Cape Town – The SANDF Chaplain Service has joined forces with the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) to help in efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 as the country fast approaches its infection peak.
SANDF chaplain-general Monwabisi Jamangile said the SANDF was emboldened by the support from the MJC, and saw it as a way to propel efforts to contain the disease.
“All these generous accolades (from the MJC) are a true testament that all South Africans of all faiths are alive to the need for all of us to join hands to reclaim our new normal from this contagious disease, that is in all likelihood poised to be with us for the near future.
“As the SANDF, we welcome such pledges of solidarity, which serve to further push us to strive for greater efficiency from our soldiers; to dig deep into their resilience and take this battle for the survival of our people to the next level," said Jamangile.
“As we have moved to level 3, and anticipate the gradual further easing of restrictions that would ensure that South Africans continue living their lives with a sense of the new normal, our soldiers have rightly occupied themselves with humanitarian tasks to help our distressed communities.”
MJC president Sheikh Irfaan Abrahams commended the way members of the SANDF were dealing with communities. “This is indeed an admirable act.
"We salute the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) in their brave stance to combat the virus and contain its spread," he said.
"The deployment of the SANDF as a law enforcement agency has assisted the vision of the president and the (NCCC) to contain the spread of this pandemic.
"The way the members of SANDF are dealing with communities is commendable.
“The MJC, being the religious advisory board to the SANDF, wishes to reaffirm their support to this institution and advise that they will continue to adapt best practices in dealing with our communities.
"We reiterate that there is greater need for social behavioural change in all communities in dealing with Covid-19.
“We also want to emphasise the importance of educating the nation on the subject of this pandemic through all educational institutions and media, which should be done responsibly.”