Image Source: News24
Local- A Mosque in Duxbury, one of Sandton’s most established residential pockets, has become the centre of renewed controversy as plans to upgrade its exterior have drawn fresh opposition from a small group of neighbouring residents.
The objections, centred on traffic, noise, and zoning compliance, have reignited a dispute that has simmered for the better part of twenty years.
Despite several concerns raised by objectors, the mosque’s leadership maintains that the project is both lawful and necessary to serve a growing congregation.
The development, described as an upgrade rather than an expansion, seeks to improve the facade of the existing structure, which currently resembles a house from the outside, by adding a second floor, a dome, and a minaret.
The mosque’s co-chair Yunus Suleman assured that every accommodation would be made to alleviate the concerns of surrounding residents.
He noted that the mosque applied in 2019 for the removal of restrictions and that the plans already exceeded municipal parking requirements, with 118 bays proposed against the city council’s requirement of 83.
“We are requested by the city council to provide 83 parking bays. In our plans for the future, we’ve actually gone up to 118, which means we’re going beyond what is expected of us to make sure there’s more parking on site.”
Despite some of the objections drawing questions about whether religious intolerance lay at the root of the dispute, Suleman acknowledged that the opposition, while persistent, did not rise to the level of Islamophobia in his view.
He attributed much of the resistance to misconception, adding that attempts to engage objectors directly had not been received in good faith and that information shared during those engagements had been turned against the mosque.
“I wouldn’t consider it to be Islamophobic. I think it’s sometimes a misconception, and my own view is we have invited the community to attend a survey or an open day at the masjid, and we’ve had that more than once, and we’ve tried our best to accommodate any concern they may have, and we’ve asked them to raise them directly with us.”
More Than a Place of Worship
The mosque has served the broader Duxbury community in ways that extend well beyond Friday prayers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the site was opened as a vaccination centre, with the majority of those who received jabs being non-Muslims. When water outages disrupted the area, the mosque made its borehole available to all residents free of charge.
“We provided a tap outside the premises for the community to come and help themselves to free water because we have a borehole on site, and we wanted to make sure that if you have a problem with water outages, come over and help yourself at no cost to you.”
Suleman expressed confidence that the city council would rule in the mosque’s favour following a recent on-site hearing, and extended an open invitation to residents to visit the completed facility once the upgrade was finalised.
“We will be delighted to invite people to have a survey or have a look at the masjid when it’s completed in its rightful form, as you would see in any community.”
