Al-Qalam 
Solly Suleman, President of the Minara Chamber of Commerce, said it was unfortunate that the awards evening was being held at a time when genocide was happening in Gaza, writes Ismail Suder.
As the Minara Chamber of Commerce Business Awards kicked off at a Durban hotel last weekend, there was a sense of gloom in the room – not because of the rain, thunder, and lightning outside– but because the Genocide in Gaza was weighing heavily on the minds of the guests.
The Minara Chamber of Commerce Business Awards and Gala Dinner was held at a packed Conference Hall of the Elangeni Hotel on Durban’s beachfront – but with a subdued undertone. It was attended by captains of industry, key decision-makers, accomplished professionals, and community leaders.
One speaker told the hushed crowd that he had received shocking news that the Zionist forces had just begun a relentless bombing campaign of Gaza “as we speak.” This statement further cast a gloom in the hall.
Virtually at every dinner table of the conference hall, the painful discussions were mainly about the plight of innocent Gazans who were being butchered without outside help, not from the Security Council, the United Nations, nor from Muslim countries.
One guest – picking on his roasted steak – whispered: “How can I eat this while innocents of Gaza are being starved to death, how can I eat this while thousands are being killed and maimed right now?”
Unfortunate
In his address, the President of Minara Chamber of Commerce, Solly Suleman, told guests that it was unfortunate that the awards evening was being held at a time when a genocide was happening in Gaza.
“It is not at the best of times unfortunately, with the genocide and disaster that is happening in Gaza and the West Bank – and which has been allowed to happen over the past seventy years.
“I take this opportunity to commend our president and leadership in government who have been vociferous in standing up against the atrocities and relate to the people of Palestine, who are subjected to a worse form of apartheid than what we had to endure in this wonderful country of ours, during the Nationalist Party rule.
“I remember when Minara hosted a dinner of over 1000 people on behalf of Cii and Dr Mads Gilbert (Norwegian doctor and activist who served at Shifa Hospital in Gaza) where we raised millions of rands for ambulances for Gaza.
“Unfortunately, until such time that there is a just solution to the Palestinian problem, the oppressed will react to their dispossession of land, inhumane treatment, harassment, imprisonment without trial, constant invasion of their territory, blockade etc in whatever means possible to highlight their plight to the international community.
“The problem is that we as a community are reactive and not proactive. When there is injustice, we will pump millions of rands on relief efforts and we will be upset for a while and then we go back to our normal lives,” he added.
Suleman said that the Minara Chamber was formed over two decades ago as the only Muslim chamber in this country. “It is different from other chambers since it doesn’t only look after the interest of its members but highlights the importance of uplifting the disadvantaged members of our community irrespective of race or religion.”
The guest speaker was Professor Salim Abdool Karim, a distinguished medical researcher, and the Director of Caprisa, alongside Imraan Noorbhai, Head of the KZN region at Standard Bank, a leading partner of the event.
Suleman extended his heartfelt congratulations to every finalist, expressing his hope that they will continue their extraordinary business and community efforts while working in close partnership with the Chamber to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The winners in various award categories were:
Business Entity of the Year Award – Large Category
Ezulwini Construction was awarded the winner in this categorywith Supertech Group and Royal Travel as the other two finalists in this category.
Business Entity of the Year Award – Medium Category
Ahmed Al Kadi Private Hospital was awarded the winner in this category withEscape to the Cape and Monate Dairy being finalists.
Business Entity of the Year Award – Start-up Category
The award went to Cape Town based Astronoc. Twopromising start-ups in this category were recognised – Khweza Environmental Consulting and Super Burger.
The evening shone a spotlight on the extraordinary achievements of women, with three exceptional female finalists: Sumaya Suliman, Shafieqa Ismail, and Amina Sooliman.
Amina Sooliman, CEO of Milnex was honoured with the title of Businesswoman of the Year 2023.
The Professional Achiever 2023 title
This award was handed to author, Shafinaaz Hassim. The other strong contenders were Media professionals Ashraf Garda and Shoukat A. Mukadam of Cape Town.
The Community Builder of 2023 award went to Shahnaaz Paruk of Penny Appeal. The finalists were Ahmed Osman of Human Aid SA and Imraan Seedat of Lenasia.
