Annisa Essack | kzn@radioislam.org.za
14 February 2023 / 12:00 PM CAT
2-minute read

Photo Credit: PBS

The inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Committee on the efficient management of annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages was hosted by Dr. Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation in Cape Town. Chaired by Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, the Committee includes Ms Fatima Chohan; Professor Mathole Motshekga; Professor Anil Sooklal; Ambassador Ashraf Suliman and Ms Zeenat Adam.

Director General of the DIRCO, Zane Dangor, in Addis Ababa, discussed the mandate and role of the Committee with Radio Islam International.

According to Dangor, there were several concerns from the Muslim community regarding how Hajj and Umrah were organised, for example, approval of hujjaj, quotas, and pricing.

The Committee aims for South African Muslims to enjoy an easy process for a well-organised Hajj or Umrah experience. The Committee will collaborate with the relevant ministries of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dangor explained that the DIRCO’s mandate is to improve the current structures, and the Committee would recommend improvements. This will ensure that the processes are more transparent and accountable and that the identified barriers are dealt with by various stakeholders nationally and in Saudi Arabia.

The process takes six to eight months and thus has no bearing on the current Hajj season.

He shed light on the need for the Committee, saying that engagement with the CRL, but the recommendations that emerged, were not helpful, and the CRL pushed it back to DIRCO.

Speaking on the choice of members constituting the committee, he explained that the idea was to ensure that the team could achieve the objective of achieving access.

On recent visits to the kingdom, the President and Minister of the DIRCO raised the issue of increasing the quota. He added that there was an undertaking by the Saudi government with positive signals. The Committee will also engage further in this matter.

He confirmed that the committee was entirely to address the concerns raised by the community and was not politically motivated.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with host Ml Sulimaan Ravat