Mandilakhe Tshwete
As the sun sets and the call to prayer signals the end of the daily fast, Muslim families across communities gather to break bread in the spirit of togetherness.
This Ramadan, the renowned humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers (GOTG) is ensuring that even those facing hardship can share in the joy of iftar.
Through generous food donations, the organisation is bringing warmth, nourishment, and hope to those in need, embodying the true essence of compassion and giving during this sacred month.
Each pallet carried all sorts of groceries, including kilograms of different kinds of meat, rice, fruit, vegetables, and spices
GOTG project manager Ali Sablay said: “Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community.
“During Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to increase their charitable giving and support the poor and needy through food distributions, iftar (the meal ending the day of fasting), and other forms of aid.
“On the eve of Ramadan, Gift of the Givers will roll out tons of food supplies to 20 mosques, madrasas, and organisations from socioeconomic areas, who will daily provide meals to those ending their day of fasting. These centers have grown over the last few years, playing a pivotal role for families fasting in their communities.”
Sablay said a total of 75,000 meals will be distributed through these centers.
“In true Cape Town culture, Gift of the Givers will host mass iftars every weekend for communities in socioeconomic areas around the Western Cape to experience the Ramadan atmosphere. An extra 10,000 meals will be distributed.
“The Gift of the Givers will also distribute fitra food hampers to various communities around the Western Cape as far as George and Saldanha Bay.”
United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA) president Moulana Abdul Khaliq Allie described Ramadan as the time of blessings.
“And so the Gift of the Givers decided to share their blessings from their donors with vulnerable communities. It is really an opportunity to showcase the beauty of Islam, the beauty of generosity and the kindness towards our fellow human beings. Can you imagine, there's no food on the table, and here you have a morsel of food, you have a piece of chicken on the food, you have a potato in your meal.
“It means so much and I think these people best to describe their satisfaction would be those particular people who don't have food, children who went to school for the past two days without a meal, they are best to be able to say how thankful they are for their blessings of receiving this wonderful gift.
“This is for the entire community, in some cases, and you can be able to say it is some form of relief, it will bring some form of food security.”
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Manenberg community worker Nazley Blommetjie said their community is going to benefit the many people who are unemployed.
“Children tend to turn to gangsterism for help, so in order to save them from the bad, we need to feed them.
“They will see that there is more to life than to be a bad person. Iftar is a very important time, there will be children who will be fasting for the first time and that will be 14 hours without food and water.
“If you make an iftar for that particular child it has to be special, you must make a nice meal. Also I can’t eat when my neighbour isn’t eating, so this food will help us provide for everyone. On Sunday we are going to have a mass iftar within our community.”