Cape Town - Hundreds of people, from the elderly to young children of all faiths, were able to experience the joy that accompanies Eid al-Adha, as Awqaf South Africa and Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı (Türkiye Diyanet Foundation) distributed Qurbani meat to communities in Cape Town.
The Qurbani meat was distributed in Cafda Village and Parkwood yesterday as part of its Share the Care campaign.
The act of ritual slaughter (qurbani) of livestock is done during Eid al-Adha, with a portion of the meat distributed to the less fortunate.
At the first distribution point, over 200 people gathered inside the courtyard of the Masjiedul Islamieya in Cafda Village, where addresses from representatives of the organisations were delivered.
Present for the distribution was a delegation from the Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı.
Mufti Mustafa Baytar, representing the Turkish religious affairs authority, said the delegation was present to assist with the slaughter of around 200 cattle on behalf of the Turkish people.
“We just wanted to come here and embrace them, during this holiday, Qurbani Eid. It's also very important for us. We just wanted to share the feeling with them and we are very pleased to be here. It was a very warm welcome for us,” Baytar said.
Awqaf SA CEO Mickaeel Collier said the organisation had been working with Türkiye’s religious affairs authority or Diyanet for around 12 years on various projects including the Qurbani distribution.
“We co-operated this year with Diyanet in Mozambique, Namibia, and parts of South Africa. A total of close to 600 cattle were slaughtered over the past two or three days, starting from the day of Eid. That translates to about 120 tons of meat that will reach close to 200 000 families across the length and breadth of southern Africa,” Collier said.
The non-governmental organisation Awqaf SA was established in 2000, and serves as a waqf (a charitable endowment held in trust) institution used to uplift struggling communities.
“We have established ourselves since the year 2000, as a community endowment fund that looks after the socio economic development of communities across South Africa. We take donations from the community, we bank it, the capital remains intact. We only spend the returns on those investments for a host of community projects, in education (and) healthcare.”
Volunteers and staff will be working tirelessly for the next few days to ensure the meat reaches those who need it most.
Turkish Consul-General in Cape Town, Sinan Yeşildağ was present for the occasion.
“As we celebrate Eid al-Adha, we are reminded of the spirit of sacrifice and the importance of putting others' needs before our own. As we stand here today, let us not forget our brothers and sisters and all children under violence and oppression in Palestine. We also remember the millions of Muslims performing Hajj,” Yeşildağ said.
Following the Cafda distribution, meat was thereafter distributed at Masjidus-Sabr in Parkwood.
Cape Argus