The Ministerial Committee will be reviewing the Haj process Photo Pinterest
South Africa – The Ministerial Committee was introduced by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr. Naledi Pandor, in Cape Town. The purpose of the committee is to essentially provide a better Hajj and Umrah experience for all pilgrims and rectify any issues with the current system.
The committee was created after numerous complaints were filed by those who visited Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah, explained Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, Ministerial Committee Chairperson. With the cost of Hajj increasing, it is also the duty of the committee to see why this is happening and how they can reduce the price.
“After every Hajj or Umrah South Africa is faced with a whole lot of unhappiness. There are complaints, allegations and suspicions. This is inevitable in an atmosphere where there is scarcity. We don’t have enough quotas. The cost of Hajj is becoming unaffordable to many and there are the workings of an organisation or travel agents and everyone is subjected to some kind of suspicion.”
Organisations like the Ministerial Committee are then formed “to lobby for a better deal on Hajj” and to ensure people are not making money through the Hajj process, said Rasool. Furthermore, the reputation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia needs to be managed properly and it must not be that our problems impede them.
“We need to make sure that there is a re-appraisal after almost three decades of the current system. Whether the current system is working or it is broken. Whether it must be improved, whether it must be overhauled … The minister has put together this committee because we want a general Improvement in the administration and the operational efficiency of Hajj and Umrah. Not from this year because this year has passed but certainly from Hajj season 2024.”
The Ministerial Committee providing strategic advice
There are many questions that need to be asked in order for the committee to fulfil their mandate. They will look at a variety of things including the system, who should be running the process and how legal troubles can be minimised. These issues are ones that need strategic advice, said Rasool.
“Is the system broken or must the system simply be reformed and improved? How can we reduce the amount of contestation, legal challenges for accreditation that goes into courts? How can we minimise those kinds of things? Who represents South African hujjaj? Is it the government and is the government mandated to be able to give that function to a body like SAHUC? Is there a need to repair that relationship, to overall that relationship. Which system is the valid system and are we continuing to be a pilgrims affairs office driven Hajj operation or should we shift to an organisers driven where the private sector simply make their own arrangements?”
It is not easy for the government to make these decisions as it neither excludes religions nor does it act on behalf of religious communities. It needs to remain impartial and this committee will separate fact from fiction, said Rasool.
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The future of SAHUC
SAHUC is recognised by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Hajj. There are fears that SAHUC’s role in the Hajj process could be minimised or even made obsolete. However, before any decisions are made, consultations will happen with stakeholders and SAHUC. Any recommendation made to the minister will be supported by facts and nothing else, explained Rasool.
“If things are broken you have a few options. You can fix it or you can replace it and those are some of the recommendations that we would want to make to the minister but on the basis of facts. Testing what SAHUC is saying and then understanding if they are fundamentally good and what are the shortcomings. Has the Government played a sufficiently supervisory role over SAHUC, who signs off on behalf of South Africans? Is it SAHUC or is it the government in consultation with SAHUC? Those are the important questions that we are going to need to get through.”
These consultations and questions are important because the committee must not operate in “an atmosphere of hysteria, suspicion and conspiratorial advice”. Rasool wants as many people as he can get to be involved in the consultation process. Those who speak must also back up their words with proof. They will also speak with hujjaj, travel agents, agents and a “range of other facilitators” including Saudi Arabia to get their view on how things are being run and how it could be improved. From these consultations, the minister will be given strategic advice in an effort to better the Hajj and Umrah experience for all.
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Other countries reaching out
Ever since the announcement of the Ministerial Committee two weeks ago, many other countries have reached out to Rasool. They are ready to help South Africa create a better process. Besides making the process easier, Rasool wants to find a way to help prospective hujjaj afford the Hajj trip.
“After the formation of this committee I have had offers from our friends in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia to say how we can offer assistance to you so that you could have a way of managing all those different factors within the Hajj. How do we make it cost effective, how can the government help? We’ve had offers from people about how we can have a savings account because at this moment many of the prospective hujjaj are putting their money metaphorically under the mattress. It’s not doing anything. It’s not in the active economy earning returns on investments and there are ways in which I think we are ready for the new iteration.”
According to Rasool, people in the UK would appreciate the system that South Africa has instead of the hands off approach their government has.
The committee’s main purpose is to create a better, more affordable and less fault filled Hajj and Umrah experience. Rasool believes he and his team can do that before the start of the Hajj season 2024.
To hear about the team and why Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool feels they are perfect for the task, you can listen to the podcast here
