By Tauhierah Salie Solomon

Alhamdulilah!

The highly anticipated announcement, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed early on Saturday that one million pilgrims will be honoured with Hajj this year 1443/2022.

The Covid-19 pandemic and fear of its spread resulted in just a few thousand being allowed to perform the pilgrimage last year and a privileged 1 000 in 2020.

According to the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC), 850k will come from foreign countries and 150k from inside the Kingdom. This was revealed to VOC by SAHUC President, Shaheen Essop.

Essop also reiterated the following criteria:

• Maximum age is 65 at the time of performing Hajj
• All foreign pilgrims must be fully vaccinated – which, according to the ministry, has to be with vaccines approved by Saudi’s Health Ministry
• All foreign pilgrims must also submit a negative PCR test, within 72 hours before their departure to the holy lands

Essop urged aspiring pilgrims to check their website:

“In Sha Allah, we still await news of the SA portion of this quote, that has not yet been revealed to South Africa. We hope, In Sha Allah, that within the imminent days, tat that information will become available.

“We – please- urge all pilgrims that are on the applications list, to visit the ‘dynamic’ list to make sure you are in the cue. And, also, make sure you are ready to go for hajj this year. If not, kindly notify SAHUC to move you to a year in the future that will be conducive to your timings In Sha Allah.”

Citizens are advised to only consult accredited Hajj and Umrah Operators.

VOC