President Cyril Ramaphosa had his first boeka in Cape Town this week, when he sat down with leaders of the Muslim community to break fast.
The prez was invited for iftar by the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) and thanked the organisation “for trusting me to be present with you in this most holy hour, on this most holy night, the 15th of Ramadan, in this most holy month”.
The event in Rylands Estate was attended by the likes of MJC president Sheikh Irfaan Abrahams, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, Judge Siraj Desai and Fareeda Omar, the wife of late ANC Dullah Omar.
Addressing the president, Sheikh Irfaan highlighted several issues plaguing the Muslim community, including the Muslim Marriages Bill, the gentrification of Bo-Kaap and the District Six land claims.
“Our marriages are not recognised, thus our children are regarded as illegitimate. Even when we die, our death certificates reflect ‘not married’.
“This points to the moral indignity of our marriages not being recognised as legal.and therefore we now ask your honourable office to apply the same political will for the Muslim Marriage Bill to become the Muslim Marriage Act,” Sheikh Irfaan said.
He said gentrification was pushing and uprooting families from Bo-Kaap as they could no longer afford to live there, and asked Ramaphosa to convene a District Six summit.
In response, the president agreed that these issues must be addressed but that “challenges remained”.
He added that plans were underway to turn the Sheikh Yusuf kramat in Macassar into a heritage site.