A 'peaceful election': Ramaphosa seeks divine intervention, asks church to pray for IEC

When Reverend Kealenka Mophethe from the Eagle Christian Church in Bloemfontein asked President Cyril Rampahosa what he would like the church to pray for on Good Friday, Ramaphosa asked for three things. 

"A strong government, peaceful elections, and the Electoral Commission of  South Africa (IEC)," Ramaphosa told the congregation during service in the Free State. 

Ramaphosa used his 15 minutes at the pulpit to ask for divine intervention. 

"What brings us here is that you should pray for peaceful elections [and] that the upcoming elections on 29 May will be an election where every eligible South African must exercise their free choice that we opted for on 27 April in 1994. Pray that every political party, it doesn't matter which one, will exercise peace," said Ramaphosa.

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The president called on political parties to allow people to exercise their choices freely. 

Without naming the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, Ramaphosa said there will be those who will cast aspersions on the institutions.