The fifth annual National Prayer Day drew thousands to Johannesburg's FNB Stadium on November 30, 2025, for a gathering focused on addressing social challenges. Organized by the Motsepe Foundation, the event brought together religious groups from across Africa to pray against issues like gender-based violence and femicide. Attendees filled the venue with gospel hymns and calls for national unity.
On November 30, 2025, the FNB Stadium in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, hosted the fifth annual National Prayer Day, organized by the Motsepe Foundation. The event aimed to unite religious groups from across the African continent in prayer for solutions to South Africa's social ills, particularly gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), which President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national crisis, as well as crime.
The stadium reached full capacity as thousands of congregants, dressed in their church regalia, gathered for a joyous celebration centered on praise and worship. Soothing gospel hymns echoed through the venue, creating a colorful display of diverse faith groups united in purpose. Prayers extended to themes of peace, prosperity, unity, compassion, love, and the end of GBVF, emphasizing collective efforts to tackle these challenges.
Multi-award-winning gospel artist Winnie Mashaba highlighted the need for prayer against GBVF, stating, “I’m very much concerned because those who are actually perpetrators are people’s sons and daughters, so we need to pray for tolerance because we don’t have it as a nation; therefore, we inflict pain on each other. We need to pray to God for his intervention.”
General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, Mzwandile Molo, urged peace and unity amid the ongoing GBVF crisis. Meanwhile, Chairperson of the South African Muslim Council, Amir Raheem Nkumane, dedicated the day to crime victims and prayed for government leaders to receive courage and wisdom in guiding the nation.
The gathering underscored a shared commitment to fostering tolerance and addressing societal pain through faith-based solidarity.