Rain forecast on days government wants us to pray for it

The Department of Water and Sanitation is looking for divine intervention to end the drought in the Western and the Eastern Cape: it has called on citizens to pray for rain this coming weekend — on the very days that rain is forecast.

The South African Weather Service is forecasting rain for Cape Town and the catchment area for its main dam at Theewaterskloof on Friday and Saturday‚ and anticipates rain in East London on Saturday and Sunday.

"Faith-based organisations play an important role in our communities and the department believes these can play a critical role in mitigating water challenges that we continue to face. We call upon all South Africans to heed this call and pray for rain while also adhering to water restrictions in an effort to save the current water that we have‚" the department said in an e-mailed statement.

The department is not alone in its faith in the power of prayer. Pastor Paseka "Mboro" Motsoeneng has said the best way to help drought-stricken Cape Town would be to start a 90-day prayer service‚ while evangelist Angus Buchan — who promised last year that the dams would be full by March — said earlier this week that Capetonians needed to repent before it would rain.