INSIDE PARLIAMENT WITH HON. GANIEF HENDRICKS Wednesay | 29 April 2020 INSIDE PARLIAMENT VIA VIRTUAL MEETINGS Since the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic spread to South Africa and in all corners of the world, the past few weeks have affected South Africans in ways never experienced before. All educational institutions, places of worship, businesses, places of recreation, and others were shut down to help flatten the curve of the Coronavirus. The South African Parliament had to continue through all this and thus came about the VIRTUAL MEETINGS, to allow the law makers to carry on with business as usual forcing South Africans to make use of online media, television and radio to stay up to date with the latest news on the Disaster Management Covid-19 Lockdown Regulations announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during March this year. 1. AL JAMA-AH SUPPORTS LOCKDOWN REGULATIONS AL JAMA-AH fully supported the lockdown declared by the President and called on Muslims and the wider community to obey the lockdown Regulations to help flatten the curve of the virus. 2. AL JAMA-AH CONDEMNS THE “CONCENTRATION CAMP” FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE AL JAMA-AH criticized the DA-led City of Cape Town for refusing admission to the party’s journalist, Fuad Rahman and it’s councillors from visiting the notoriously known, “concentration camp” in Strandfontein for 1 500 homeless people. The DA denied entry to the “concentration camp” to members of opposition parties and community activists. The City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcements barred ANC Member of Parliament, Hon Faiez Jacobs who brought priests and imams to the site to offer them spiritual guidance and to inquire on their welfare. AL JAMA-AH sent an urgent letter to the Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde and DA leader and its Speaker in Parliament, Hon. Dirk Smit to intervene on the Strandfontein emergency camp for the homeless people. AL JAMA-AH leader in Parliament, Hon Ganief Hendricks questioned the modus operandi of the DA in the wake of the Corona pandemic. AL JAMA-AH supported calls for the “concentration camp” to be shut down. 3. AL JAMA-AH URGED PARLIAMENT TO IMPOSE HEAVY FINES ON CHAIN STORES WHO INFLATE PRICES During a Virtual Meeting (Tele Conference) with Parliament, Hon Hendricks called on the government to impose heavy fines on chain stores guilty of inflating their prices more than 200%. The party launched its Team-24 with sub groups to assist the public with a 24-hour hotline which includes: a-nurse-on-call, a team educating the public about the dangers of Covid-19, and the Party also distributed hand sanitizers in poor communities. 4. AL JAMA-AH COUNCILLORS HELP WITH FOOD RELIEF The party is proud to state that all its councillors in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal took the lead in distributing food to people in impoverished areas. “Most families are now without food and household basics due to the lock down, and Al Jama-ah has gone all-out to come to the rescue of the impoverished all over with good results,” hon Hendricks said. 5. AL JAMA-AH CALLS ON COGTA TO ALLOW DISTRIBUTION OF COOKED FOOD Al Jama-ah criticized the Western Cape legislature for allowing the arrest of a community worker who distributed cooked food to the poor. The Party lodged a complaint to National Government. An urgent letter was sent to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, urging her to give clear directives on the free distribution of cooked food. COGTA released a statement, with clear guidance allowing community organisations and activists to distribute cooked food to the needy. Several NGOs, community workers and individuals welcomed the Amendment to the Regulation. 6. AL JAMA-AH CONDEMNS POLICE INSULT AGAINST PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW) AL JAMA-AH leader in Parliament, Hon Ganief Hendricks wrote to the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele expressing the Party’s disappointment in the behaviour of a Saps member insulted Prophet Muhammad (SAW) while arresting worshippers who contravened the Lockdown Regulations. Hon Hendricks also condemned the action of Saps members for entering the mosque prayer area without removing their boots. While welcoming the Minister’s apology to the Muslim community, he called on the Minister to take swift action against the Saps member and for him to apologise to the Muslim community. He added that the Party will continue to call on Muslims not to disobey the Lockdown Regulations and to be part of FIGHTBACK the virus. 7. PC ON LABOUR RECOGNISES AL JAMA-AH’S CALL TO PROTECT WORKERS It was a Workers’ Day victory for Al Jama-ah when the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour announced that Hon Hendricks call for a Health and Safety representative at all workplaces, is now a Regulation. This followed when Hon Hendricks urged President Cyril Ramaphosa during a Virtual Meeting to make it compulsory for business owners to sign a company policy and commitment to keep their workers safe. Hon Hendricks said the policy of commitment should be submitted with their risk analysis to the Department of Labour before they open doors. The request for a permanent Health and Safety representative at workplaces was also supported by the Director General, but the issue cannot be enforced yet. Honourable Mogamad Ganief Ebrahim Hendricks (MP) Leader of Al Jama-ah in Parliament Tel : +27 21 403 2911 Fax : +27 86 684 8625 Cell : +27 82 780 2573 [email protected] PA Office Room V410. Old Assembly Building 120 Plein Street. Cape Town Member of Portfolio Committee and Small Business Development Alternate member of Employment and Labour AljamaahZA Al_jama_ah Aljama-ah www.aljama.co.za HOTLINE : +27 21 224 0553 .