Al-Qalam 
By Al-Qalam Reporter
Fayruz Mohamed, the first female national chairperson of National Zakah Fund (SANZAF) was honoured as “a true champion of community empowerment and a beacon of change”, during an awards evening at the Hilton Sandton hotel recently.
The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants Chairman’s Difference Makers Awards (SAICA) had recognized Mohamed for her selfless service to humanity.
SAICA hosted the awards recently which seek to recognise SAICA members and associates who are making a difference in various sectors of business and society – those who have bridged the gap between being good and excellent.
The awards honour SAICA members who make decisions that provide sustained prosperity for all, and this includes individuals who make a valuable contribution to shaping communities, economies and society while applying the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and accountability.
SAICA said Mohamed – through her unwavering dedication – has made significant strides in welfare, food security, education development and financial inclusion for the less privileged.
“Her remarkable passion for women empowerment led to the establishment of a National Women Empowerment Programme, inspiring countless individuals. As the first female national chairperson of SANZAF, her commitment to the South African community shines brightly. We applaud her transformative impact and extraordinary,” SAICA said in a statement.
Mohamed is currently serving her second term as the national chairperson of SANZAF.
The many titles she holds include being a Chartered Accountant, a Certified Director, and a Non-Executive Director and an Independent Audit Committee Member who is certified in Zakat management. She is also qualified in Islamic Finance, is an International Speaker, and a zakat practitioner.
“I was nominated for the SAICA award by Shaukat Fakie who is one of our trustees at SANZAF but is also a national executive member at SANZAF. We are both on the board. It was a very humbling and surprising win. There’s a nomination process and one can be nominated for various categories. My category was SDG and Sustainability which was more about the community service sector,” said Mohamed.
She added that it was an overwhelming experience that SAICA recognises the work that she has done within the community but also within the Islamic finance sector.
“I think the win is also centered around my commitment and leadership in my role. But for me, it’s more about how this award has motivated me. Attending the awards ceremony kind of gave me inspiration and encouragement to continue to serve humanity and do the work that I do, but also to just continue doing it with sincerity and excellence. I am truly blessed to be recognised like this,” said Mohamed.
It was only six months ago that she was nominated for another prestigious international award, and within a few months, her work is being recognised again.
“I was recognised in the Cambridge WOMANi 300 Most Influential Women in Islamic Finance and Business. I’ve never been recognised sadly within South Africa and this SAICA award was the first time. I have always been recognised internationally for the work that I have been doing in Islamic finance. So this is great to note. Even though Islamic Finance has been around for more than 40 years, it’s a very developing and thriving industry,” said Mohamed.
“It’s also not just about SANZAF, but also about representing South Africa. And I must say, from a Zakah perspective, SANZAF is highly respected and well recognised for the work we are doing, leading in governance and good practices. A lot of the overseas organisations look to us for guidance and best practices about how we do things here,” said Mohamed.
Mohamed says she is grateful for the opportunities she has been granted over the years. “Alhamdulilah that SANZAF has given me the opportunity to lead the organization – and do this twice. This is my second term as the national chair, and with all good governance practices this chairmanship comes to an end next year, and they will re-appoint someone else because I can’t spend more than two terms in the position,” said Mohamed.
She says she is proud to have been the first woman in this role.
“You don’t generally see women in these roles, and I got a lot of positive feedback from women about what it meant to them, being able to see a woman like myself leading the organisation. I think SANZAF giving a woman the opportunity to lead such an organisation is progressive and I do hope other organisations will follow suit and will do the same,” she said.
