As Salaamu Alaikum Brothers and Sisters
WMO held its Annual General and Board of Management meetings in London from 22nd June to 24th June.
Attendance from Southern Africa was as follows:
- Sattar Dada (President)
- Solly Noor (Chairman, WMO CF)
- Feizul Ayob (Secretary General, WMO CF)
- Yunus Suleman (Vice President – Southern Africa)
- Yusuf Kamdar (Trustee)
- Sayed Mia (Treasurer WMO CF)
- Moosa Carrim (Treasurer WMO Southern Africa )
- Fazila & AK Ismail (Vice Chair WMO Women’s Wing)
The Europe Chapter went out of their way to make our visit as hospitable as possible with meetings and functions predominantly at the Memon Centre in Belham followed by Leicester Memon’s hosting us on Sunday at their Memon Centre. The first Memon Mayor in the world based in Leicester hosted us for lunch at their City Hall and the MP Sadiq Khan took some of us on a tour of the UK Parliament on Monday.
Overall, it was an exciting trip with great sights of what WMO is achieving in various parts of the world. The most advanced Chapter is Pakistan with the Memon Industrial Technical Institute (MITI) and the Memon Medical Centre established.
Millions of dollars has been donated to various relief projects in disaster areas like Somalia and Pakistan as well as the funding (60%) toward education projects resulting in upliftment. Our key objective is to ensure that there is not a poor Muslim in the world.
Currently most Apex Bodies within Southern Africa are aligned to WMO and Insha Allah all will be aligned soon! The Gauteng Region is focussing on upliftment projects in Kaalfontein, Midrand (orphanage), a Hall to be built near Laudium and MITI equivalent also near Laudium to be developed.
Total zakaat collections are distributed 100% to the needy with no administration costs deducted so I would encourage you to give us the responsibility of distribution of your zakaat.
The Board of Management for Southern Africa is made up as follows:
- Yunus Suleman (Vice President)
- Aslam Kalla (Asst Sec General)
- Moosa Carrim (Treasurer)
- Adam Joosub (SA Memon Foundation Member)
- Razack Moti (Memon Association of SA)
- Solly Gani (Memon Association of SA)
- Shafique Tayob (Comms & Media)
- Solly Suleman (Social Welfare)
- Yacub Essak (Social Welfare)
- Haroon Gutta (Property)
- Advocate Farouk Moosa
- Cassim Noormahomed
- Asraf Karim (Cape Town Memon Association)
- Fazila AK Ismail (Women’s Wing Chair)
- By invitation Shabir Moosa (social events).
In addition, all Trustees and patrons are welcome to attend these meetings which are attended by Sataar Dada, Solly Noor, Gulaam Abdoola, Yusuf Kamdar, Sayed Mia and Feizul Ayob.
We held a successful general meeting at the World Memon Foundation hall in Laudium on 13 May which was well attended. We plan to host quarterly get togethers to share progress on our initiatives going forward.
A WMO bring and share picnic is being planned for 16 September in Gauteng (23 September in Durban) and exact details will follow in due course.
To ensure our database of Memon’s are complete, I would encourage you to send this update as widely as possible and for people to send a note to wmoafrica786@gmail.com with their contact details.
Our website is www.wmoafrica.co.za and I would encourage you to check it out for constant updates (the latest photo’s from our London meetings will be uploaded soon!).
We are also planning to set-up a Business Directory and will send out a request in due course.
Wishing all of you a joyous and peaceful Ramadan and may Allah keep us in good health during this auspicious month!
Yunus Suleman
[Vice President, Southern Africa]