by Tauhierah Salie

The City of Cape Town says it has reprimanded the Staff member who recently sent a letter of complaint to Tennyson road masjid in Salt River, over the athaan. The City instructed the century old masjid to ‘mitigate’ the sounds emanating from it ‘with immediate effect’, which it has refused to do until further clarity is provided. The letter was sent despite recent assurances that the City’s by-laws will exempt calls to prayer.

Both local and provincial legislation is cited in the letter. Where the complaint came from has also not yet been disclosed. The city says staff will receive training to bridge the gap of understanding between the current noise and nuisance by-law and the relevant Standard Operation Procedure in place. A meeting between the masjid and City officials is understood to be scheduled for Tuesday evening.

More to follow.