By: Aneeqa du Plessis

Aspiring pilgrims have been reminded to either accept or defer their accreditation before 18h30 this evening for Hajj 2023/1444 AH or face a penalty of 30 points. This is according to South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC). Furthermore, the final date to choose an accredited Hajj operator should be done by 18h30 on the 24th February. Speaking on VOC’s Breakfast show on Friday morning, SAHUC President Shaheen Essop encouraged hujaaj to ensure their contracts are in order before signing any contracts.

“The most important thing is that you need to have an air ticket to and from Saudi Arabia then you must have accommodation in Mecca, Medina and Azizia. You need to make sure that everything the operator is offering you is stipulated clearly in the contract. There needs to be discussions around the package so the pilgrim is aware of any exclusions and inclusions before contracts are signed,” said Essop.

The seven accredited hajj operators are Khidmatul Awaam, Harvey World travel Evans Park, Harvey World travel Lenasia, XL Flywell, Travel and tour world, World of travel and Yusra tours.

“The seven accredited operators are basically what we have approved and those will be the operators that will be facilitating contracts to pilgrims for Hajj 2023 or 1444 AH,” said Essop.

He further explained the process that will follow 18h30 this evening. “We will include all the queries that we receive and once those are resolved we will publish the third accreditation list and another set of dates will be decided by the hajj accreditation committee thereafter,” said Essop. The third accreditation list will be published shortly after enquiries are resolved.

No penalties will be issued to pilgrims who inform SAHUC prior to the date and time.  “The people that have done nothing will basically lose 30 points and they will be moved to the back of the queue. They need to write to SAHUC and inform us that due to financial situations we have to defer and there will be no penalty as a result and they will be parked until they are able to,” described Essop.

For those who have died during the Covid-19 pandemic, SAHUC assured estate holders that all refunds will be authorized if they have not been already.

For more information visit: https://registry.sahuc.org.za

VOC