DIRCO says SA pilgrim deaths during hajj not from heatwave
Saudi Arabia has been experiencing extremely hot weather, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.
Muslim pilgrims arrive at dawn to perform the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' ritual as part of the hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca, on 16 June 2024. Picture: AFP
CAPE TOWN - At least 1,301 people died during 2024’s annual Muslim pilgrimage, or hajj, in Saudi Arabia between 14 and 19 June.
This, as the country experienced extremely hot conditions, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.
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Officials have confirmed that the majority of those who died, who walked long distances in direct sunlight without adequate shelter or comfort, were unregistered.
The victims are from more than 10 different countries.
While five South African pilgrims have died during that period, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) director responsible for the Middle East, Ashraf Suliman, said none of these fatalities were as a result of the excessive heat.
"We had asked our consulate general in Jeddah for a report, and although there were five persons from South Africa who undertook to go to hajj had passed on, all those that had passed on are people that died out of illness, not as a result of the heatwave."
Suliman said three South Africans died in the city of Madinah before performing their pilgrimage, while the remaining two passed on while undertaking it.