10 June 2026 | 21:53 CAT
2-minute read

The United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA) convened a Municipal Elections Indaba in Ormonde, Johannesburg. The three-day event, which concluded earlier today, was hosted by the UUCSA Political Strategy Committee to establish a structured, national framework for Muslim civic and political participation ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

The conference, organised by the UUCSA Political Committee, brought together a broad coalition of Ulama (Islamic scholars), Muslim organisations, business leaders, academics, and civil society actors to voice community needs regarding policy and governance.

Delegates of the coalition engaged directly with senior leaders from six political parties over the course of the Indaba, with discussion centred on the Muslim Civic Consensus. This is a strategic national framework that was drafted by UUCSA to establish a unified, principled approach to local governance and political accountability.

The document acts as an advocacy tool that outlines the community’s collective needs, values, and expectations from municipal leadership. Following a broad public submission window, the policy document is being printed and delivered directly to the leadership of various political parties.

In a statement released earlier today, UUCSA outlined some policy positions contained in the document. These provide a guiding framework for issues such as youth unemployment, corruption, online gambling, the genocide in Gaza and the question of Palestine, the deterioration of public infrastructure, and heritage preservation, including the protection of the Bo-Kaap, to name a few.

Fazlin Fransman-Taliep said that during the Indaba, community representatives highlighted several emerging social challenges requiring urgent policy attention, including the rapid growth of online gambling and the lack of adequate legislative measures to address its impact.

She said these concerns were raised with political parties to help them better understand the social consequences affecting Muslim communities and to encourage constructive policy responses.

“We see this proliferation of online gambling, and our legislation hasn’t caught up with regards to those issues. So these are issues we put forward to political parties in a constructive policy perspective and really wanted them to understand where we are coming from as a community; the social ills that something like online gambling presents,” Fransman-Taliep said.

Beyond specific policy concerns, UUCSA also called for wider public participation in the process and encouraged South Africans to engage with the Muslim Civic Consensus. The document is available on the UUCSA website. Individuals and organisations are invited to continue submitting proposals and recommendations relevant to their regions, municipalities and communities.

Head of the UUCSA Political Strategy Committee, Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat, said one of the most significant outcomes of the conference was the Muslim community’s commitment to engaging more actively in political and civic processes through a coordinated, structured and solutions-driven approach.

He said discussions with political parties were constructive, with members of the committee presenting a range of policy concerns and recommendations aimed at benefiting both the Muslim community and the country as a whole.

“The greatest outcome of this conference was that the Muslim community has demonstrated that we now want to proactively engage politically and at civic level,” he said.

The Indaba concluded with delegates expressing support for continued structured engagement between the Muslim community and political stakeholders beyond the conference. UUCSA said the Muslim Civic Consensus will remain an evolving framework informed by ongoing public input and policy dialogue. The organisation reiterated its commitment to fostering sustained civic participation ahead of the 2026 local government elections.