Before a voter puts a cross beside a name, there are questions a ballot paper cannot answer. What makes someone worthy of public trust? How should religious conviction inform political loyalty? And what does a citizen owe to people beyond their own community?

At the International Peace College South Africa (IPSA), eight students took up these questions through a seminar examining Muslim youth and political participation. Held on 3 October, the Contemporary Islamic Thought Seminar brought citizenship, Islamic scholarship and electoral choice into a single programme, with students presenting on subjects that reach well beyond their classrooms.

The theme, “Muslim Youth and Political Participation: Citizenship, Voting and a Just Future”, gave the gathering an ambitious scope. Across two sessions, the presentations moved from the meaning of national belonging to the judgements involved in choosing whom to support.

For Muslim students, these questions sit at the intersection of religious education and everyday life. Political decisions shape access to education, livelihoods and the safety of neighbourhoods. They also raise questions about justice, the exercise of authority and responsibility for the welfare of others. Connecting those concerns requires both an understanding of faith and an ability to examine the world in which its principles must be applied.

The programme began with belonging.

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Saleem Parker’s presentation on love and loyalty to one’s nation, considered from an Islamic perspective, sat alongside Rasheedah Khan’s examination of the responsibilities of citizenship through fiqh al-muwatanah, the jurisprudence of citizenship.

Together, their subjects framed a question that extends beyond elections: how should Muslims understand their obligations within a shared society? Love of country is an expression of attachment. Citizenship gives that attachment practical consequences, bringing the rights and needs of fellow citizens into consideration.

The historical presentations widened the discussion. Nihad Moses addressed the political activities of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his Sahabah, while Fagmieyah Darries examined the history of Muslim political involvement in South Africa.

Their subjects placed contemporary participation within two important frames of reference: the early Muslim experience and the community’s own history in this country. For students considering their place in public life, both offer starting points for enquiry into how Muslims have understood authority, responsibility and collective action.

The second session turned to the ballot itself.

Zainab Achmat’s topic, “Is Voting Permissible? What the Scholars Say!”, addressed the religious question underlying electoral participation. Nabeelah Esack followed with an examination of the criteria that should inform the choice of whom to vote for.

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The sequence mattered. Permission to participate does not, on its own, resolve the judgement required of a voter. Choosing a representative demands an assessment of the people seeking power, the commitments they make and the grounds on which they can be trusted.

For a Muslim electorate, that is also a question about how ethical commitments become standards of public judgement. What weight should be given to integrity, competence and the treatment of vulnerable people? How should competing considerations be assessed? A discussion of criteria creates room to examine the reasoning behind a political preference.

Tasleemah Ellis brought an international perspective through her presentation on the impact of Muslim votes in the United Kingdom and United States. Fazlin Davids returned the discussion to South Africa, addressing the possible and certain benefits of voting.

Placed together, these topics connected the question of participation with the question of consequence: what influence can voters exercise, and what can they reasonably expect it to achieve?

Across the presentations ran a common question: what does responsible political participation require of a Muslim? Examining it meant bringing religious scholarship into conversation with history and the practical choices facing voters. For young Muslims, these questions bear directly on how they understand their faith, their citizenship and their responsibilities towards others.

The questions explored at the seminar extended beyond whether Muslims should vote to what should guide them when they do. Citizenship, scholarly interpretation and political experience each formed part of that enquiry. At its heart was the challenge of translating a commitment to justice into a choice on the ballot – and sustaining that commitment once the votes have been counted.

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With Matric finals approaching, learners are entering the final stretch of a demanding year, often carrying the weight of academic expectations, university applications and uncertainty about what comes next.

Speaking to Al-Qalam, career coach and strategist Farhana Hassam said many Matrics are already mentally and emotionally exhausted after months of prelims, extra classes, tuition and workshops.

“Rest is not wasted time,” she said, encouraging learners to prioritise sleep, healthy routines, manageable study sessions and short breaks rather than feeling they must study every waking hour.

She advised learners to break their workload into realistic goals and focus on what they can control: their preparation, effort and wellbeing.

For those struggling with anxiety or fearing they may disappoint their parents, Hassam said such feelings do not mean they are incapable or unprepared.

“Learners should remember that their results are a reflection of their performance in a particular period, not a measurement of their worth, intelligence or potential,” she said.

