PRESS RELEASE
NO EMBARGO
30 July 2020
AL JAMA-AH WISHES ALL MUSLIMS A BLESSED EID-UL-ADHA (FESTIVAL OF SACRIFICE)
The AL JAMA-AH party wishes Muslims throughout the world a Blessed Eid-ul-Adha and reminds them that during the Hajj sermon on Mount Arafat in Mecca, of the signature breeze which comes in a flash to miraculously wipe away all one’s sins because you embrace the equality of mankind.
Hon Ganief Hendricks, AL JAMA-AH’s leader in Parliament, was speaking at the Budget Adjustment vote on Socioeconomic Interventions to Mitigate the Impact of Covid-19.
Charity knows no colour and we have seen the best of the white community as they emptied their pockets and their hearts to help the poorest of the poor. The party says it has witnessed how the Blue Ribbon Bakery Manager, mr Willem Bernhardt, an Afrikaner who went the extra mile in distributing 5 million loaves of bread since the start of lockdown.
While the Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu came up with revolutionary ways to assist the poor, the generosity of people like Mr Bernhardt cannot go unnoticed. Tomorrow (Friday 31 July 2020) as part of Hajj celebrations, Muslims will slaughter sheep to distribute meat to the poor. For many it will be first time to be able to cook meat for this year.
AL JAMA-AH praises the Hajj sermon delivered today by the Khatib (high priest) who quoted verses from the Holy Qur’an to support many of the initiatives President Cyril Ramaphosa pleaded with the nation to follow, such as social distancing, staying at home and social welfare relief for all. The Khatib also quoted the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that a cure will be found for the Coronavirus and the importance of the preservation of life.
The party is calling on President Ramaphosa to invite the five South African families on their return from pilgrimage to address the nation and give hope to the country that the virus will be defeated. He reminded Minister Zulu of the President’s State of the Nation Address when he said that no one should go to bed without a warm plate of food. The pandemic has increased the number of people going to bed hungry and AL JAMA-AH commends the Minister for her best endeavours.
The party further calls on the Minister to find a way to financially assist unregistered ECDs and put them on the road to become compliant. The Minister will then win the hearts of many community spirited women on the Cape Flats. We also commend the Minister’s action to procure from the people who are going hungry but at the same time want to help them start micro and basic businesses.
The Minister should identify some of the top food and clothing items given to the poor or items to be purchased. The President must then give a decree that those items can only be bought from the “most poor in business”. This Department will do the nation proud if it leads in supporting small business development with a “poor in business project” and undertake to procure from such projects. This will leave the Minister with a legacy that she started a “poor in business project”.
For further details contact:
MR M HENDRICKS
AL JAMA-AH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Cell: 082 780 2573