At a crucial strategic planning session for the Department of Social Development (DSD) held at Diep in die Berg Conference Centre, Deputy Minister Ganief Hendricks called for a united effort to address South Africa’s persistent challenges of unemployment, inequality, and poverty. Attended by senior managers and Minister of Social Development Ms. Sisisi Tolashe, the meeting underscored the significance of the recently established Government of National Unity (GNU) in prioritising the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 as a framework for recovery and development over the next three years.
In his opening address, Hendricks stated, “The President made it clear that the next three years will prioritise the NDP 2030. We must pave the way forward to eradicate unemployment, inequalities, and poverty.” He emphasised the urgency of the situation, reminding DSD officials that many South Africans still lack access to basic services, food, and employment. “Imagine a life without basic services, no food, and unemployment; this is the reality for many,” he said, highlighting the need for the DSD to concentrate its efforts at the district level.
The Deputy Minister announced the launch of the DSD’s “first 100 Days” initiative, which aligns with the recently concluded 100 Days for the 7th Parliament. He remarked, “By 2030, every South African must have R1000 for food,” asserting that while these targets are ambitious, they are essential for enhancing the quality of life for citizens.
Hendricks noted a collaborative approach, stating that accountability for achieving these goals has been assigned to Ministers and Deputy Ministers through a new structure called “Consequent Management.” This initiative aims to ensure that deadlines are met and responsibilities are clearly defined. “We are here today to tell the President that we are going to achieve the eradication of poverty by 2030,” he declared.
Additionally, the Deputy Minister stressed the importance of understanding and implementing the objectives of the International Labour Organization’s ‘Convention on Decent Work,’ of which South Africa is a signatory. “We must grasp the benefits of decent work; it’s not just about paying large sums of money,” he remarked.
As the session progressed, Hendricks announced a commitment from the Gauteng Premier to recruit unemployed social workers as law enforcement agents, underscoring the need for their training and preparation for this new role. The workshop aimed to reflect on past successes and failures, prepare for the upcoming Social Sector Lekgotla in October 2024, and develop a strategic plan aligned with the GNU and the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP).
The urgency of the challenges ahead was evident, as Deputy Minister Hendricks called on all stakeholders to join forces in a concerted effort to “leave no one behind” in the fight against poverty and inequality.
South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Social Development and Al Jama-ah Political Party’s President Hon. M. Ganief Hendricks decided to launch his first 100 days of his term on Heritage Day (24 September 2024); this event took place in the Strand.
Shaykh Ahmed Naina: Kickstarting DM’s first 100 Days
Hon. Hendricks decided to kickstart his status as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Social Development by co-hosting Al-Muqri-Al Qari-Dr Ahmed Naina who is a world-renowned reciter of the Quran. The rationale behind this is to bless the period whilst he is in office to serve the South African nation. He chose this path to ignite the path that he has taken with a spiritual flavour and to continue on a difficult but blessed path of eradicating poverty in South Africa by 2030.
Now the Shaykh, like many young boys during his days, desired to learn to memorize the Quran. He was thus taught and trained in the art of memorization and recitation in Tanta – his hometown – by notable reciters; among them was the respected reciter Shaykh Ismail Mustapha also from Tanta a suburb in Cairo; the latter made an indelible impression on him.
Besides having studied medicine at the University of Alexandria, the Shaykh was also taught ‘ten different readings’ of the Qur’an; as a result of these readings and the method of recitation, these activities had set him apart from other reciters. He did the ten readings under the guidance of Shaykh Mohammad Faried al-Noamani and his wife, Shaykha Umm Sa’ad.
Due to the Shaykh’s melodious voice, he made a lasting impression on many in and outside the Muslim world. The outcome in some instances resulted in having received awards in Malaysia, Brunei, India, and elsewhere. All of these demonstrated that the Shaykh was not only respected for his melodious recitation but for having reached high standards in the art of recitation. For this reason, the DM had him in mind to formally begin his first 100 days in office.