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Hassam also urged parents to create a calm and supportive environment. Rather than repeatedly asking how much their children have studied or what marks they achieved, she suggested asking how they are feeling and how they can help.

“Avoid comparisons with siblings, friends or other learners,” she said, adding that practical support, including ensuring children eat, rest, sleep properly and have a quiet place to study, can make a significant difference.

While Matric results can influence which opportunities are immediately available, Hassam cautioned against viewing them as a final verdict on a learner’s future.

“There are many pathways into further study, employment and career development,” she said. These include alternative programmes and institutions, qualifications, learnerships, skills-development opportunities and opportunities to redirect one’s career later.

For learners uncertain about what comes after school, Hassam recommended making informed rather than panic-driven decisions.

She encouraged learners to consider their interests, strengths, values, subjects and the type of environment in which they would like to work, rather than choosing a career because it is popular or because their friends are pursuing it.

University, she noted, is only one pathway. Depending on individual circumstances, learners can also consider TVET colleges, learnerships, skills programmes, employment, entrepreneurship or taking time to explore their options.

“Careers and life is not linear. There is also no single definition of success,” she said.

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Hassam, who has more than 12 years of experience in recruitment and talent-focused roles and over four years of full-time career coaching experience, supports high school learners with career guidance, subject choices and post-school planning.

Her message to Matrics facing the final exams is simple: “You are not running out of time, you have your whole world right in front of you.”

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“God is not an estate agent,” says celebrated journalist and author Yvonne Ridley.

Yvonne Ridley has a gift for the sentence that refuses to leave the room. In our interview, the British journalist moved from the story of a runaway donkey in Afghanistan to the moral responsibilities of Muslims towards Palestine, wielding humour and indignation with equal precision.

The remark came as she praised Jewish opponents of Zionism who reject religious justifications for territorial claims. She speaks with admiration of their dissent, and with fury at what is being done in their name beneath an Israeli flag that, in her words, “has now become a butcher’s apron”.

But before the political arguments came the donkey.

In 2001, reporting for the Sunday Express, Ridley entered Afghanistan beneath a blue burqa. She likened its anonymity to “putting on Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak”. Her cover unravelled when the animal carrying her towards the Pakistani border bolted, exposing her camera to a Taliban soldier.

“I was done for by a rogue donkey.”

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Having surrendered her camera, she closed her eyes and waited to be shot. She might subsequently have escaped. Instead, seeing her local guides detained and surrounded by an angry crowd, she turned back.

“And I realised I couldn’t leave them behind.”

She imagined her guides would admire her return. Instead, she recalled, they looked as though she had made their predicament considerably worse. The Taliban now had a British journalist in their custody.

For the next 11 days, she expected to be killed. She describes herself as “the prisoner from hell”, swearing, spitting and throwing things during interrogations. 

“You don’t kiss the hand that slaps you.”

Their restraint confounded her expectations. Recalling the brutality she had anticipated, she delivered an incredulous question: “Why aren’t you living up to the job description?”

Her subsequent interviews with former Guantánamo Bay detainees sharpened that contrast. Hearing their accounts, she considered herself fortunate to have been held by the Taliban rather than the Americans. Her verdict was deliberately barbed. “Thank God I was captured by the most evil, brutal regime in the world and not by the Americans.”

By her account, the Taliban had treated her more humanely than the Americans had treated the Guantánamo detainees she interviewed.

“When I was released, I don’t know who was happiest, them or me.”

A religious cleric had invited her to embrace Islam during captivity. Ridley declined to make such a decision as a prisoner, but promised to study Islam and read the Qur’an if released.

“If you give your word, your word is your bond.”

She kept that promise without expecting it to change her faith. “I wasn’t looking for a religion. I was a practising Christian.”

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A former Sunday school teacher, she found familiar figures in the Qur’an. What moved her was its account of women’s spiritual equality and its demand for justice, including towards one’s enemies.

“The theme of justice really swept me away,” she tells Al-Qalam.

Her solidarity with Palestinians, however, preceded her conversion by decades.

At 13, she recalled, a Palestinian woman asked her to sign a petition. Ridley initially refused. Television coverage had taught her to associate Palestinians with hijacking and terrorism. The woman explained the history of dispossession.

Ridley imagined her own family being forced from their home, strangers wearing her clothes and eating their food.

