Indeed, last Friday was a trip down memory lane, the day that Councillor Candidate Naeem Patel, together with the Gafoor family, officially relaunched the road renaming project, in honor of the late Imaam Abdul Gafoor.

In 2014, the Gafoor family met with Naeem Patel at his Erasmia house, together with the then MEC of Roads Ismail Vadi, and others, to discuss the renaming of a road in honour of Laudium’s very first Imaam, Imaam Abdul Gafoor, who was the Imaam of the Jewel Street Jummah Masjid for almost 60 years. The illustrious Imaam Saheb was a unifying figure in the community, who worked across religious, racial and cultural barriers to help and uplift people from all walks of life. Imaam Saheb is said to have given the Azaan (call to prayer) in the ears of many newborns, performed their Nikkahs (marriage) and even read their Janazahs (funeral prayer) when they passed on. Imaam Gafoor was a house-hold name in the community and left behind an outstanding legacy, that will remain for generations to come. At the then meeting, at Naeem Patel’s house, in 2014, a proposal was made to the then MEC Vadi, to rename either the R55 or the M26 after our beloved Imaam (May the Almighty have mercy on him). Discussions were also held with regards to renaming other roads or streets and community structures, such as the Civic Centre, the Laudium Stadium and local parks, after other prominent deceased community leaders. 

Naeem told the Laudium Sun, “Imaam Gafoor was close to all, including myself and my family. The least we can do to acknowledge his contribution to the community, is to name a road in his honor. Although the street naming project started 7 years back, we faced hurdles in taking the project further, as the DA was in control of the Tshwane Council, for most of the past 5 years. Hopefully, as Councillor, I will be able to pursue it, together with a petition from the community. I also hope that we can have many more names in honor of other key figures from within our community, such as the late Maniben Sita, the late Nazeer “Numpies” Dawood, the late Aunty Tanga Kollapen, the late Aunty Poppy Dockrat, the late Aunty Julie Alli and the late Zaky Ebrahim. We are in the process of holding consultations with the families of these community leaders to decide the way forward.” 

At the meeting held at the ANC offices in Erasmia, last Friday, Naeem, together with Nazeer Noormohamed and members of the Gafoor family, identified possible roads to be renamed to ‘Imaam Abdul Gafoor Drive’, in honor of the late Imaam Gafoor, including the M26 which runs through Erasmia and the R55 which runs from Laudium to JHB. A petition was drawn up that night, calling on the relevant authorities to give effect to the proposed name change. The first signature on the petition, was that of Ismail Gafoor, as the elder member of the Gafoor family. The community has also been called upon to support the petition. 

The family was indeed delighted that the project was being revived by Naeem, who undertook to drive the process. The Gafoor family will be represented by Shabier Gafoor and Nazeer Noormohamed (Laudium Sun) in respect of the renaming and Mahdiyyah Patel Attorneys will spearhead the legal aspects of the renaming. 

*If you would like to sign the petition, kindly visit the ANC offices, situated at Erasmia Junction, 360 Willem Erasmus Street, Erasmia or contact Naeem on 084 504 8042, or any member of the Imaam Gafoor family. 

**Community consultations will be held over the coming months, concerning the renaming.