ON the eve of her final Grade 12 examinations, Head Girl of the Auckland Park Academy of Excellence (APAX), Aneesa Randeree, pledged R20, 000 in a waqf donation aimed at supporting leadership development, the under privileged and educational initiatives at her school. Speaking at a special dinner function attended by fellow learners, staff members and special guests, which marked the end of her tenure as Head Girl, Randeree made the announcement during her outgoing speech. APAX, which opened its doors in 2011, is a Muslim school situated in Johannesburg. Waqf is a divine trust instituted by the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. Property, ethical investments and assets – such as farmland – are put in a trust whereby the core investment or capital cannot be eroded, but its fruits have to be used for the benefit of the community. According to Sacred Law, waqf cannot be ceded or sold. Randeree’s donation was handed to AWQAF SA, an NGO that specialises in waqf, and that runs several local and national programmes – such as Maths tuition, the drilling of water wells and social cohesion events focused at uplifting South Africa’s less fortunate. AWQAF SA won international awards for its efforts in 2013-14. In her speech at the dinner function, Randeree said, “waqf is the most powerful, sacredly sustainable enduring and empowering of all Islamic voluntary charities. I’d like to give something back to my school, a tangible legacy as a token of my appreciation…I’d like to plant a seed as ...
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