The Mowbray Cemetery cleanup event is set to take place this weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, from 8am to 4pm. The event has been earmarked for community engagement while encouraging the public to take ownership of the maqbarah by actively participating in its cleanup.
Speaking to VOC News, Faizel Sayed, Chairman of the Muslim Cemetery Board and Secretary of the Burial Administration of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), explained that while the aim of the initiative is to clean the cemetery, it also functions as an opportunity for community members to connect to an historic site.
“In this case, the community cleanup weekend is more than just picking up some papers. It is about the mind that also cleans at the same time; our minds change in terms of how we look after our loved ones, honour those places, and connect with those places. Everybody in the Cape, there’s somebody that you know, someone in your family, lying in that particular place,” stated Sayed.
The cleanup will be multifaceted as it will be offering services to the community, one being the compilation of Sharia-compliant wills by the International Peace College South Africa (IPSA). In addition, meals will be provided, a thikr has been organised, and children’s activities are also facilitated.
Sayed described the inclusion of these activities serves to enhance the connection between the community and the cemetery, with the particular inclusion of children’s activities to ensure that the maqbarah is memorable for the next generation.
“We want to instil in the children that this is a collective responsibility, and we want that to be instilled from a young age,” explained Sayed.
The Voice of the Cape radio is scheduled to host an outside broadcast on Sunday, the 8th of January, between 11am and 1pm, at the maqbarah.
Listen to the full interview here:
