Cape Town ulema have issued an urgent call for Muslims to unite in prayer for rain in the drought stricken Western Cape. The province has not experienced any decent rainfall since last winter and weather forecasters predict very little for the next few months. The Western Cape has been declared a disaster area, as authorities now work around the clock to find a short and long term solution to the crisis.

In the wake of the current situation, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) is calling on Muslims to conserve water and join the mass Salah al-Istisqa, the prayer for rain. The prayer will take place this Sunday at Chukker Road sports grounds at 8.30am. The MJC has also asked all imams to read the supplication for rain at all masajid during Jumuah on Friday.

While the current drought necessitates that Muslims engage in constant prayer for rain, it is also a time for reflection. In Surah Nur, Allah SWT says; ‘Seek the forgiveness of Allah. He will forgive you and send down rain for you’.”

“It is how we approach the Salahtul Istiqaa. Our hearts must be in the right condition. It must be a heart that is humbled and able to be filled with kindness and compassion. When we approach our Salahtul Isitiqaa in this way, then we can unite together in prayer,” says MJC deputy president Maulana Abdul-Khaliq Allie.

On Thursday, the City of Cape Town’s level 4 water restrictions came into effect. The city has warned all water users to use municipal water for essential washing, cooking and drinking purposes only as dam levels are critical and consumption remains far too high.

“Use water only for drinking, cooking and essential washing. The intensified restriction also specifically makes reference to a limit on water use for these purposes to 100 litres or less per person per day. Please don’t flush your toilet unnecessarily as 10 flushes per day, for example, would almost be your entire water allocation for the day,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Energy, Councillor Xanthea Limberg.

“Furthermore, we expect water users who are making use of borehole water for irrigation to do so only on designated days as uncontrolled use of non-potable water affects us all. The City does however not regulate borehole use and it is a national government competency. Filling or topping up of pools is prohibited under Level 4 restrictions”.

“We need all Capetonians to pay heed to our warning that we are in a serious predicament at the moment. We cannot watch four million water users in the city 24/7. Behind closed doors is also where many misuses and contraventions will occur, as we’ve seen from the previous restrictions. Every single drop that is wasted or saved, is making a difference to our dam levels.” VOC