CHAPTER 4 HAJJ AND FINANCE
5.5. THE FIRST NON-WHITE TRAVEL AGENTS
At the beginning of 1953, only the Masjid al-Haram and the Main Road where Sayed Shafi lived had electricity. At the time, Sayed SafI vAlwI used to issue the hajjis with lanterns whenever they used to go the Masjid al-Haram or to the suqs (markets). There were no fridges, nor electrical fans. Hajjis used hand fans to keep cool. It was late in 1953 that electricity was introduced at the hotels and the other roads were lit up. Water was extracted from fountains and was carried in clay pots and sold to the hajjis. Some of the mu^allims used to store water underground where they lived. The water storage was enclosed with a tap attached to it. When water became scarce and expensive, the mu"allims would sell the water to the hajjis at reasonable prices.
Sayed SafTAlwi's bayt (situated in Al-Gazza Street) attracted many potential hajjis of the Cape after electricity had been installed in his bayt. An advertisement that appeared in the Muslim News concerning these special facilities, mentioned; electricity in every room, electric fans with beds supplied and separate rooms for married couples. In the same advertisement, Sayed Safi vAlwT offered personal attention to the hajjis. Shaykh Abdurahman of Church Street, Woodstock in the Cape had acted as a sub-agent for Sayed Safi" Alwi at the time. The hajjis were also asked to mention the name of their mutawwifs to the authorities the moment they arrived at the Jeddah Airport.39
shop, a trust company as well as a clothing factory. He was initially an agent for the Union Castle Lines which used to sail from Cape Town to Durban and then to Aden and Jeddah. The hajjis who booked tickets with Goolam's Travel used to travel with the popular Indian liners, Karanja and Kampala. In 1971 he travelled to Italy, where he negotiated with Lloyd Triestino and attempted to charter a boat. The Italian liner known as the Rosandra was sent to Cape Town to take the hajjis for pilgrimage.
Photo: Dr Hassan Goolam Photo: Dr Hassan Goolam Goolam's Travel - 21 Wale Street, Cape Town. In 1971Muhammad Goolam negotiating
Currently the office of Travel Unlimited with Lloyd Triestino agentt
Faizel Sangay, director of Travel Unlimited said the following concerning Muhammed Goolam:
"When he, Muhammed Goolam graduated, he was one of the first people being educated and having a degree under the old Nationalist Government. This inspired him to apply for an IATA licence, which is in actual fact an accreditation for an agency to be registered with the International Air Transportation Agency
in Geneve in Switzerland and then getting an IATA licence".41
Faizel Sangay was introduced by Muhammed Goolam into the "Eastern market", specifically the Indian and Pakistani market, which was predominantly the market that he had focused on. However, Muhammed Goolam saw the need to get involved in organising hajj packages as an accredited IATA agent, as no else was doing it. Those
who were providing this service were mostly doing referrals to accredited agencies. Such as Rennies and Thomas Cook. With the assistance of the late Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed and his brothers-in-law, Shaykhs vOmar and Gamiet Gabier42, who had just arrived from their studies abroad, as well as Hajji Dawood, they ventured into contracting charters - airlines as well as boats. Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed contributed by way of giving advice to the hajjis before their departure for hajj. The Kulama' (Muslim scholars) gave their full support to these agents. Muhammed Goolam was not in favour of going through the White NationaUst Party establishments - he believed that his company had the ability do undertake this on their own with the support of the "ulama'.
Ahmed Kasker was one of the first people to work for Goolam's Travel. His cousin, Ebrahim Kasker, joined the business as a messenger boy delivering tickets to clients after he had completed the matriculation certificate at Trafalgar High School in 1965. The late Hassan Hawa, (the famous sport personality), was the travel manager of Goolam's Travel at the time and trained Ebrahim Kasker as a travel clerk. After Hassan Hawa resigned from the business, Ebrahim Kasker was appointed in his place in 1968. He held this position for 18 years, with a few ladies working under his supervision. In 1969 Ebrahim Kasker chartered a Greek boat, to take pilgrims to Mecca.
In the late 1960s, 600 clients of Goolam's Travel joined Booley's Travel Agency which had chartered a Sabena Airliner to take hajjis direct from Cape Town to Jeddah. Ebrahim Kasker had employed two sub-agents, Shaykhs vUmar and Abdul Gamiet fAbd al- Hamid) Gabier to increase the clientele of Goolam's Travel business.44
Ebrahim Kasker had also approached the members of the Al-Hidayah Islamic Organisation and had offered them a substantial discount on their airfare if they could
"mobilize" a minimum of 50 clients for hajj. With the assistance of Shaykhs Shakier and Igsaan Gamieldien,45, members of Al-Hidayah Islamic Organisation made their travel reservations with Goolam's Travel. Ebrahim Kasker, who had become managing director after the demise of Muhammad Goolam, indicated to me that they travelled mostly with Al-Italia and British Airways. These planes used to return to South Africa via Rome and London respectively.46 Goolam's Travel became the chief agent in South Africa for Sayed SafIs Alwl, the leading mutawwifof Mecca.
Photo: Dr Hassan Goolam From left: Shaykh vUmar Gabier, Muhammad
Goolam and Shaykh Shakier Gamieldien
When Muhammad Goolam died in 1972, the accountant of Barney Singer who had bought a certain amount of shares, and who was a director of Goolam's Travel, took over the management of the business. The reason for this change in name were explained by Faizel Sungay:
"After the death ofMuhammed Goolam, Shaykh Nazeem Mohammed told me in a meeting that his position was very sensitive with regards to Judaism and what's happening in Israel and Palestine, and that the name Goolam's Travel had to be changed to Embassy Travel because of Barney Singer being a Jew. Rashida Goolam had represented the family and became part of the business. In April