JEDDAH, 15 June — There has been an increased inflow of Umrah pilgrims from South Africa, averaging between 1,000 and 2,000 a month.
“The total number of Umrah visitors will be more this year than last year’s 13,000,” said South Africa’s new Consul General Mohammed Dangor.
The country’s pilgrims for the next Haj may also increase from last year’s 8,000, but that will largely depend on rand’s parity with the dollar. “It’s a question of affordability for pilgrims to come for Haj and there are indications that the number of Haj pilgrims will rise,” Dangor told Arab News in an interview over the weekend.
Asked whether the business and leisure traffic to his country from the Kingdom had increased, especially after Sept. 11, Dangor said South African destinations were “indeed becoming more popular”.
“Our consulate here issued 70 visas on a single day to families, students and businessmen. This increase on the previous average of 20 to 30 visas reflects the fact that travelers are more inclined to visit the country,” he said.
Tourists to South Africa have increased by 108 percent since Sept. 11 as they find its various destinations safe.
“Students have been going to South Africa to take courses in medicine and business management. About 32 South African students are pursuing Islamic studies in Madinah University. In fact, there are historic links between the two countries, especially South African Muslims’ links with Makkah and the rest of the Hijaz region.”
Dangor, a political appointee, said he believed in promoting people-to-people relations.
This is the first overseas assignment for Dangor, who has been an activist back home with Nelson Mandela in the African National Congress. He has also served jail terms during the long years of the anti-apartheid movement.
