Filth outside West Street mosque is shameful

THE West Street Mosque is a landmark in the city, the old and attractive building dates back to some of the earliest days of Durban’s history with its tower jutting up between the buildings it sees many generations of devotees from near and afar returning to the religious site for daily and weekly prayers.

Over the past few years, however the striking example of Islamic architecture has been marred by vagrants and the public, including taxi drivers, who use Saville Street, an entrance behind the mosque, as a public toilet.

Moosa Ismail has been going to the mosque for the past three decades. He said in earlier days one could walk from Grey Street or Commercial Road where he has a business to the mosque because it was clean, but now after the unhygienic conditions it is “unbearable.”

When Berea Mail went to investigate the problem, we witnessed a taxi driver stop on the side of the road to relieve himself on the wall less than 500 metres from the mosque.

“Hygiene and cleanliness is very important in Islam, our teaching is that even a drop of urine on the pants cannot be worn and needs to be washed, especially before going to prayer in the mosque. People need to realise it is a problem of respect for themselves and respect for others,” he said.

Muslims are required by Islamic Law to attain purity by taking a bath and performing ablution before going to the mosque for prayer.

Ismail said the situation has exacerbated and is more upsetting because muslims have been fasting for their holy month of Ramadaan where they are also required to go to daily evening prayers. “The whole street is full of urine and liquor and the taxi guys relieve themselves on the wall alongside the road. At night it is unbearable because people also defecate along the road,” he said.

What really confused Ismail about the situation was that public toilets are sitiuated about 500 metres away from the mosque, across the road.

“I hope the municipality can do something to stop these people, we have tried to contact them over the last few years but it continues,” he said disheartened.

Abdul Olaonikpekoun Gafari, a businessman who had a shop on Saville Street said the filth was attributed to people squatting along the road. “People are living here and it is horrible. They don’t have a toilet here and leave a stench throughout the road. Its awful because people come to pray at the West Street mosque and they have to walk pass this. They need to go,” he added.

In reply, Hoosen Moola of eThekwini Municipality said the Safer Cities and iTRUMP unit regularly co-ordinates clean-up operations together with Metro Police and Durban Solid Waste. “The area is occupied by vagrants, street children and the homeless who sleep on the pavements and urinate, defecate and leave their belongings on the pavements. Sweeps are conducted by Metro Police and the pavement is pressure cleaned, however, the people just come back. The municipality will continue to undertake clean-up operations in the area,” he said.