayo. Thina
siwumphakathi wokuthula. Angeke sivume ukuthi kube khona abasibuyisela
emuva.

 

Salushiya udlame ngo-1994 uma sinqoba uhulumeni wobandlululo.

 

Sicela abaholi bezenkolo basihole kuzo zonke izinhlelo sithandazele ukuthula
nobumbano kubantu bonke ezweni.

 

Masithandazele intsha yethu ukuthi ingadukiswa abaprofethi bamanga
abayiholela ehlathini.

 

Masithandazele imiphakathi yonke ukuba ibeke phambili ukuthula nobunye ngaso
sonke isikhathi.

 

Uma kunezikhalazo, azibekwe phambi kwabaholi babhekane nazo ngokuthula.
Asithandazele nabaholi kuzo zonke izigaba ukuthi babake abantu baphambili
ngaso sonke isikhathi. Abaphiwe ubuhlakani bokuxazulula izinkinga ezibheke
abantu baseNingizimu Afrika ngokushesha nangozwelo.

 

Compatriots,

 

We want a South Africa that is united and peaceful and which does not
discriminate against anyone regardless of gender, class or race.

 

We urge South Africans in all places of worship, in mosques, synagogues or
temples, to pray for peace, unity and tolerance.

 

We are concerned about the destruction of infrastructure during protests.
Government has built seven hundred and ninety five schools since 2009, at a
cost of 23 billion rand. We have built seventy eight new libraries in
addition to three hundred and four that have been upgraded.

 

Government is also building three new universities and twelve technical
education colleges to expand access to learning.

 

It causes us and all freedom loving South Africans a lot of pain and
disappointment to see such important infrastructure being destroyed.

 

People have a right to express themselves, which is guaranteed in the
Constitution. Nobody in our country should tolerate or condone the use of
violence. Our people should speak out and condemn violence.

 

Our people should also condemn leaders and organisations that preach and
promote violence.

 

Nobody must turn our youth into instruments of destruction, and use them to
destroy property including facilities that are aimed at building their
future, to further their political ends.

 

We ushered in a peaceful society in 1994. We left violence, hatred and
intolerance behind in 1994.

 

We must not tolerate any party or individuals who seek to take us back to
the apartheid period of violence, anarchy and pain. South Africa is a land
of peace. South Africa is a land of tolerance.

 

We urge all our people to unite and ensure that nobody disturbs the peace
that we worked so hard to achieve.

 

Let us isolate all who promote violence. Let us also isolate and expose
those who condone and turn a blind eye to the actions of those who promote
violence.

 

There can never be any justification for violence and hooliganism.

 

Bazalwane,

 

Sikhulekela ukhetho olukhululekile olunokuthula lohulumeni basekhaya,
Ngomhlaka 3 ku-August,.

 

Umphakathi waseNingizimu Africa mawuhlangane ubumbane ungavumi
ukuphazanyiswa yilabo abafuna ukusebenzisa udlame ngoba bengenazo izinhlelo
abangazethula emphakathini ezizoguqula izimpilo zabantu zibe ngcono.

 

Masingavumi ukuthi amaqembu asebenzisa udlame avimbele abantu ukuba bakhethe
izinhlangano noma abaholi ababathandayo. Izwe lethu izwe lokuthula.
Sizokhankasa ngokuthula. Sizovota ngokuthula.

 

Masingavumeli abantu abasebenzisa udlame, inhlamba nobuxhwanguxhwangu ukuthi
baphumelele ukubuyisela izwe lethu emuva.

 

Siyaphambili empilweni engcono sonke. Sibambisene njengabantu baseNingizimu
Afrika, siqhakambisa ukuthula nobumbano.

 

Compatriots,

 

We pray for peace during the election campaigns and also during the local
government elections on the 3rd of August.

 

Our people should unite and ensure that the campaign and election periods
are hassle free and peaceful.  There must be tolerance, peaceful
co-existence among political parties and free political activity.

 

Parties must abide by the Independent Electoral Commission Code of Conduct.

 

In all our places of worship, our leaders of faith must lead us in praying
for peaceful elections.  

 

We must unite our people against violence, thuggery and hooliganism and
ensure that we maintain our track record of peaceful, free and fair
elections in our country.

 

Once more, we urge our people to go out in their numbers to exercise their
democratic right by going out to vote on the 3rd of August.

 

Bazalwane,

 

Izwe lethu likhungethwe isomiso esesibulele imfuyo, senza kwabanzima
nokulima, sanciphisa nokutholakala kwamanzi ezindaweni eziningi. Sikhuluma
nje, ukudla kuyabiza kumba eqolo ezitolo ngenxa yaso isomiso.

 

Uma ifika imvula, ifika ngolaka njengoba sibonile lapha kwaZulu-Natali lapho
izikhukhula zidlule khona nemiphefumulo.

 

Siyazwelana nemindeni elahlekelwe ngenxa yezikhukhula ezidlule nemiphefumulo
lapha kwaZulu-Natali.

 

Bakwethu masiqhubeke sithandazele imvula kuzo zonke izindawo ezikhungethwe
isomiso.

 

Sigqugquzela nemiphakathi ukuthi asiqhubeke nongoka amanzi ngoba amadamu
anciphile kakhulu ezifundeni eziningi. Iconsi neconsi libalulekile kakhulu.

