By Daanyaal Matthews

The South African Hajj and Umrah council, SAHUC, has called on all IATA accredited travel operators to register for the upcoming Hajj season next year 1445H/2024, stressing that late submissions would not be accepted with submissions closing by the 3rd of November 2023 at 17H00pm.

Speaking on VOC Drivetime, Yusuf Cassim, Chairperson of the National Hajj Operator Accreditation Committee, elaborates on the need to finish logistical matters a month earlier than last year.

“We’ve been given a mandate from the Ministry of Hajj in Saudi Arabia to get our processes in order, that’s the reason why decided to do it a month earlier than last year to avoid any logistical challenges,” he said.

As scammer pounce on the hajj season with many people looking for accredited operators, Cassim stressed the need for prospective Hujaaj to do their due diligence.

“Firstly, an operator must apply to SAHUC to become a Hajj operator, once they comply with the requirements from the Ministry of Hajj that we pass to each operator, once they pass that we then publish a list of accredited Hajj operators,” he added.

The importance of Hajj operators being accredited relates back to the Ministry of Hajj, who hold strict requirements for prospective operators to work within the Kingdom, but also exists to protect Hujaaj ensuring that Hajj operators have ‘travel insurance’ or ‘public indemnities.’
This according to Cassim protects the Hajji by ensuring their funds are protected, stating:

“It’s more to protect the Hajjis funds that they have given to the Hajj operator, in terms of service delivery, so that the Hajj operator needs to reach the contracted agreement and not miss out on agreed upon points.”

Cassiem said this entire ordeal is primarily undertaken by SAHUC to protect Muslim’s that have saved up an enormous sum, at times over their lifetime, to take on this most auspicious journey.

“We want to protect their interests and their funds because people on Hajj have been collecting funds for a lifetime, and for someone to squander it in a matter of months is really heartbreaking,” Cassim stated.

Will there be an increase to the quota?

Last Hajj Season some South African hujaaj woke up to splendid news after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia increased the quota for South Africa by allotting for one-thousand extra hujaaj. However, while this increase was welcomed generously by the muslim community, it has created speculation on whether the anomaly will be the average moving forward. Cassiem clarifies that currently the circumstance presented to the South African muslim community is much the same as it was prior to the extra provision, but there is still a means of garnering ‘extra seats’.

“The Saudi Arabian Government informed us that if we are able to prove, on a government-to-government level, that we do have a higher population of Muslim’s in our country – they will increase in country,” he stated.

Thus, for an increase in the base quota to be standard it would require the South African Census to reflect an increase in the Muslim populace. However, Cassiem argued that the reported figures of the muslim populace in South Africa is misleading. He argues that the 2022 Census was not well received by the populace with many viewings it as annoyance or not being able to participate in the survey given the constraints of their day-to-day lives.