No Hajj for local pilgrims again

SOUTH African Muslims will, for the second year, not be able to perform the sacred Hajj pilgrimage.

This after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that due to the developments of the pandemic and emergence of new variations, only 60 000 of its residents and citizens from the kingdom, who have already been vaccinated, would be allowed.

Shaheen Essop, president of the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (Sahuc), said what Saudi authorities based their decision on and cited was the haphazard roll-out of vaccines from different countries worldwide and the increasing numbers especially from the densely-populated countries like Indonesia, India, Pakistan etc.

“With South Africa having been on the red list for Saudi Arabia and our third wave numbers, it stood to reason we possibly would not have been allowed, had they allowed internationals.

“Notwithstanding all of that, within Saudi Arabia their numbers are also on the increase.

“They are therefore making it clear that only people who have been vaccinated and people who have fully recovered from Covid will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage.

“This year they increased to 60 000 from within their borders. I think it’s the right thing to do as the preservation of life is important and at least pilgrimage will take place with reduced numbers,” said Essop.

Last year, to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Saudi Arabia, 1 000 pilgrims, 70% being foreign residents of Saudi Arabia and the rest being Saudi nationals, were allowed to attend Hajj.

For the first time in decades, international travellers had been barred last year.

The holy sites in the cities of Mecca and Medina normally host more than two million people during the pilgrimage.

Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims.

Essop said they received a number of enquiries from people wanting to go, adding that people understood the situation.

“People were yearning to go, but have been understanding, given the circumstances around the pandemic,” he said.

Essop said they never closed Hajj registrations.

“If Hajj were to take place we have 30 000 to 40 000 people ready to perform hajj for the first time.

“If we work backwards to previous quotas we had, we were restricted to 1 000 pilgrims per one million Muslims in the country,” he said.