“And I was shocked that I hadn’t understood this from the media.”

Her conversion brought an additional responsibility – protecting Masjid Al-Aqsa. She urged religious scholars to prepare their communities spiritually for that obligation.

“We don’t need weapons,” she said, envisaging collective Muslim mobilisation.

For Ridley, solidarity demands a response to suffering. She described seeing images of children mourning their father, a journalist killed in an Israeli strike.

“Children shouldn’t have to see that sort of thing.”

The sentence carries none of her usual verbal fireworks. It needs none.

She urged people to stand with Palestinians through peaceful protest. In Afghanistan, she had turned back rather than leave her guides to face danger alone. Now, she asks others to act on the same conviction: that we cannot walk away from people whose lives are at risk.

The question she imagines facing Muslims on the Day of Judgement is characteristically direct: “What did you do to protect Masjid Al-Aqsa?”

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What began with seeds, soil and lessons in sustainable gardening has now produced a first harvest for 37 participants in SANZAF’s Agriculture Programme in Sea Cow Lake, Durban.

The Agriculture Programme forms part of SANZAF’s Skills Development Programme and includes some of SANZAF’s chef students, as well as members of the public who were invited to take part. Facilitated by Garth Concur, the programme will consist of 12 courses over the coming months, with a team on the ground overseeing the day-to-day work. According to Concur, the first garden was planted about five weeks ago and has flourished with the spring rains. 

Participants recently gathered for their first harvest after learning how to prepare soil, make compost, plant and care for crops, use drip irrigation and manage pests. The programme is aimed at building practical skills that can contribute to food security, self-reliance and future livelihood opportunities.

Speaking to Al-Qalam, SANZAF Marketing representative, Alika Ahmad said that the programme was introduced to give beneficiaries hands-on experience in sustainable living and food security, while helping students learn how to grow their own food.

Participants have been growing spinach, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot, celery, spring onion, basil, coriander, rosemary and carrots. A drip irrigation system was installed to help water the crops, while participants were taught how to care for the plants and harvest them correctly to maintain quality and allow for regrowth.

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During the gardening workshops, participants also learned about different types of soil and sand, how compost supports healthy plant growth, how to make compost at home and natural pest-control methods.

The first harvest gave participants the opportunity to put the lessons they learned into practice. “The first harvest was a moment of immense pride. For participants, it was proof that they can produce food with their own hands – from seed to plate,” said Ahmad.

Participants had planted their own seeds, monitored their growth and harvested fresh vegetables, with some produce taken home. “It gave them a real sense of achievement, confidence, and hope that they can become self-sufficient, Alhamdulillah,” added Ahmad.

For SANZAF, the significance of the project lies in what participants can do with these skills beyond the programme.

Participants can start backyard gardens to grow food for their families and reduce grocery costs. For the chef students, the project also introduces the farm-to-table cycle, with the possibility of growing fresh produce that can eventually be used in their own restaurants. “This goes far beyond just food security,” Ahmad noted.

To help participants continue what they have learned, SANZAF provided starter kits containing seedlings and compost. The participants can use these to start their own gardens and monitor their growth in their classrooms, keeping the practical learning going beyond the farm.

The programme is ultimately aimed at helping participants become self-sufficient, both in producing food and potentially generating an income. “In the long term, InshaAllah, we want to see these participants become fully self-sufficient, able to feed their families and generate an income,” said Ahmad.

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For the participants, the first harvest was a rewarding step in their journey, giving them the opportunity to put their skills into practice. They enjoyed the pruning process and expressed gratitude to SANZAF for the opportunity to learn and gain practical experience.  

SANZAF’s vision extends beyond the 37 participants, with hopes that they become ambassadors of change. “We want them to eventually share their knowledge, train others in their communities and develop their own sustainable micro-farms and agribusinesses,” she said.

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The Minara Chamber of Commerce has announced the finalists for its 2026 Business Recognition Awards which recognises outstanding achievement, leadership, innovation and contribution across South Africa’s business and professional landscape. 

The finalists represent a diverse range of businesses and individuals whose achievements, leadership and contribution continue to make an impact in South Africa’s economy and communities.

The winners will be announced at the Awards Gala Dinner on Friday, 23 October 2026, at the NMJ Conference Centre in Durban.  

