First gurdwara opened near Johannesburg

Johannesburg, November 22

Advertisement

The Sikh community here have got its first gurdwara inaugurated after an eight-year-long legal battle with their South African neighbours who opposed to its construction.

The 2,500 square metres gurdwara was officially opened in the suburb of Sandton, the economic hub of the country, by the country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Mashabane-Nkoane.

“Every humble human being can now walk in and pray at any time, irrespective of colour or creed,” the Minister said as she conveyed congratulations on behalf of President Jacob Zuma and all South Africans to the Sikh community.

Mashabane-Nkoane, a former High Commissioner to India, said she had been privileged to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and was amazed at the Sikh community’s principles of caring for humanity.

“Every time I interact with the people of the Sikh community, I remember our own (African) values of ‘Ubuntu’,” she said.

Harbinder Singh Sethi, chairman, Johanensburg gurdwara, said the opening was blessed because it coincided with the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev. “We now have a gurdwara here which is built with Sikh architecture but in a very modern way,” Sethi said. — PTI