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Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 09-03-2017

The Knysna Muslim Council says while Rawson Street Homeowners have objected to the building of a masjid because of traffic and parking allocations, there are also some churches that are not complying with municipal regulations.

The Council believes a precedent has been set in the coastal town‚ where there are 15 churches in the CBD‚ and want the same for masajid.

KMC’s chairman Omar Essa says that the council’s proposal to build a masjid in Knysna is “no different to what is already established with the churches”.

Essa was speaking at the Western Cape high court in Cape Town yesterday‚ where a case opposing the development is raging.

While the ratepayers have called for a traffic impact assessment and cross examination of the Knysna municipal council who they believe misrepresented the parking allocations in the approval process, Essa says there are some churches that also don’t abide by the regulations.

“In the CBD alone in the area that we want to build the masjid there’s about 15 churches. They don’t comply with parking and traffic. There’s also a RGS Church that has got absolutely no parking on site or off site and the coverage of the  building is probably closer to 100% as opposed to our 61%.”

Judgement has been reserved.