Ebrahim Patel, President of the Minara Chamber of Commerce, said the calibre and diversity of this year’s finalists reflect the contribution being made across South Africa’s business, professional and community landscape. The Minara Chamber believes that success should be measured not only by commercial performance, but also by leadership, innovation, opportunity created and the impact made in our communities.

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“On behalf of the Minara Chamber, I extend my congratulations to every finalist. Reaching this stage is in itself a significant achievement, and a reflection of the standards you have set in your respective fields.” 

Solly Suleman, Chair of the Minara Awards Committee, said the response to the 2026 awards had been exceptionally strong, with the independent adjudication panel considering a high calibre of nominations across the categories. 

“Selecting the finalists was not an easy process. Our awards look beyond commercial success to consider leadership, innovation, resilience, professional achievement and broader community impact.” 

Rishaad Webster, Head of Business Banking Coverage KZN, said “These awards shine a light on the businesses doing the hard work of building the KwaZulu-Natal economy. Standard Bank is proud to stand alongside the Minara Chamber in recognising them, and prouder still to be on the growth journey with them. Behind every finalist is a business that has taken risks, created jobs and kept trading through a tough environment. Standard Bank’s role is to make sure ambition of this calibre has the backing it needs to keep amplifying growth.” 

“The journey now continues towards the prestigious Awards Gala Dinner on Friday, 23 October 2026, in Durban, where this year’s winners will be announced,” a Minara Chamber of Commerce spokesperson said.

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Meanwhile, at the same event, the Chamber will posthumously honour the Late Ebrahim Carrim with the Minara lifetime Achiever Recognition Award 2026.

The award recognises a life of entrepreneurship, integrity, service, philanthropy, community leadership and a commitment to creating opportunities for others.

The 2026 Finalists   – Business Entity of the Year – Large 

Roshgold Investments: Royal Travel; Woodford Group 

Business Entity of the Year – Medium 

Ethicore Group; Minnies; Food Enterprise 

Business Entity of the Year – Small Business 

Daily Dippers; Wonder Snacks 

Businessperson of the Year 

Munir Jeewa; Osman Arbee; Riaz Cotwal 

Businesswoman of the Year 

Bint Nur Ebrahim; Mariam Galant-Diedericks; Yasmin Essop 

Young Achiever of the Year 

Muhammed Paruk; Muhammad Yusuf Goga; Waheed Amanjee 

Community Builder of the Year 

Bilal Ismail; Haseena Azmuth; Yusuf Abramjee 

Professional Achiever of the Year 

Prof. Yahya Choonara; Dr Zakia Salod 

For further information on the Business Recognition Awards and Gala dinner, you can email them at: awards@minara.org.za

The post Minara announces finalists for 2026 Business Recognition Awards appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Dr Shaheda Omar, the Director of the Teddy Bear Foundation, was recently honoured with the Lifetime Dedication to Child Protection Award. She also received the Ahmed Kathrada Excellence in Leadership Award from the Congress of Business & Economics in September.

Speaking to Al-Qalam, Omar said that receiving the award was “deeply humbling”, but it is a reminder of the responsibility carried by those who work to protect children and support survivors, something that has become even more pressing as South Africa continues to grapple with violence against women and children. “I accept this award on behalf of every child whose courage has shaped my life and every person who has refused to give up on a child,” she said.

Her journey into child protection was not something she planned. Early in her career, she came to understand that children are often “the least powerful people in the room”, yet carry some of the greatest burdens.

Omar said children do not choose the families they are born into, nor do they choose poverty, violence, neglect or abuse. These circumstances, however, can profoundly shape their lives. “I realised that if we are serious about building a better society, we have to start by protecting our children,” she said.

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Over the years, this sense of responsibility became a vocation. She came to understand that child protection was not simply about responding to abuse, but about restoring dignity, creating safety, strengthening families, preventing harm and ensuring that children have the opportunity to become the people they were meant to be.

Today, as South Africa continues to confront gender-based violence and femicide, Omar believes one of the biggest failures is that too much of the response comes after violence has already occurred. “We investigate the murder after a woman has been killed. We intervene after a child has been abused. We provide trauma support after the trauma has occurred. Of course, those responses are essential, but prevention has to begin much earlier,” she said.

