By Aneeqa du Plessis

The South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) has announced that due to a moratorium issued by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the medic clinic erected to service local hujaaj (pilgrims) in Al Madinah Al Munawwarah has been shut indefinitely.

“We are sourcing accommodation outside of the Ring road as close as possible to the hotels where the hujaaj are going to reside in order to make it as easy as possible for them and once we have acquired a suitable venue, we will start up service delivery again,” said SAHUC President Shaheen Essop on VOC’s Breakfast show on Tuesday morning.

The clarification comes after a statement was released by local hajj advocacy group Hajj Watch citing the closure as linked to non-compliance with Ministry of Health in KSA. However, SAHUC denied those claims and said it is due to the location of the clinic and not its validity.

“The unfortunate thing is you find detractors out in the public domain putting out notices saying that SAHUC was shut down for non-compliance and non-conformance and that is absolute nonsense. There is absolutely nothing wrong with what we have done or the way we have conducted the site,” explained Essop.

“The only change that has come about is that the ministry said move out of ring road and provide your services elsewhere and there is nothing untoward in this particular regard,” added Essop.

According to Essop, it is a shame that those who are not on the ground in the KSA are trying to initiate panic among the families of pilgrims.

“We have sourced a Saudi clinic close to the haram that our hujaaj can use in the interim until we are able to ensure a proper venue,” ended Essop.

VOC