By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has called on churches to pray for peaceful elections and for the IEC to conduct free and fair elections.
Ramaphosa attended a Good Friday service at the Eagle Christian Church in Bloemfontein, Free State.
Addressing members of the media, Ramaphosa said his visit was simply a quest for prayers ahead of the upcoming national elections.
“I was not here to campaign, I was just here to solicit prayers from the church on three issues, “Ramaphosa said.
At the top of Ramaphosa’s list of prayer points was for the government to serve the nation and improve the lives of South Africans.
Secondly, the president asked the church to pray for a peaceful election process.
“That all the parties participating in the election should do so peacefully, and with tolerance, enabling every party to have a space in the sun to campaign anywhere in the country, and to solicit the support of the people of South Africa, “said Ramaphosa.
Lastly, he asked the church to keep the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in its prayers.
“The IEC, they [SIC] have a mammoth task ahead of them. They have to ensure that the elections are well-run, they are free and fair, and credible.”
Close to 28 million South Africans are set to make their mark at the polls exactly two months from 29 March.
Ramaphosa also passed his condolences to the president of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi following the horror bus crash in Limpopo, that claimed the lives of 45 Botswana nationals, the only survivor being an eight-year-old child.
“He was grateful not only for the condolences but also for the cooperation and assistance and the help that a number of our officials near that accident and the people of South Africa have rendered to the families of those who have passed away. We are really sad about this happening on an Easter weekend when they were going to Moria for prayers and I will also be talking to the bishops of the two Lekganyane churches to pass my condolences.”
Limpopo MEC of Health, Dr Phophi Ramathuba has confirmed that the sole survivor of Thursday’s tragic bus accident is in good health.
The eight-year-old girl sustained injuries and was airlifted to hospital.
“The child who survived, all I can reassure South Africans and Botswana nationals is that our child, it’s in a stable condition. She underwent a minor procedure this morning, I’ll still repeat it’s a minor procedure as part of the injuries that she sustained and our surgeons had to take her to theatre for that. She’s out of theatre apparently and she’s well. She’s in the ward, she’s doing well, her vitals are normal.”
Ramathuba has also confirmed that nine of the deceased are identifiable, however, the remaining bodies would have to undergo DNA analysis.
“We have received 34 body bags and that doesn’t mean 34 bodies. Its 34 body bags of which nine we can confirm that they are identifiable. So up to so far we can say nine, which we are working with the High Commissioner on the process of identification, but they are identifiable. The remaining 25 will still be subjected to serious processes.”