She said violence against women and children is deeply interconnected: “A child who grows up witnessing violence against their mother is not simply witnessing an argument between adults. That child is experiencing violence too.”

When violence becomes normalised in a family, children can begin to see fear, shouting, threats, humiliation or physical violence as simply what family life looks like. “We therefore have to break the cycle early. Protecting women is also protecting children,” she stressed.  

She believes prevention must become part of everyday life “in our homes, schools, communities, faith institutions and workplaces” rather than something discussed only during a crisis. “We must ask a much harder question – why are we continuing to place the responsibility for avoiding violence on the potential victim rather than placing responsibility on the person who chooses to perpetrate it?” she questioned.

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While Omar has seen significant changes during her 40-year career, including greater public awareness, specialised services, stronger legislation, multidisciplinary approaches and greater recognition of children’s rights, she said progress on paper does not always translate into protection in practice.

For Omar, the question is whether those systems work “when a frightened child is sitting in front of us needing protection.”

The answer cannot simply be another policy. It must be “implementation, accountability and prevention”, alongside greater investment in parenting, early childhood development, schools, psychosocial support, healthy relationships, prevention programmes and safe communities.

She urged adults to pay attention to changes in children’s behaviour, including withdrawal, anxiety, aggression, changes in sleeping or eating, unexplained injuries, fear of a particular person or place and age-inappropriate sexualised behaviour.

She said that a lifetime in child protection was not measured by the number of years you have worked. It is measured by the number of children who, because you were there, were able to believe again that their lives could be different. “That is the honour I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” said Omar. 

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Just one month to turning 94, Abdool Rashid Khan of Durban has outlived his wife, his two children and nine of his siblings – but he’s not yet ready to give up on life – not just yet.

“I will go when Allah calls me,” he told Al-Qalam, during an interview at Country Bake in Durban’s Musgrave area.

Apart from fragility, he suffers no ailment that usually befalls elderly folk – and his eyesight is sharp as a needle.

It’s been a year now that he’s moved into a small old age home for Muslim men and women in Asherville. Being the oldest resident there, he says boredom is his enemy. There’s not much to do, except making zikr and reminiscing about his life. However, Khan says he misses the warm love of his family, most of whom have passed on. “Yes, it’s very lonely at my age, but I’m really thankful to the few remaining family members who still care about me. A call or visit from them, including from my grandchildren, is something that I look forward to – it makes my day,” he adds.

With nine out of 11 siblings having passed on, he finds solace in talking to his two surviving sisters who live out of KZN – they are too frail to visit him, but they keep in touch with their brother by phone.

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About six weeks ago, his daughter, Feroza Motala (64) of Overport, passed away. Her sudden passing has left a deep void in his life, but he is determined to carry on with life until his time comes. A few years back, his son Rafik passed away of a heart attack. He too was 64, and earlier, his wife Asiya, passed on.

His greyish eyes light up when this reporter mentions life in his younger days. “I think those were the best times of our lives.”

His son-in-law, Mohammed Motala, shows Al-Qalam a few photos of him in his 20’s and 30’s, looking rather spiffy in a striped suit, tie and gentleman’s hat.

Born in 1934, Khan opened a motor dealership in Clairwood and was often seen driving in a variety of vehicles that he had for sale. But his personal favourite was a two-tone green 1957 Chevrolet – a twin-finned monster that was talk of the town. His wife was a driving instructor, the first Muslim woman to do so in her days.

Khan recalls the years during the 60’s, 70’s – and even the 80’s – when he would take his family for summer nights “window-shopping” along West Street, checking out the beautiful displays of goods in fashionable departmental stores such as Greenacres, Stuttafords, John Orr’s, Payne Brothers, the Hub, Woolfsons, Ok Bazaars and Cuthberts.

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“But the best of our summer night strolls was when I bought delicious ice cream for all at Polar Bar or the ice cream vans parked along the pavement. What a time that was,” his face lighting up with a big smile for the first time.

Khan recalls the times he visited the beachfront with his young children, especially when the merry go-around came to town. “It was the time of apartheid and the best beaches were reserved for whites only, but we made the best with what we had.

“When my time comes to leave this world, I will go knowing our people are free,” he added

The post Pushing 94, Khan says he may still have some life to live appeared first on Al-Qalam.

