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Awqaf South Africa, together with local and international partners, brought Qurbani relief, community support and hope to vulnerable families in Atlantis.
By SHANAAZ EBRAHIM-GIRE
For Muslims around the world, Eid al-Adha is a reminder of sacrifice, compassion and the responsibility to care for others. Through Qurbani, families share the blessings of Eid with those who may be struggling, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Those values were on display on Saturday, May 30, when Awqaf South Africa (Awqaf SA), in partnership with the Turkish Diyanet Foundation (TDV), the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) and local community organisations, hosted a large-scale community outreach programme at Wesfleur Primary School in Atlantis.
Founded on the Islamic institution of waqf, or charitable endowment, Awqaf SA works to mobilise charitable giving and partnerships that support vulnerable communities while promoting long-term social development. Through its annual Share the Care Qurbani campaign, the organisation seeks to ensure that the benefits of Eid reach families in need while strengthening community solidarity.
While Qurbani meat distribution formed the centrepiece of the day, the event also created space for conversations about the social and economic realities facing many working-class communities across South Africa.
A community shaped by work
Atlantis was built on industry.
Established as an industrial hub during the apartheid era, generations of families found employment in factories and manufacturing plants that sustained households and shaped the identity of the town.
For long-serving clothing worker and community activist Zuki Swampeta, the decline of that industrial base remains one of the community’s greatest challenges.
Atlantis, she said, was once ‘a powerful place when it came to work and development’. Today, many of those factories stand empty and jobs that sustained generations of families have disappeared.
EBRAHIM PATEL, Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel, who attended the programme, said unemployment remains one of the defining challenges facing the area.
‘It is not unusual in a family to find more than half of the people of working age unemployed,’ he said.
Residents who attended the programme repeatedly linked a range of social challenges to economic hardship. Conversations turned to food insecurity, substance abuse, crime and the pressures facing young people.
Yet Swampeta also saw something encouraging in the gathering.
‘It brought workers, families and children together,’ she said. ‘I saw people coming together again.’
Lives behind the statistics
Among those attending the programme was Macharrley Piedt, a cleaner who travels daily from Mamre to Sunningdale for work.
Despite working shifts of up to 11 hours a day, she earns R33.36 an hour and takes home between R4 000 and R5 000 a month.
By the time transport, rent, electricity, food and school expenses have been paid, there is often little left.
‘The money is not enough,’ the mother of four children lamented.
Her greatest concern, however, is not only financial.
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‘You don’t know what’s happening with your children while you’re standing at work,’ she said.
Atlantis resident Gasina Petersen described a community increasingly reliant on pensions, social grants and the support of neighbours.
Asked what happens when food runs out in some households, her response was stark.
‘Sometimes there is nothing on the table.’
For Patel, these realities cannot be separated from the wider social challenges facing communities.
‘When unemployment is very high, young people stop seeing a future,’ he said. ‘Drug addiction becomes the norm and teenage pregnancies rise.’
More than a meat distribution
While families received Qurbani meat hampers, residents also had access to health screenings, information on skills development opportunities and CV-writing support. There were also various child-friendly activities set up to keep the young ones occupied.
For organisers, the programme was never intended to be only about food.
‘Instead of simply handing out food, it was about community rebuilding,’ Patel said.
Food relief, he argued, must be accompanied by efforts that address the root causes of poverty and unemployment.
‘While we address the short-term pain of lack of food, we also have to address the longer-term challenge of creating jobs.’
The spirit of Qurbani
For Muslims, Qurbani commemorates the obedience and sacrifice of Nabi Ibrahim (AS). Yet its significance extends beyond the act of sacrifice itself. It is a reminder that faith carries a responsibility towards others, particularly those facing hardship.
MOULANA ABDUL KHALIQ ALLIE, President of the United Ulama Council of SA
Addressing the gathering, the President of the United Ulama Council of South Africa, Moulana Abdul Khaliq Allie, described the programme as ‘a showcase of the beauty of Islam’ through service to others.
He noted that rising poverty and unemployment continue to contribute to many of the social challenges confronting communities across South Africa.
MICKAEEL COLLIER, CEO: Awqaf South Africa
Awqaf South Africa CEO Mickaeel Collier reflected on the story of Sayyidah Hajar (RA), whose perseverance in caring for her child remains one of the most enduring examples of resilience and tawakkul in the Islamic tradition.
‘Today we still see that perseverance in our mothers,’ he said. ‘Mothers who wake up before dawn and do whatever they can to provide for their families.’
For Collier, the programme was ultimately about recognising the dignity of workers, parents and families whose daily sacrifices often go unseen but whose contributions sustain communities.
Solidarity without borders
Representatives from the Turkish Diyanet Foundation travelled from Türkiye to participate in the Atlantis programme, continuing a partnership with Awqaf South Africa that has spanned more than 15 years.
Addressing attendees, Mufti Abdul Mateen Arcaklioglu said the initiative reflected a commitment to compassion that transcends geography.
‘Although there may be borders and distances between our countries, our hearts are united through faith, compassion and brotherhood,’ he said.
Türkiye’s Consul General to Cape Town, Yonca Sunel, described the programme as a reflection of solidarity between the people of South Africa and Türkiye and an example of how international partnerships can help support vulnerable communities.
The 2026 Share the Care Qurbani programme reached communities across the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng, as well as neighbouring Namibia and Angola. In the Cape Metro alone, 13 000 meat hampers were distributed to vulnerable households.
For Collier, however, the true measure of success lies beyond the numbers.
‘Poverty is not only a local issue. Hunger is not only a family issue. Unemployment is not only a worker’s issue alone. These are human issues,’ he said.
‘When workers stand together, when communities stand together, and when people reach across borders to support one another, then hope becomes possible.’
