DURBAN - Members of the National Interfaith Council of South Africa (NICSA) questioned why there was a delay in arresting suspects linked to the attack on the Imam Hussain Mosque in Verulam, last Thursday, which left one person dead.
NICSA members gathered at the Durban City Hall for a press briefing on Thursday to condemn the attack and called for police to take swift action.
NICSA’s Bishop Bheki Ngcobo said arrests should have already been made by now.
At the briefing, the Imam Hussain’s mosque founder Azad Seedat said the mosque has been closed and is undergoing a revamp which could take three to four weeks before it opens again to the public.
At the briefing, the Imam Hussain’s mosque founder Azad Seedat said the mosque has been closed and is undergoing a revamp which could take three to four weeks before it opens again to the public. Video: Nabeelah Shaikh
Seedat said it was sad that South Africa had to go through “something like this” after fighting for freedom.
“I pray that acts like these never happen again and I’m glad that we are all here as religious leaders. I hope that the message has filtered out to those with extreme views that this is not the place to ventilate your feelings,” said Seedat.
On Sunday evening, a suspicious device confirmed to be an explosive was found at the mosque, just three days after the initial attack.
When questioned, Seedat told journalists that there were no working CCTV cameras at the mosque which could assist police with their investigations.
He said the one CCTV camera in the facility had been defunct for the last year.
Meanwhile, at the briefing NICSA leaders also called for South Africa to cut ties with the Israeli government over the latest killings of Palestinians who had gathered to protest against the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and to demand the right to go back to land that was illegally taken away from them.
Pastor Ziningi Jali calls for arrests to be made in #MosqueAttack matter. Video: Nabeelah Shaikh
SUNDAY TRIBUNE