GOOD press statement by Suzette Little,
GOOD: City of Cape Town Councillor & Caucus Chairperson

13 May 2022

Two weeks ago Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, announced that although he would not honour the City’s promise to exempt mosques and churches from the City’s noise nuisance by-laws, he had instructed officials to act with sensitivity.

This week, the Imam of a Salt River mosque received a letter citing the by-laws and requesting “immediate” action.

This gross insensitivity vindicates GOOD’s rejection of the Mayor’s “soothing” double-speak on 28 April 2022. We will continue to advocate that the travesty of referring to religious practise as a noise nuisance be removed from the law books altogether.

The letter to the Imam of Tennyson Street Mosque was dated 12 May 2022; nearly three years after the City undertook to amend the by-law following a public outcry over a noise nuisance complaint against the 100-year-old Zeenatul Mosque in District Six.

This week’s letter (attached) to Tennyson Street Mosque reads: “You are hereby requested as owner or occupant of this premises or the person responsible for the noise or all such persons, to mitigate the amplified sound from the Mosque with immediate effect. This request is made in good faith and this department does seek for this complaint to be resolved amicably”.

Mayor Hill-Lewis must grow up, smell the roses, and develop a bit of cultural sensitivity.

Cape Town is a multi-cultural city which implies a need for tolerance and inclusivity. It is not a monarchy, run by mayoral decree. There is no value in the Mayor telling his minions to act with sensitivity; Council must change the by-law.

We once again ask the mayor to strike down the by-law with immediate effect.

Media enquiries:

Suzette Little, GOOD: City of Cape Town Councillor
Cell: 073 321 5036
Email: suzettel@forgood.org.za

Samkelo Mgobozi, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 079 231 5977 (WhatsApp) / 082 968 4021 (calls)
Email: samm@forgood.org.za