On November 2, the Independent on Saturday’s Then & Now feature told the story of the Westville mosque founded by Hazrath Soofie Saheb.
The article inspired the family of Shaik Ally to gather with the Independent on Saturday to elaborate on that history.
They said Shaik Ally owned 20 acres of land in Westville, including the piece of land on which the Westville mosque remains.
His family was part of a small community of Indians who, at the end of the 19th century, lived in Westville, many on or close to Old Main Road (later renamed Jan Hofmeyr Road). Ally lived in nearby Old New Germany Road.
In need of a place of worship, Hazrath Soofie Saheb approached Ally for a piece of his land.
Ally, thinking of God, according to family members, gave two parts of his land as a donation to build a mosque and sold another two parts of land to Hazrath Soofie Saheb to build his private residence.
In 1904, a small mosque and a wood and iron house for the priest were built.
The graveyard next to the mosque, is an existing family graveyard as at the time, family members were buried at their homes. The graveyard was there before the land was donated to Harath Soofi Sahab.
The family said the mosque not only served as a religious and Islamic education centre but also taught the grandchildren of Shaik Cassim, the son of Ally, important life lessons.
The older boys helped to maintain the mosque and cemetery infrastructure. The older girls assisted in the household of the priest while the younger children swept and helped maintain the gardens and grounds, the daily chores teaching them importance of contributing, said the family.
With the 1972 Group Areas Act looming, the family sold the remaining 16 acres of land rather than losing it. The sale raised R33 000, which was divided among the sons of the family.
Most of the families moved to Shallcross, where they began their lives again, away from Westville which they had called home for so long.
They created the same communal living with their families in Shallcross, with most living on the same streets.
In recent years, some family members were able to buy back in Westville, to the delight of their elders.
- In a caption with the November 2 feature, it was incorrectly stated that Hazrath Soofie Saheb was buried at the Westville mosque. He is buried at the Riverside mosque.