Mpumalanga Education MEC Reginah Mhaule has urged people to pray for Premier David Mabuza who has been on sick leave for more than a month after collapsing from fatigue.
Mhaule was addressing an exam prayer session for the Gert Sibande and Nkangala districts in Middleburg on Tuesday when she asked that the prayers include Mabuza.
“He is much much much better but we should not take anything for granted. Let us pray for him. (As for ) (t)hose who say he is dead, we do not know if maybe they want him dead, so if we don’t pray for, eeeeehhhh, we do not know,” she said.
She said leaders need prayer to deliver services.
She then quoted from the Second Book of Timothy, saying it also states, “Pray for your leaders so that there shall be peace in your land.”
She added: “In the book of Romans, (it states) there is no leader that does not come from God. We have a responsibility to pray for those in power.”
Mhaule said she was surprised when pastors called her to ask if it was true that the Premier was dead.
“Pastors, when you get that message, you get down and pray. What have we done as pastors who are sent to do the service of God. Did we pray for (the Premier)? So it is my prayer request today that we pray for our Premier. We have a leader in Mpumalanga. We have (other) leaders, but we have a leader who is a chairperson of the ruling party, who is the Premier of the province,” she said.
The acting premier at the moment is Vusi Shongwe.
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters put forward a motion that the provincial legislature debate Mabuza’s fitness to hold office during its next sitting.

PREMIER PRAYER: MEC for education, Reginah Mhaule says people must pray for premier David Mabuza.