Al-Qalam 
Two SA hujjaj have since passed away in the Mubarak Lands – one an Islamic scholar and SAHUC mission worker who passed in Madinah and the other a hajji in Makkah, writes Nabeelah Shaikh
The South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) say pilgrims who have arrived in the Saudi Kingdom are ecstatic and looking forward to the upcoming five days of hajj, according to SAHUC’s Assistant Secretary General, Moaaz Casoo.
Three thousand five hundred South African pilgrims were accredited to perform their hajj this year. While most of them are already in Saudi Arabia, the remaining pilgrims are expected to arrive there this week.
Casoo said two South African hujjaj have sadly passed away – one in Makkah and the other in Madinah.
One of them was Sheikh Shaamiel Panday, an Islamic scholar and a SAHUC mission worker who passed away in Madinatul Munawwarah whilst serving South African hujjaj. He was a former Imam of Musjid Taqwa in Port Elizabeth.
Panday was rushed to hospital due to cardiac arrest but sadly passed away shortly after being admitted.
“We have also lost one haji from South Africa who passed away in Makkah. It was a sad time when they passed away, but at the same time, we are pleased that they have passed away in the Mubarak lands,” said Casoo.
“Alhumdulillah, we have seen good spirits from the South African pilgrims. Most of them are grateful to be on this journey. Some are very excited, whilst others are anxious, not knowing what to expect as they are heading towards Makkah and towards the five days of hajj. I would say the majority are in good health, and there are not many serious issues,” said Casoo.
Casoo said SAHUC is involved in visibility walks around the Harams, meeting with South African pilgrims frequently.
“We are constantly talking to them, and finding out if they have any queries. So far, it has been good. There are no real issues, some minor stuff, but nothing to be concerned about.
“Things are quite expensive in the Kingdom, in terms of food and other essentials, but everything is going well. It is very hot at the moment, so we find most of the South Africans in the day just coming out for their salaah, and then heading back to their rooms. At night, you will find them coming out more frequently when it’s cooler,” said Casoo.
Casoo says one of the main challenges encountered thus far by SAHUC has been the shutting down of their medical clinic facilities in Madinah.
“We were asked to move out of the Ring Road and we had to relocate our clinic which is now about two kilometres from the mainstream hotels. But Alhumdulillah, it was for a short period that we were closed. We managed to find facilities for hujjaj to use at the Ministry of Health’s Clinic in the interim. We then managed to sort things out and we re-opened our clinic,” said Casoo.
He says they are seeing many patients visiting their clinics.
“In Makkah, everything was a success in terms of the medical clinic. The clinics are up and running and we are getting a lot of hujjaj coming through. Sometimes we are seeing maybe between 40-60 patients a day, especially in Makkah, who are frequenting the clinic. Other than that, there aren’t any major challenges being experienced at the moment,” said Casoo.
Casoo, who has been posting frequent updates on his Instagram page about this year’s hajj journey for South Africans, said the organisation aims to be transparent in order to dispel some ‘lies and rumours’ that have been surfacing.
“Over a period of time, people keep spreading rumours about where SAHUC’s field mission workers stay and they say we are wasting the public’s money by staying at fancy hotels. So, we decided we should do a video to show the public where we are staying. We are staying about 6 kilometres away from the Haram, which is about a 15-minute drive from the Haram. We live in a house. This video was posted on our social media platforms to show where we are staying, the conditions we are living under, and how far away we are located, in comparison to the rumours being put out,” said Casoo.
