South African Council of Churches President Bishop Sithembele Sipuka will lead a National Day of Prayer to be held at Grace Bible church in Soweto, today.

Sipuka says the event is a call for people to pray for healing in the country, unity and a reconciled future.

He says there is a need for a message of hope, responsibility and renewal, as many South Africans have a sense of despair.

Church leaders from various denominations and dignitaries from government, business and civil society will be in attendance.

“We’ve noticed that we’ve become a fractured society, violence is so dominant. There is gender-based violence, where women are unsafe in our society, racism, tribalism, xenophobia. All those things that end up dividing our people are also part of our own journey,” says the SACC’s Reverend Mzwandile Molo.

“We live in serious poverty where our people have no hope for the future, where the poor are left without hope and they’re left to fend for themselves. We’re gathering to say South Africa can and should be better than where we are,” he adds.

Molo says the gathering is to pray together and ask God for guidance and to inspire us, for our healing and reconciliation as a nation.

This will be the fifth National Day of Prayer in South Africa; the first event was held in 2017.

The Day of Prayer is an observance held in many countries worldwide to encourage people of all faiths to pray for their nations. It serves as an opportunity for people to come together in solidarity and reflection, regardless of their different religious beliefs.

This Sunday, June 22nd, let’s unite as a nation in prayer🙏 At 15:30, let’s pause and lift up South Africa for healing and reconciliation. “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20)#NationalPrayerDay #ForSouthAfrica #HealingAndReconciliation🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/S01wEMSO9O

— South African Council of Churches (@OfficialSACC) June 20, 2025