It is indeed a momentous and joyous occasion to celebrate the history and golden anniversary of the Madressa Anjuman Islamia of Kholvad in South Africa. This is a celebration and an acknowledgment of 100 years of dedicated service in pursuit of the tenets and principles our organisation was founded on.
At the outset, we thank the Almighty Allah for bestowing us with the religion of Islam and we beseech of Him to keep us steadfast in our faith. Our salutations and gratitude goes to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for having guided us to our wonderful way of life, as outlined in our faith. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “He who is thankless to people, is thankless to God.”
We gracefully acknowledge the pioneering role that the founders of our organisation played some 100 years ago when after landing in South Africa, they organised themselves into an association with the objective of assisting their families back home in the village of Kholvad. Soon thereafter, they established this organisation to assist those that were found to be in financial distress and those that needed financial assistance in furthering their education. These were noble objectives and the association was conceived with a penniless base. A hundred years later, we have an organisation with an asset base of approximately R30 million, that is assisting over 100 welfare recipients monthly, and over 60 scholarships and bursaries to students each year.
The Kholvad community in South Africa has contributed in many ways to improve our country and the lifestyle of all persons and not only the Kholvadian community. The contributions of our pioneers and stalwarts extends into the field of Politics, Religion, Social, Sporting, Education and Business. To mention every single person by name would not be possible but this brochure does however make mention of many of them. We graciously acknowledge the selfless and visionary role played by all persons that were responsible for shaping this organisation, our community and our country into what it is today.
I am particularly grateful to my present board members and their support team, comprising of the office administration personnel and other non-board members for their enthusiasm, assistance, and dedicated work in making this Centenary Celebration a success.
Amongst the key factors contributing to our survival, is our culture of corporate governance, transparency, accountability, and moral values to which we remain committed, as we discharge our duties.
We remain firm in our commitment to our objectives of alleviating the plight of the destitute in our community, providing financial assistance to those wanting to further their education in both the academic and religious field, as well as assisting our brethren in the village of Kholvad.
This Centenary Celebration has given us an opportunity to showcase our achievements and to meet, discuss, exchange views, share ideas and renew friendships with fellow community members from around the country. We welcome our guests from India, Canada, the United Kingdom and Reunion. Through such interactions, we will endeavour to look at future projects and activities for a renewed approach to take our organisation into the next century. With this spirit, we remain committed to our ideal of creating a better future for our offspring.
Our vision for the future remains steadfast in our belief that sound and astute investments will yield sustainable returns that will enable us to continue assisting the destitute in our community. At the same time, our commitment to assisting the village of Kholvad through the upkeep and running of the Madressa remains firm. We will continuously engage and lead endeavours with our sister organisations around the world in exploring areas of mutual interest and benefit.
We have often heard the saying that “a journey of a thousand years begins with a single step” and “a beginning is only the start of a journey to another beginning.” Let this first Centenary Celebration be the beginning of many more centuries to come, Insha-Allah!
It is our honour and privilege to welcome each of you to participate in our celebrations, and we thank all of you for being at our side in our efforts to serve the community.
Moosa Jeena