Honoring South Africa's Islamic heritage through Hajj
I had the honor of welcoming the first wave of pilgrims from South Africa who entered the Kingdom to embark on the sacred journey of Hajj on April 29.
Prior to their departure, as they bade farewell to their families and loved ones, I knew they carried with them an overwhelming realization that this was nothing but an invitation, a privilege, and a blessing bestowed by the Almighty.
With that reflection also came the awareness that they are now part of millions from around the world, united in a sacred rite that Prophet Muhammad undertook during his blessed life.
For me, the honor of welcoming these pilgrims — and later spending time with them from Madinah to Aziziya (where South African pilgrims reside before the five blessed days), to the camps in Mina, through Muzdalifah, the stoning at the Jamarat, and finally the sanctity and majesty of Arafat — is profound.
Profound in the sense that it gives me personal pause to reflect on the gift of Islam that reached the shores of the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th century.
This gift was, in and of itself, instrumental in shaping many key developments in South Africa — not least the foundations of a language often assumed to have originated solely with Dutch settlers. In fact, there is ample historical evidence that slaves and political prisoners — most of them Muslim and brought by the Dutch from the Malay Archipelago — carried with them wisdom and knowledge.
Through this knowledge, wisdom, and interaction with local communities and other enslaved peoples, they helped form a patois that would later evolve into what we now formally recognize as Afrikaans, a language widely spoken throughout South Africa and Namibia.
Allow me to share a personal anecdote. Around the age of 20, an elder from my community came to test my ability to read fusha Arabic (classical Arabic). I struggled to understand the passage he showed me — until he pointed something out. He told me, in our mother tongue, Afrikaans, that I was reading one of the earliest records of Afrikaans written in Arabic script (similar documents are preserved in archives to this day).
That moment left an indelible mark on me. It reminded me of how the Hijrah of the Prophet shaped not only the Arab world but also global communities as far as the southernmost tip of Africa.
The point is that the beauty of South Africa's diversity is well known — and hard-won. Many fought for that diversity to be embedded in the DNA of what shapes our country today. As a descendant of those who, through Islam, helped shape our diverse cultural landscape, I am deeply humbled to represent my country in welcoming our pilgrims to Saudi Arabia — and to spend time with them during this sacred journey.
On behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the government of South Africa, and Ambassador Mogobo David Magabe, I wish to acknowledge the thoughtful measures taken by Saudi Arabia to ensure a spiritually uplifting and logistically smooth Hajj.
We further commend the Kingdom for its continued commitment to serving the global Muslim community. The operational role entrusted to Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah is already bringing ease and reassurance to pilgrims, even before they reach Mina.
Equally important is the vital role played by all those working behind the scenes to support the South African pilgrim experience, including community-based organizations such as the South African Hajj and Umrah Council, and the Mashaariq in Saudi Arabia. In conversations with South Africans already in the Kingdom, it is clear that initiatives such as early restrictions on entry into Makkah and Madinah are easing pressure and enhancing the journey in meaningful ways.
It is equally important for South African pilgrims to remember that in every action — whether in prayer, in queues, in transport, or in how we treat others — we represent our country. Let our conduct reflect the spirit of ubuntu, the belief that our humanity is bound to one another, and be worthy of the welcoming and tolerant identity that so many fought for us to uphold and protect.
To all the pilgrims, and especially those whom I have yet to meet in person, I wish you a Hajj Maqbool and Hajj Mabroor, Insha'Allah.
• Imran Simmins is the acting consul general for the South African Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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