President Jacob Zuma told attendees at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God’s Good Friday service that comfort, love and prayers would always provide hope.
Speaking to the crowd of about 60 000 people at a packed Ellis Park Stadium this afternoon, the president noted that he was not there to give a speech, but to “hear the word of God” together with his colleagues.
Zuma reminded the crowd of the meaning and the purpose behind Good Friday – a time “when our Lord, our saviour sacrificed for us, when He was prepared to take the supreme sacrifice for our sake, for our comfort”.
The president asked that congregation to not only remember the comfort the Lord provided for them on Good Friday, but also to pray for “those who are at the hospital, who are suffering from pains in our country, and for those who are faced with different problems”.
He said prayer was necessary to help fix the problems facing South Africa.
“Pray for us. Pray for the leaders; pray for jobs; pray for crime to go away; pray for peace; and pray for the love of God to be with us,” said Zuma.
Although the crowd at Ellis Park applauded and cheered as the president entered the stadium, some on Twitter were less enthusiastic.
As the president prayed for comfort and hope for the people of South Africa, his critics accused him of corruption and of ignoring the most vulnerable members of the community.
@eNCA Comfort,love and prayer will not put food on the table
— musiiwa (@musiiwa2) April 14, 2017
@LirandzuThemba @eNCA Pray for a zumafreestate
— IlizweTruth (@IlizweTruth) April 14, 2017
@eNCA And Gupta money lining our pockets. That's always a good source of hope.
— special_K (@special_K89Cpt) April 14, 2017
Yes Our leadership needs a LOT of prayer because #Zuma their leader has 783 counts of #corruption against him#NoConfidence in any #Zuma https://t.co/uB4rAgigrd
— Loot Gous (@lootgous) April 14, 2017
#Blasphemy - Zuma does not know anything about God but rather considers himself a god. He has lied to, stolen from & deprived a nation. https://t.co/FSPzYxWWKm
— Shazaroni Shazza (@ShazaroniShazza) April 14, 2017
Today was the president’s third consecutive appearance at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God’s Good Friday service.