 

Dear compatriots and fellow congregants,

 

We pray for rain. Many provinces have been devastated by the drought.

 

Our people face high food prices currently because of the drought. The
drought also has an impact on the slow economic growth that is slowing down
the creation of jobs in our country.

 

We also pray for the families that lost their loved ones during the floods
in KwaZulu-Natal. We share their pain and devastating loss. I know that the
provincial government is providing them with all the needed support.

 

Compatriots and fellow worshippers,

 

Let us pray for Ubuntu, love and respect for one another.

 

Respect is the fundamental trait of any human being. Respect is the fabric
that holds families, organisations, communities and nations together.

 

Once you are unable to respect the next person, it means you are losing your
humanity and you risk losing what distinguishes human beings from animals.
We must respect the next person, whether they are young or old. That is the
essence of ubuntu.

 

We pray for our youth not to be led astray. They must respect their elders
as commanded by the Bible.

 

They must respect their parents, respect one another, respect authority and
they must respect the laws of their country.

 

We must unite and spread the same message, that our country is a land of
Ubuntu, and that we are a nation that is made of people who respect one
another.

 

When we disagree, whether at home, school or work, we must do so
respectfully, and not lose our humanity or ubuntu. In all our homes and
places of worship, let us pray for the return of that culture of respect
amongst all our people.

 

Let us isolate those who want to introduce a new culture of thuggery and
hooliganism in our country.

 

We must ensure that they are unable to turn any of our unsuspecting youth
into hooligans who do not know the meaning of respect and decency.

 

Let us also pray for peace in our homes. There must be no violence and abuse
of women and children. Let us pray for families that are engulfed by the
scourge of the abuse of alcohol and drugs.

 

We must pray for all who are working hard to help our youth to stop drug and
substance abuse, and pray for those young people who have taken a decision
to stop.

 

Let us work hard to ensure that all our communities are free of drugs and
substance abuse, and that they are free of pain and violence in the home.

 

Compatriots the month of May is Africa month. In May, we promote our African
identity. We also promote our languages, our culture and traditions as South
Africans and Africans.

 

We urge all our people to use this month to appreciate all that is good
about being an African, and to pray for peace in our beloved continent

 

This is also the month for us to reach out and understand better the
cultures and traditions of our brothers and sisters from other African
countries. We are one people and one continent.

 

We also pray for our military, members of the SANDF who are deployed in
parts of the continent where they are exposed to danger, as they fight to
build a peaceful Africa. We are proud of our soldiers.

 

We salute them for working for peace, as we want all our brothers and
sisters to enjoy peace and tranquility in the African continent.

 

Inyanga kaMay inyanga esiqhakambisa ngayo ubu-Africa bethu.

 

Ngalenyanga masijabulele amasiko, izilimi kanye nakokonke okwenza ukuba sibe
ngama-Afrika.

 

Ngalenyanga sikhumbula nabafowethu nodadewethu abavela kwamanye amazwe
aseAfrika, sithi masithandazele ukuthula nobunye, sikwazi ukubekezelelana
nabo.

 

Siyajabula ukuthi sekunokuthula emiphakathini lapho kwabakhona ukuhilizisana
ngonyaka odlule. Uhulumeni wenza konke ukuthi abahleli phakathi bahlale
ngokusemthethweni, baziwe ukuthi bakhona.

 

Masakhe imiphakathi enokuthula nokubezelelana.

 

Compatriots and fellow congregants,

 

On this National Day of Prayer, we also pray for the police officers who put
their lives in danger every day, to promote law and order in country and to
protect us.

 

They face difficult situations and continue to work hard and efficiently, in
the face of extreme provocation at times.

 

Sithandazela amaphoyisa asebenza kanzima ukuqeda ubugebengu nokuqeda udlame
nothuthuva emphakathini.

 

Afaka izimpilo zawo engozini esivikela.

 

Sithi uNkulunkulu awasikelele amaphoyisa aseNingizimu Afrika, awaphe
ubuhlakani namandla okuvikela abantu bezwe lakithi.

 

Compatriots,

 

We pray for our youth that they become good leaders of tomorrow. We pray for
the leaders of all political parties to work together to make South Africa a
better place.

 

We pray for peace and order to return to our parliament, so that the
representatives of our people may be able to discharge their duties with
dignity and respect for one another, and be exemplary to the people of our
country.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

I wish to once again express the gratitude of our people to the various
faith communities for the role they played during the struggle for freedom,
and continue to play in building a better South Africa and a better life for
all.

 

We also thank our religious leaders for contributing towards the broader
development goals as envisioned in the National Development Plan.

 

We have established the Presidential Interfaith Working Group in the
Presidency, so that we can promote and strengthen partnerships between
government and faith communities in building a better life for all.

 

Maibumbane, sakhe iNingizimu Afrika engcono, neAfrika engcono.

 

Siyanibonga nonke bantu baseNingizimu Afrika ngokuthanda ukuthula.

 

Masiqhubeke sikhuleke ezweni lonke, sikhulekele ubunye, ukuthula,
ukubuyisana nokuhloniphana ezweni lakithi.

 

Ngiyabonga.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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