Party’s Beginnings: Setting Standards, Leaving Legacies
Since the party’s formation during 2007, it participated in the South African political arena with the idea of bringing about socio-political changes; ones that would transform and uplift our communities in both the urban and rural sectors respectively. But when it began its life as a political party, it has had to encounter various challenges; these were on different fronts.
Apart from the internal struggles, there were also external elements that acted as hurdles that the party had to overcome; amidst these, the party leadership did not backdown nor give in when the challenges seemed insurmountable. The leadership remained focused on its goals; one being to extend its influence by getting individuals to join as members, and the other being to run projects that would leave a lasting imprint.
Now it is the latter that has been upper-most in the mind of the party’s leader, Hon Ganief Hendricks. Being of those who ‘think outside the box’, he extended the party’s tentacles into the far-flung rural areas where he assisted and continues to aid poverty-stricken communities; many that have fallen off the government’s radar and that need to turn their lives around.
Party’s Legacy Projects: Adopting Villages, Empowering Communities
Over the years, the party’s president identified selected villages in different provinces to transform these; as a result of these developments. he succeeded in buying land with the permission of the tribal authorities. In this manner, he ensured that these communities received assistance to become empowered. What this implied was that, as he gained the confidence of these communities, he was able to build village networks; and in doing so, he slowly constructed projects that would – God willing – leave behind notable legacies.
Though building tasks appear to be easy, it is not; it, in fact, takes a while for one to first gain the confidence of the communities where projects were and are being set up; and thereafter, trust is acquired with the project gradually being cared for through various communal processes. In this regard, one may want to refer to samples where the party under its president has made its mark; and it has been viewed by these communities as their political choice.
The party’s leader, through his personal efforts and links, opened up opportunities for its members by connecting them to unknown villages; this may be described as ‘adopting villages’ project to bring about positive changes for their respective communities and to create a connecting between the urban and the rural locations; it is in these villages where the party managed to lay the foundations to initiate viable legacies.
One of these is in Claridges; a village that lays on the outskirts of KwaZulu-Natal’s Pietermaritzburg. This location was considered a suitable place for small-scale farming and for establishing an agricultural school. Anyone who has been there might view the project a difficult one to manage because of its location, despite that the party felt otherwise; and it has, so far, proven to be a worthwhile one.
For this project, he was not only considering small-scale farming as part of the network of village projects. He also considered it as a suitable training centre; one where small farm owners can be given the necessary training. Since Hon Hendricks’ appointment as DM for Social Development, he has teamed up with others such as Bontera and the National Development Agency to pursue related farming projects; ones that will have a wide and deep impact in that sector over the next few years if managed smartly and professionally.
The president is of the opinion that the formation of smart villages and towns should be a way to contribute towards the eventual eradication – not just the mere reduction or alleviation – of poverty. Though a tall order considering the fact that 2030 is ‘around-the-corner’, the possibility of achieving this strategic goal that is on the agenda of not only the country but of the region and the continent respectively. So, he holds the view that it is possible to meet that objective if all segments including the government and the South African civil society make concerted effort and play a critical role to ensure its achievement.
Leaving aside the smart village or town concept, it is important to turn to the second sample that has so far attracted the attention of the nation. More than two months ago, the president initiated the repatriation of the body of Chief Moshweshwe – who died in the 1860s – from Robben Island to Cofimvaba. Since it was a significant historical event, the government also recognized its value.
Considering the fact that the government has given its support, the different units in the Ministry of Social Development have been working on related activities; these are undertaken to acknowledge its importance; and these outcomes have since been slowly recorded as important advances for that Eastern Cape community as well as for the generations to come.
Apart from the return of the king’s body, Hon Hendricks also made sure that those (ANC and later PAC members) and those who were killed, hanged, and murdered during the dark days of apartheid be honoured with the erection of a ‘Wall of Remembrance.’ This is not a small matter but a momentous idea historically. When the planned wall is set up, it will indeed be an activity that the party in particular will be known for. And that would form part of its growing and expanded legacy.
