PRESS RELEASE
EMBARGO: NONE
08 July 2020
Hon. Ganief Hendrick, parliamentarian and Al Jama-ah leader revealed in parliament on Wednesday evening disturbing Muslim Covid-19 pandemic death figures.
THE Muslim deaths so far in the country amounts to four times more than what it should be in terms of the demographics, it is worse than the 1918 Spanish flu. There are 300 Muslim Covid-related deaths which amounts to 10% of the total deaths in South Africa and yet Muslims only make up 2% of the population.
AL JAMA-AH President and Member of Parliament, Hon. Ganief Hendricks was delivering a speech on Covid-19 via Virtual at a Plenary Session in the National Assembly late this afternoon, Wednesday 08 July 2020.
AL JAMA-AH appeals to the Muslim community and all South Africans to embrace the key preventative measures which Health Minister, Dr Zwelini Mkhize reminds South Africans about on a weekly basis during the past 104 days. Hendricks says fighting the pandemic is a matter of faith and a jihaad for Muslims to maintain social distancing, to wear masks, wash hands regularly, to stay at home and especially the elderly and those with health conditions.
The party continues to call on Muslims not to break away from the Shura (consultation) of Muslim leaders and to follow the orders of the Commander in Chief as “we are in a war”.
Today was also a sad day Hon Henricks and family as they buried his aunt, mrs Gameda Booley-Essop and sister of the late Sheikh Yusuf Booley. He said the families practices all safety regulations at the funeral and cemetery. The funeral proceedings were also held via virtual with 30 mourners at home and at the graveyard, fully in accordance with the Covid-19 Regulations. His aunt, he said was an activist and she would have wanted everyone to adhere to the Regulations. During the 1960s she and my late mother (her sister), Ghairooneessa Hendricks fed political activists who were in hiding in District Six and in Langa.
This discipline is what Minister Mkhize is asking all South Africans to have. AL JAMA-AH says the Minister will leave a legacy behind that matters – the proud legacy of Chief Albert Luthuli, Robert Sobukwe, Imam Abdullah Haron, Nelson Mandela and Winnie Mandela. We are in fact proud of Minister Mkhize and call on the Portfolio Committee on Health to speed up the process of the National Health Insurance.
Hon Hendricks also thanks Members of Parliament for their message of condolences.
For further detail contact:
Mr Ganief Hendricks
AL JAMA-AH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Cell: 082 780 2573