A disciplinary complaint over two social media posts has raised a wider question for South Africa’s Palestine solidarity movement: can legal and professional processes create a climate in which speaking out for Palestine comes with consequences?

At the centre of the dispute is South African medical doctor and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng. The complaint against her followed posts she made in January 2025 during the Gaza ceasefire, including “F*** you, Netanyahu” directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer criticised her, Mofokeng responded: “You white man. Evil scum. Voetsek.” The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) subsequently complained to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

The HPCSA later found Mofokeng guilty of unprofessional conduct and imposed a R10 000 fine for bringing the profession into disrepute. She challenged the finding in the High Court. The HPCSA subsequently decided not to oppose her application after the Department of International Relations and Cooperation advised on her immunity as a UN Special Rapporteur. The finding and fine were set aside by agreement on September 9. The SAZF has stressed that the court did not determine the merits of whether her language constituted professional misconduct.

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For Mofokeng, the significance extends beyond the disciplinary process. She believes legal and professional mechanisms can have a chilling effect on those who challenge Zionism or publicly support Palestine.

In an interview with Al-Qalam, she said: “If I was in any other profession or that I was unemployed, which other statutory body were they going to misuse? That’s the question we must ask ourselves, right?” she said.

“They’ve been well-organised, well-funded, and their pockets run very deep,” she said. “So historically, they do like using the courts’ processes and any disciplinary process for that matter to frustrate anyone who stands against Zionism.”

Mofokeng also raised concerns about the influence she believes Zionist organisations exert over public narratives.

“They have so much control, even in the media, that they can even decide what goes out and what goes on,” she said.

She pointed to the difference in coverage between the HPCSA finding and the court outcome.

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“When the HPCSA initial finding was made, the news broke for 24 hours in a cycle in South Africa. When I won in the Pretoria High Court, not a single media covered that in the way that they did on television screens. Not even a blurb,” she said.

For Mofokeng, the issue ultimately concerns whether people remain willing to challenge powerful interests over Palestine.

“And so absolutely, it’s done for a chilling effect,” she said. “If you can silence a medical doctor, a well-known feminist in the country, a UN official while doing UN work in her home country for doing that work, it would be a complete disaster.”

The post Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng’s court win: ‘Never remain silent on Palestine’ appeared first on Al-Qalam.

In Cape Town, Muslim voters are often spoken about as though they share the same circumstances, think in the same way and can be moved by a single issue.

They do not.

Voters do not leave the rest of their lives at the door when they enter a voting booth. They carry the municipal bill that arrived that morning, the worry of a child still searching for work, the memory of gunshots the night before. They carry loyalties, disappointments and doubts, and weigh the promises before them against the lives they actually lead.

The difficulty lies in deciding what to prioritise when no party represents everything that matters to you.

For one Rylands family, that dilemma is painfully specific. They trust their ward councillor, yet they do not want to reward his party.

“We have supported our councillor because he works for our community. In 2024, we voted for a different party because of Palestine. It was a difficult decision. We know he supports Palestine too, and we intend to support him in the municipal election, the family member said.”

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The family asked not to be named, fearing that publicly supporting a DA councillor while opposing the party’s position on Palestine could lead to criticism or ostracism within their community.

Ward 46 offers a useful window into that tension. Rylands and Gatesville are long-established centres of Muslim residential and religious life.

The DA won 53.13% of the Ward 46 vote in the 2021 municipal election. By the 2024 National and Provincial election, its support across the same ward boundaries stood at 39.5%.

The ballots are not directly comparable as they elect different spheres of government. However, the 13.6 percentage-point gap points to a constituency that has become more politically contested.

What the numbers cannot tell us is why.

Palestine is an obvious part of the 2024 story, but the figures cannot establish how many Muslim voters moved because of it, or where they went.  

In Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain, the calculation sounds different.

Boeta Agmat Agmat is less concerned with party identity than with whether politicians can be trusted to deliver. “Everyone can make promises,” he said. “But who will stop the crime? How will they do it? And what have they done before that makes those promises believable?”

The contrast is revealing. For the Rylands family, the dilemma is whether a trusted representative can be separated from anger at his party’s position on Palestine. For the Lentegeur resident, the first question is whether anyone can convincingly address crime and gangsterism in his community. 

