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Today, the Parliamentary Leader of the Congress of the People, Mvume Dandala called for an interfaith national prayer and meditation day for the disaster stricken people of Haiti. In support of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's message, COPE also shares the grief and the sadness of the Haitians following a devastating earthquake that hit the island last week.

We welcome the speedy response with a wide range of services and supplies from all disaster relief agencies and governments, including our own South African government.

COPE believes that while all logistical support pouring in into Haiti will greatly assist all the affected Haitians, we call on our government to declare Friday 22 January 2010 as a ‘National Day of Prayer for Haiti'.

We further propose that at 12pm on January 22, employers, schools and all other organisations in the country should briefly stop any activity for 5 minutes in observation of the ‘National Day of Prayer'.

"I urge the Office of the Presidency to spearhead this initiative as part of nation building. In 2010, the year of opportunities, South Africa should demonstrate its compassion by making use of, and maximizing all opportunities for both government, civil society and the people to walk together as per the widely accepted recommendation of the Dinokeng Scenarios", said Dandala.

COPE therefore urges citizens from all walks of life to take a moment during the 24hrs of January 22 to pray and meditate for the speedy restoration of Haiti. We also encourage South Africans to respond to the needs of the Haitians by donating non-perishable items to the many available relief agencies in the country.