The South African National Halaal Authority (Sanha) says it will be living up to its founding principles when it hosts its annual general meeting (AGM) this coming weekend. In stark contrast with what is the norm amongst NGOs, Sanha will be hosting an ‘open’ AGM that can be attended by members of the public.

Sanha PRO, Ebi Lockhat says amongst the key resolutions taken by the body upon its formation was the need to remain transparent, accountable, legitimate and credible on matters relating to halaal certification.

“That has been our beacon and our moral compass. So as a result we choose to host a public AGM. The AGM however is a statutory requirement in terms of our registration, as with many charitable and public benefit organisations and so on,” he highlighed.

To further emphasis the point of transparency, the group rotates the AGM between its offices in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. This year’s meeting is scheduled to take place in the Mother City.

The meeting will see Sanha open its books and present reports to its members and the general public. Copies of these reports and financial statements will be issued to those in attendance.

“These officials are drawn from the community and the organisations that are on Sanha, and so they are not all necessarily paid officials. They stand up and face the music, presenting their reports and audited financial statements are then handed out to the people,” Lockhat explains.

“We look forward to this. We have done our work for the year and now we are looking for the public to acknowledge us, criticise us, make suggestions and interact with us.”

Key-note speaker for the event will be KZN-based Ml Mohammed Vanker. The public will also be witness to Sanha’s official election process.

The AGM takes place on the 18th October at the Taronga Rd Masjid Hall, Crawford from 10am. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)