In complementing these unique initiatives (not forgetting Eastern Cape’s Mpame village and KZN’s Groutville Peanut Butter project) by the party, its leadership has been and continues to contribute towards a set of activities that intends to enrich and deepen the party’s heritage. The question is: what other activities have been underway? Well, in response to these, the party – having built on past legislation – proposed the Muslim Marriage Bill that was based upon earlier efforts communally and legally. In addition, it made amendments to the Divorce Bill and this, in itself, should be factored in as having enriched its legacy.
Party’s Stand on Global Issues: From Kashmir to Palestine
Leaving that aside and weaving in a few current developments, the party – since it agreed to be part of a Government of National Unity (GNU) despite vehement criticisms against this move – has not only added Cofimvaba to the list of government projects, but it has created a special international Desk that plans to address the Western Sahara’s quest for independence, Kashmir’s desire to become independent, and Palestine’s wish to be dislodged from the Zionist oppressive regime that rules the pariah state of Israel.
As regards the Palestinians, the party has demonstrated quite tangibly that it has been anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian; by and large, it has not been anti-Jewish/anti-Semitic but firmly anti-Zionist; a secular ideological system that purposefully undermines every global community. The Zionists have been devising devious schemes to destabilize our societies and communities; these Zionists are leading the New World Order project to counter the status of Muslims whether they majorities or minorities; hence their demonization of those who stand unashamedly with the Palestinians that have suffered publicly and privately at the hands of the Zionists.
Since the party’s leaders have used every platform to state their disgust at the Zionists’ dreadful and despicable acts, they support the call ‘From the River to the Sea’ slogan; and they too have opened pathways for Palestine’s representative groups by partnering with organizations such as SSS (that supports different sporting codes that includes football) and BDS (that is a socio-political advocacy group countering all Zionist programs) to highlight the Palestinians’ plight and their terrible encounters with the Zionists in Palestine and in the world.
The party has not only voiced against the ongoing genocide in Palestine and Lebanon but it has also publicly demonstrated its support for Palestinian liberation groups that include HAMAS and a host of others. It has condemned all South Africans with dual citizenship not to be part of the immoral Israel
Defence Force (IDF) and it advocated that South Africa strip them of their South African citizenship; in addition, the South African Zionist Federation be banned forthwith.
Now that the records reflected the massacre of thousands of Palestinian women and children, the party made special efforts to set up an advocacy group for Palestine’s children; innocent ones that have not only been done in and hard hit by Zionist atrocities but that have been heartlessly slaughtered in the most barbaric way by the so-called ‘moral’ army; they used new methods and arms with the support of the USA, UK, and other western allies to exterminate and ethnically cleanse the Palestinians. Of late, they have employed the drones and other equipment to outsmart the Palestinians and Arab communities that stand up against their dastardly deeds. Over the past year, all of us have witnessed these unspeakable acts in real time. In the past, we have heard about these atrocious acts via oral testimonies but now we see them in real time and on a variety of social media platforms.
Anyhow, the party has taken a position to make sure that the ‘rights of the child’ be safeguarded and secured globally and that any violation of the child’s rights be punished; in the case of the rogue state, all government officials and all soldiers that have been involved be tried and published wherever they are. The world community should thus give support to advocacy groups and the party would provide – what it can – to defend the child’s God-given rights.
In Conclusion: Aluta Continua – Reinforcing Justice, Condemning Genocide
With these developments on the radar, all of these activities that have been and are being undertaken by the party affirm that: (a) it has remained committed to leave a rich and lasting legacy; (b) it continues to dedicate itself towards the upliftment and transformation of our helpless communities, and (c) it supports inter-religious cum cultural dialogue and cooperation to build a strong and resilient nation.
Bearing in mind these, the party has set itself up – distinct from others – as a viable political platform for all within the South African context; and it is thus focused on ensuring that it continues to be a solid sustainable Muslim party; one that hopes to gain support and that intends to make meaningful input on different fronts for our nation.
Professor Muhammed Haron National Chairperson
AL JAMA-AH