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That does not make Palestine any less important in poorer or working-class communities. It means voters are weighing it alongside pressures that are immediate and lived: whether there is work, whether the streets are safe, whether housing is secure, and whether basic services function. 

National research reflects that complexity. A University of Johannesburg study before the 2024 election found job creation, improving people’s lives and service delivery among the most commonly cited reasons for choosing a party. 

Political analyst Ebrahim Fakir describes the choice in similarly layered terms. Voters, he argues, weigh values, performance and strategy, asking whether a party reflects what they believe, whether it has delivered on what matters in their lives, and whether their vote can shift the balance of political power.

Cape Town’s Muslim voters may be weighing all of those considerations at the same time.

They can regard Palestine as a moral red line and still worry about crime. They can distrust a party and value its councillor. They can agree with another party on Palestine and still question whether it can govern.

The idea of a single “Muslim vote” misses that complexity. Shared convictions may shape how people see the choice, but they do not determine which concern becomes decisive when the ballot is finally in front of them.

The post What will move Muslim voters in Cape Town? appeared first on Al-Qalam.

When Dr Hafsa Essop was pregnant with her first daughter, she was given a dosimeter to monitor radiation exposure to her unborn baby. But there was one problem – she did not know how to use it.

When she asked colleagues who had previously been pregnant, she discovered that they had not used the device either or tracked their foetal doses. “I found this very concerning, as a device that is meant to protect the fetus during pregnancy was not being utilised properly and therefore doses were not accurately recorded,” she said.

That experience led Dr Essop, a senior lecturer in Radiography at the University of Pretoria, to investigate the issue through her research and ultimately develop PregiDose, a prototype mobile application designed to improve foetal dose record-keeping and radiation safety among pregnant healthcare workers.

Her work has now earned her the 2026 South African Women in Science Awards (SAWiSA) Distinguished Young Woman Researcher Award in the Public Engagement with Science category.

“As a mother, you are overly aware and cautious about everything. Pregnant workers have even more fears, because the radiation environment has the potential to cause harm to the fetus if exposed to high radiation levels. It is therefore imperative that they are carefully monitored and fully supported,” she explained. 

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The prototype was developed using a user-centred approach, allowing Dr Essop to understand the concerns and challenges faced by pregnant workers in radiation environments.

“My dream is for PregiDose to one day be a leading brand in pregnancy dosimetry, InshaAllah. The road is of course long, but I truly believe that this app and vision will benefit pregnant workers, both in South Africa and globally,” she said. 

But the purpose of her research extends beyond earning a qualification. “I strongly believe that research is a catalyst for change, it identifies problems and provides solutions. Truly impactful research is one whereby you don’t just get a qualification from it, but people benefit in a positive way, because of what you have recommended or developed,” she said. 

As a Muslim woman working in science and academia, Dr Essop said she strongly resonates with the hadith: “The most beloved people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people.” (al-Mu’jam al-Awsat)

She approaches her work with this in mind, whereby her success also lies in the success of those around her. “In academia, there is the proverbial PhD – Pull her Down. I strive every day to make sure that I try to uplift and be of benefit to those around me,” she said. 

Her identity as a Muslim woman has also remained important to her. “I also believe wearing my hijab in this space has given me a strong, unwavering identity as a Muslim. I am still able to continue with my work and perhaps excel in my work, without having to ‘fit in’ and I think that is important,” she said. 

Dr Essop’s work has extended to the international stage through her involvement with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). She received the ICRP Claire Cousins Award in 2023 and contributes to international research on radiation protection. Her current postdoctoral research focuses on foetal dose record-keeping and recommendations that could inform international policy.

Lake Glencairn

She has published 15 peer-reviewed articles, presented at national and international conferences and serves on the Pregnancy and Paediatric Task Group of the Society of Radiographers of South Africa. She has also been appointed Scientific Chair for its 2027 Congress.

Despite these achievements, Dr Essop does not describe herself as someone who always had everything figured out. “I was not the smartest girl in the class; I did not have it all figured out, but one thing I always had was a deep sense of wanting to help people,” she said.

That desire continues to shape her message to young Muslim women considering science, healthcare or research. “The world needs you. We are facing so many contextual challenges that can often be solved through science. It’s not only about getting a qualification, but it’s about using that qualification, knowledge and your hands to be of benefit to mankind,” she said. 

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