Multi-faith group gathers to pray for rain
A MULTI-FAITH group of religious leaders, along with the metro’s leadership, gathered at the Port Elizabeth City Hall to pray for rain yesterday – under a cloudless blue sky and balmy weather.
Among them was Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip, who assured the group that God would answer their prayers.
“I can feel God is present. I know he will answer your prayers,” Trollip said.
“Encourage your congregants to pray and when we are finished, we will come back to thank him. Water does not come from dams or rivers but from God,” he said.
Pastors, priests, ministers, a pujari and a rabbi all stood up and took turns to lead the group in prayer.
Apostle Neville Goldman, of the Ebenezer International Christian Church, said the gathering was a show of commitment and to plead with God for rain.
“We need to call on God to give us faith to reopen the heavens,” Goldman said.
“That time is now. Our help comes from the Lord.
“Dams will be filled up,” he said.
However, SA Weather Service Eastern Cape senior forecaster Quinton Jacobs said yesterday the chance of a heavenly downpour was unlikely anytime soon.
“We may get drops here and there on Sunday but other than that there is nothing in the Eastern Cape,” he said.
Infrastructure, engineering and electricity political head Annette Lovemore painted a bleak picture of the city’s water woes.
“Some droughts are more intense and last longer than others. We suffer in the urban areas, but it is important to know that 62% of our national water budget goes to agriculture,” Lovemore said.
During the previous drought about five years ago, the water levels in Eastern Cape dams dropped to 35%, she said.
“It’s getting worse. We simply do not have enough water for our growing population.”
Lovemore said if it did not rain soon, the metro would move to water shedding, meaning that residents might not have water for hours at a time.
“Two of our dams are at a critical level. We need rain,” she said.
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