Principal of the Presidential Human Resources Office, Assoc. Prof. Salim Atay, attended an iftar meal held in a 137-year-old Ottoman Cricket Club, one of the oldest and the most well-known sports clubs of South Africa, by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) Pretoria Directorate.
Salim Atay said, “Our ties with South Africa were established with religious scholar Ebubekir Efendi, who was sent here 150 years ago by the Ottoman Empire. Even if we were far away from here in the course of time, today, we are again forming strong bonds with people who have a heartfelt connection with us. The Ottoman heritage and Turkey’s allies here made us feel at home.” Atay also denoted that they were going to contribute to the success of the Ottoman Cricket Club.
Having expressed that TIKA had achieved a great many things in South Africa, Atay also stated “TIKA contributed a considerable amount to the formation of this bond with the Ottoman heritage here. By coming here, they discovered, reconstructed and enlivened this heritage.”
“This club belongs to Turkish people, as well”
Secretary-General of the Club Fareed Abrahams, on the other hand, opined that “I would like to express my gratitude to TIKA on behalf of the whole club. This club, as we have always said, belongs to the Turkish people, as well.” He also said “Our club was built upon religious foundations by Ebubekir Efendi’s students. It still undertakes the same mission today. We and our supporters are so happy to establish strong ties with Turkey”.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Ramadan, the TIKA Pretoria Directorate distributed a thousand provisions and iftar meals were organized with 500 attendants in the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg and in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
Along with Atay; TIKA officials, Riad Fataar, who is the deputy president of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), the biggest Islamic organization in South Africa, officers of Nurul Hamidiye Mosque Foundation, established with the support of Sultan Abdul Hamid II in Cape Town, officers of Tana Baru Foundation and supporters attended the iftar meal in Cape Town.