AL JAMA-AH In Collaboration with the Paarl Museum hosted the book launch with Gaireyah Fredericks, author of: “een voet innie kabr,” on 10 August 2024 at Paarl Museum in Paarl.  

The Paarl writer, poet and author of the book, “een voet innie kabr”   (one foot in the grave), Gaireyah Fredericks, could not hide her emotions at the first local launch of her book. The book has been launched in other towns and cities, but not in Paarl, her hometown. One of Fredericks four sons, Yaghya Appollis, rendered the opening prayer at the event and another son, Uzair gave a moving account on his mother’s several sacrifices made to pursue her studies and writings.

AL JAMA-AH’s Member of the Western Cape Legislature, Hon Maulana Galil Brinkhuis rendered a recital of the “Salaams” (Greetings of Peace on Prophet Muhammad) before the programme officially started.   

The Deputy Minister of Social Development and President of Al Jama-ah Party Hon Ganief Hendricks, said the long queues which pensioners must endure at Sassa offices, are unacceptable. Hendricks said there must be comfortable facilities to allow the elderly to make online applications for pension. He said he would make it the responsibility of all councillors to establish such a facility to assist the elderly with online applications for pension. “These facilities must have a ‘hospitality suite’ with couches, coffee and tea to serve the elderly. I will not hesitate to fire Al Jama-ah councillors who fail to carry out this task and will call on other political parties to do the same with their non-performing councillors,” said Hendricks.

AL JAMA-AH’s Member of Parliament Hon Adv Shameemah Salie, paid tribute to the South African women who stood up against oppression, the writers, authors and journalists who were either detained, tortured, and those whose works were banned, and those who were banished into exile. She further paid tribute to the Palestinian women and Resistance fighters in their struggle against occupation and genocide. “Like South African anti-apartheid activists and struggle writers and poets were silenced by the apartheid government, the Zionist entity is using the most brutal and inhumane acts to not only kill ordinary Palestinians, but poets, writers and journalists too,” she said.

Salie called on the South African government to implement a total boycott, disinvestment and sanctions against apartheid Israel. A blind student of Fredericks, Rachel Davids read in braille a moving Praise poem in Afrikaans for Fredericks. Her sons Diya-Udeen and Jamel-Udeen Japhta delivered a message of gratitude to all those who supported their mother throughout her challenging times.  

Fredericks spoke at length on what inspired her to write “een voet innie kabr” which consists of many personal accounts with family, friends and the Muslim community’s use of the Afrikaans, Malay and Arabic languages to express themselves. She thanked Al Jama-ah for hosting the local launch of her book and for the collaboration of Paarl Museum.