From the news desk

Scrutinise Hajj contracts: Sahuc

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The South African Hajj and Umrah Council (Sahuc) has reiterated calls for prospective hujjaj to scrutinise contracts before signing with any of the accredited haj operators. This follows a complaint from an intending pilgrim that his operator altered certain conditions in his itinerary, in contradiction with the package that was initially agreed upon. The matter is now being mediated by Sahuc.

“He (the pilgrim) wrote to Sahuc and presented his case, and we called the aggrieved party and operator to the table and mediated amicably alongside through this whole process,” explained Sahuc president, Shaheen Essop.

Essop urged prospective hujjaj to ensure that everything agreed upon between them and the operator was successfully brought to the table. In the case of any disputes between the respective parties, the avenue was available for the aggrieved to approach Sahuc for assistance.

He stressed that all contracts offered by tour operators should be aligned with the country’s Consumer Protection Act; something that had clearly been indicated to operators. The body would thus expect operators to honour and adhere to this. In addition, Sahuc’s own code of conduct was in line with the act as well.

“This is one incident out of 15 (other) operators. So we can say that the operating fraternity in general does have a high decorum of professionalism. We frown upon matters of this nature, and internally there will be a discussion that needs to be held,” he said.

Essop drew comparisons with regards to the purchasing of a vehicle, noting that individuals were likely to conduct thorough inspections to ensure everything was in order before signing a contract. In a similar vein, that level of meticulous examination should be followed by those partaking in the haj as well.

Sahuc has a total of 21 accredited operators, of which 16 will be operating this year. The five not involved in this year’s process failed to meet the minimum requirement of 50 pilgrims on their books, as set by the Ministry of Haj in the Saudi Kingdom. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)


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