South African hujaaj of 2023, will receive monetary compensation following last year’s pilgrimage. It comes as many of them experienced instances where there was not enough water, or the food allocations being removed.

The South African Hajj and Umrah Council announced this morning, that they sought to address these concerns last year, when the 3 500 hujaaj had experienced these problems. After several months of talks, the Saudi Hajj authorities have agreed to partially reimburse the impacted hujaaj.

The total payment that will be given to SAHUC, amounts to well over R 14 million. The money will then be disbursed to the impacted hujaaj. The 2023 Hajj was also observed by a South African government delegation made up of several dignitaries, including ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.

He heads up the Committee on the Efficient Management of the Annual Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages. The state had commissioned them to assess the challenges that Muslims experience with the pilgrimage; from booking with a travel operator, to the living conditions of their accommodation while on Hajj or Umrah.