Premier Helen Zille has been a regular guest at the VOC moonsighting OB.VOC
Cape Town was blessed with sunny clear skies on Saturday, making it easy to catch a glimpse of the new moon, which marks the end of Ramadan and the start of the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations. Thousand of Muslims in and around Cape Town made their way to Three Anchor Bay, soaking up that bit of winter sunshine on the lawns of the iconic Sea Point Promenade. Donning the headscarf to show their respect, Premier Helen Zille and Cape Town Mayor Patricia De Lille attended the event, wishing the Muslim community well for the joyous occasion.
"I am honoured to be here today and would like to wish the Muslim community a very joyous Eid Mubarak. It is always beautiful to see Muslims fast during the holy month and is extremely wonderful to know that they value their beliefs. I would love to see you continue doing what you do as this plays a great role in our heritage," Zille told the crowd. "It is a very important heritage that we can all be apart of and therefore its important to keep on as this is a way of uniting with many in the community," she added.
An overwhelmed Mayor De Lille said that she is grateful to be joining the crowd for a third year of moon-sighting. "It is always beautiful to come out here and join the Muslim community a day before Eid and witness this. It is truly amazing..." she said. "On behalf of the City of Cape Town, we would love to wish you a blessed day on Eid and do know that we are more than happy to be here."
De Lille encouraged the Muslim community to continue with various fundraising projects for the less fortunate communities. "I am proud to see the Muslim community keep up with these projects to help those in need. I would therefore like to congratulate them for their effort in playing a role to make the community a better place."
Earlier in the day, over 40 children showed up at event to collect their gift bags at the special outside broadcast dedicated to all the little who participated in this years VOC Ramadan Creative Writing project. VOC's Afternoon Cruise presenter Aeysha Laatoe said that many of the children who wrote in for the programe enjoyed the afternoon. "It was a beautiful dayl and many of these kids smiles brightened when they saw those huge gift packs. Its been a long month for them and of cause a very blessed one indeed and therefore they deserve each and every item received today."
Apart from the special OB dedicated to those kids who fasted during the holy month, little ones also received various items which included qasida cd's, a cell phone, a Quran, party packet, stationary, iftar packs and lots more. While the kids played on the lawns or in the nearby park, parents chatted noisily, eagerly awaiting the moonsighting announcement. "It is always great to come out here every year and I'm quite sad that we will be leaving the month of Ramadan. But alhamdulillah, Eid-ul-Ftr is tomorrow and I am looking forward to spending it with my family and friends, inshallah," said Rushdie Adams from Kensington.
"This is my first time coming out here today. Being from out of town, we don't usually see these things happening in our community. Just seeing the crescent moon with my naked eye, subhanallah, I almost cried, especially when the crowd started to takbir," related Layla Morton. "I just hope that everyone will continue doing good deeds like we have done during this holy month and I wish everyone a joyful and blessed Eid Mubarak inshallah." added Morton. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)
"I am honoured to be here today and would like to wish the Muslim community a very joyous Eid Mubarak. It is always beautiful to see Muslims fast during the holy month and is extremely wonderful to know that they value their beliefs. I would love to see you continue doing what you do as this plays a great role in our heritage," Zille told the crowd. "It is a very important heritage that we can all be apart of and therefore its important to keep on as this is a way of uniting with many in the community," she added.
An overwhelmed Mayor De Lille said that she is grateful to be joining the crowd for a third year of moon-sighting. "It is always beautiful to come out here and join the Muslim community a day before Eid and witness this. It is truly amazing..." she said. "On behalf of the City of Cape Town, we would love to wish you a blessed day on Eid and do know that we are more than happy to be here."
De Lille encouraged the Muslim community to continue with various fundraising projects for the less fortunate communities. "I am proud to see the Muslim community keep up with these projects to help those in need. I would therefore like to congratulate them for their effort in playing a role to make the community a better place."
Earlier in the day, over 40 children showed up at event to collect their gift bags at the special outside broadcast dedicated to all the little who participated in this years VOC Ramadan Creative Writing project. VOC's Afternoon Cruise presenter Aeysha Laatoe said that many of the children who wrote in for the programe enjoyed the afternoon. "It was a beautiful dayl and many of these kids smiles brightened when they saw those huge gift packs. Its been a long month for them and of cause a very blessed one indeed and therefore they deserve each and every item received today."
Apart from the special OB dedicated to those kids who fasted during the holy month, little ones also received various items which included qasida cd's, a cell phone, a Quran, party packet, stationary, iftar packs and lots more. While the kids played on the lawns or in the nearby park, parents chatted noisily, eagerly awaiting the moonsighting announcement. "It is always great to come out here every year and I'm quite sad that we will be leaving the month of Ramadan. But alhamdulillah, Eid-ul-Ftr is tomorrow and I am looking forward to spending it with my family and friends, inshallah," said Rushdie Adams from Kensington.
"This is my first time coming out here today. Being from out of town, we don't usually see these things happening in our community. Just seeing the crescent moon with my naked eye, subhanallah, I almost cried, especially when the crowd started to takbir," related Layla Morton. "I just hope that everyone will continue doing good deeds like we have done during this holy month and I wish everyone a joyful and blessed Eid Mubarak inshallah." added Morton. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)
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