ah@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n<\/u>23 May 2025 | 11:45 CAT
\n2 min read<\/p>\nAs the days of Hajj draw closer, preparations and final arrangements for South African pilgrims are in full swing. Speaking to Radio Islam International, Hafidh Ismail Koovadia of the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) gave a detailed update on the current status of the Hujjaj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
While not all South African pilgrims have arrived, most are already settled in the holy cities. \u201cWe have about 2,200 South African Hujjaj that have already arrived. There are about 300 that are still to come, out of which 250 will come into Madinah and 50 into Jeddah. I think the next few days the balance will be coming in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He noted that approximately 1,300 to 1,400 pilgrims are currently in Makkah, while the rest remain in Madinah and will be moving shortly.<\/p>\n
Movement between the two holy cities has been relatively smooth, partly thanks to the efficient train service. \u201cThe trains have been very accurate, very prompt on time, and a lot more comfortable,\u201d said Koovadia, though he did note a few unexpected instances where buses arrived before the trains due to early departure requirements at the station.<\/p>\n
Koovadia highlighted that this Friday would mark the largest movement of Hujjaj from Madinah to Makkah \u2013 a trend that occurs annually. \u201cNow the challenge is that because most people move on that particular date, we find that the traffic becomes a bit chaotic, and controlling the situation in Madinah becomes a little bit challenging. But inshallah, we’ll overcome that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A new development for pilgrims this year has been the introduction of Nusuk cards \u2013 an identification system aimed at curbing illegal Hajj attempts. \u201cThe majority of Hujjaj have received the cards. It has become a very important document or a very important card to hold, specifically if you’re coming into Makkah,\u201d he explained. The cards have become essential for entry and movement within Makkah and the sacred sites, especially with the increased security measures.<\/p>\n
Koovadia admitted that a few challenges remain, especially for those who have not yet received their cards. Delays in printing and distributing the cards, coupled with a shared distribution system across countries, have led to logistical issues. \u201cOur service provider said the challenge was that his office has to handle about 50,000 people\u2026 The cards are not separated according to the different countries. The office was given the entire batch and has to basically separate it. There has been a bit of confusion, but it is definitely better this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This year, SAHUC is working with a new service provider, Mashariq Almasiah, who Koovadia says has so far shown great promise. \u201cSo far, they have done pretty well. They’ve been fairly accommodating\u2026 But the actual test will come during the five days,\u201d he cautioned.<\/p>\n
Koovadia confirmed that inspections have been conducted and infrastructure improvements are underway at the camps in Mina and Arafah. \u201cThere seem to be a few changes, from an infrastructural point of view. And I think if those changes are completed in time, Mina will be a lot more comfortable. Last year, the camp was very nice, and it was in a very good location. We managed to get the same camp this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Finally, when asked about the morale among the Hujjaj, Koovadia was optimistic. \u201cI think they’ve been comfortable, fairly high, and positive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Though minor issues remain around the medical facility, along with new regulations, Koovadia expressed confidence that they will be resolved soon.<\/p>\n
As the final countdown to the days of Hajj continues, South African Hujjaj seem well on track, spiritually prepared, logistically supported, and ready for the journey of a lifetime.<\/p>\n
LISTEN <\/strong>to the full interview with Ml Ibrahim Daya and Hafidh Ismail Koovadia of the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC), here.\u00a0https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/radioislam\/sahuc-shares-an-update-on-south-african-hujjaj?si=b03446e41e344177bd32c690ca174097&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za 23 May 2025 | 11:45 CAT 2 min read As the days of Hajj draw closer, preparations and final arrangements for South African pilgrims are in full swing. Speaking to Radio Islam International, Hafidh Ismail Koovadia of the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) gave a detailed update on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":97877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-haj-prep","category-latest-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Middle-East-Report-28.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-psE","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-25 13:32:53","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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