The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, hosted the inaugural Meeting of the Ministerial Committee on the Efficient Management of the annual Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages, on 10 February 2023, in Cape Town.

The mandate and role of the Ministerial Committee is to provide strategic direction to support the efficient management of the annual Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages and to ensure that the South African pilgrims may enjoy a well-organised pilgrimage by an appropriate system under the auspices of the relevant Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Ministerial Committee will be chaired by Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool and members include Ms Fatima Chohan, Professor Mathole Motshekga, Professor Anil Sooklal, Ambassador Ashraf Suliman and Ms Zeenat Adam.

The Ministerial Committee will conduct consultations with relevant stakeholders in South Africa and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to prepare for the next Hajj season in 2024 in order to ensure that it enjoys broad-based support from the relevant community. The work of the Committee will not impact on the current Hajj season.

Dr Pandor also informed the Ministerial Committee that HE President Ramaphosa addressed the issue of the annual quota during the State Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which took place on 15-16 October 2022 with HRH, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman al Saud. The Minister is also following up with her counterpart, HRH Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding this matter.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of International Relations and Cooperation.