Samar Yahya Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Consul General of South Africa Ebrahim Edries is serving the South African here for over two years. Edries conveyed his greetings and blessings to the Custodian of the two Holy mosques for his efforts in expanding the Haram and Prophet's Mosque to provide the facilities to pilgrims. He also said that he was content to live close to Makkah and Madinah. In an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette, Edries spoke about Nelson Mandela. “President Mandela has turned 95 on July 18 yet it is a very sad moment that he has been in hospital for over 60 days. He is the symbol of democracy and a man who sacrificed his life not for personal purposes but for the benefit of his country South Africa,” Edries said. “We ask all our friends in Saudi Arabia and the international community to join us in a prayer for Mr. Mandela to wish him a speedy recovery. He gave a lot to South Africa and the whole world and humanity. Instead of revenge, he chose to create the nation of South Africa, despite the differences among the nation. Everyone is now equal before law.” Mandela retreated from public life even before he was hospitalized. All communication is done through Nelson Mandela Foundation. “His enduring legacy is to build 'Nelson Mandela Children Hospital.' We in South Africa call for everyone to contribute in this hospital and of course Saudis are welcome to contribute to achieve this great man's wish in creating a hospital for children,” he said. In his first speech at the South African parliament as the freely elected democratic president, Mandela had said: “I'm free today but I will never truly be free till the people of Palestine are free, and this brings us to the long, strong and deep relations with the Palestinians.” In 1994 a collective will of South African people was created for those who wanted peace. The people of South Africa wanted the best for their country and this was shown in the wisdom of negotiators. “In South Africa, colored people were allowed to join the diplomatic career only in 1994, earlier it was limited to white South Africans only,” Edries said, adding, “I was lucky to join the diplomatic career during this period, where I was assigned to the South African Embassy in Iran, then Angola, and then in 2006 I went to open our embassy in Sudan and I was very lucky to witness the comprehensive agreement between northern and southern Sudan. “After two years I was assigned in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in South Africa after which, I was posted in Jeddah. This is a great opportunity to be given, to live in Jeddah which is very close to the Haram. It is also a real opportunity to work with the Saudi officials.” Amnesty period The numbers of South Africans in the Kingdom are around 6,000. The majority of South Africans living in the Kingdom are working in the medical field as doctors, nurses or technicians. “We rarely receive South Africans in the consulate with a problem. I'm very happy to say that we don't have a single Huroob case,” he said while talking the amnesty. He added: “The grace period has helped lots of other nationalities to either settle in the Kingdom with a regular job or to leave for home smoothly.” Connecting with the community To keep everyone up-to-date, Edries said that a newsletter for the South African community is quarterly distributed. “We also have the program registration of South Africans Abroad (ROSA). All South Africans access online from wherever they are in the world and update their status. We encourage South Africans to register with (ROSA). Edries also said that they are working toward creating a Facebook page to stay connected with their community members. Perfect tourist destination South Africa offers a unique tourism experience in terms of shopping, relaxing at the beautiful beaches, walking in the mountains, entertaining kids, theater safari among others. The highest numbers of tourists come from Europe followed by the US. In South Africa, you can have top class holiday with very reasonable prices. Edries revealed that he has noticed that Saudis enjoy spending their vacations there. South Africa offers a unique experience of halal food making it a convenient option for Saudis. However, statistics show that around 800 Saudis visit South Africa annually. Known for its advanced medical services, medical tourism is also famous in South Africa, and December is the time for festivities. Education in South Africa Edries said that in South Africa Saudis can also study English and live with their families close to the universities. Talking about education, he said there are no complications if students study in international schools as they follow a global curriculum that qualifies students to join universities back home. The only problem is the timing of the academic year in South Africa which starts in January. Students who complete their academic year here in June may have repeat the same year till the school year ends in December. Umrah pilgrims Around 40,000 South Africans came for Umrah last year. “Our biggest problem was to deal with Haj and Umrah pilgrims. Before 1994, South Africans were the only people who were allowed to come for Haj and Umrah, and they would get their visa on arrival. At that time around 10,000 - 12,000 pilgrims only used to come annually. “After, 1994 and as per (OIC) quota we are allowed 2,500 pilgrims annually. We will be grateful to King Abdullah and all Saudi authorities who treat South Africans like Muslims from New Zealand and Australia. Bilateral trade Saudi investment and trade is not strong enough. South Africans buy SR30 billion crude oil from Saudi Arabia and export trade worth only 2 billion. “Saudi Arabia is our main supplier of oil. The South African trade should be stronger to Saudi Arabia as it goes to Europe with European standards. We have a very industrialized economy and we will be focusing on bilateral trade and investments in diverse fields and areas. We have very good relations with Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom has helped us in our struggle for a free country,” Edries said.
