Awards & Partners

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The Cambridge Islamic Funds Awards (CIFA) 2026

The South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF) was honoured with the Cambridge Excellence Award for Zakah & Islamic Social Funds Management at the Cambridge Islamic Funds Awards (CIFA) 2026, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Organised by Cambridge IFA, the awards recognise leading institutions worldwide that demonstrate excellence, integrity and innovation in Islamic and ethical funds management. This prestigious global recognition affirms SANZAF’s steadfast commitment to Shari’ah governance, transparency and the responsible management of Zakah as an Amanah. SANZAF’s leadership expressed gratitude for the award, reaffirming the organisation’s dedication to upholding the trust of its donors while delivering sustainable, impactful support to communities across South Africa.

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The Global Good Governance Awards

The South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF) was honoured with the Transparency and Capacity Building Championship Award at the Global Good Governance Awards, organised by Cambridge IFA. The online ceremony, held on May 25, 2021, recognised SANZAF for its 47-year commitment to combating poverty and bringing about positive change. The Global Good Governance Awards celebrate organisations and individuals prioritizing governance and sustainability, with SANZAF receiving acclaim for its transparent and accountable approach to addressing poverty through initiatives focused on skills development, education and capacity building. SANZAF's leadership expressed gratitude for the prestigious award, emphasizing their dedication to providing long-term, sustainable solutions to poverty and unemployment challenges in South Africa.
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Partners

Nexia SAB&T, a prominent audit and advisory firm in South Africa and a key member of the global Nexia network, has been a consistent sponsor of the South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF), providing annual audit services. Established in 1994, Nexia SAB&T has expanded to comprise 40 directors and a professional team exceeding 500 members, offering comprehensive services encompassing accounting, audit, tax and specialized corporate and SMME advisory solutions. With a robust presence in South Africa through ten offices, Nexia SAB&T holds a significant position within the Nexia international network, spanning 128 countries and 620 offices worldwide.

Website: https://www.nexia-sabt.co.za/

Projects

Regions

Legal

Online Donation Form

Region: Durban

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 01 Aug 2025

Closing Date of Bursary Applications: 30 Sep 2025

Contact Person: Razia Hamid

Email Address: humza.mthembu Yasmin.Alladin

Phone Number: 031 3096786

Bursary Application (link 1)Bursary Application (link 2)

Region: East London

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 01 Oct 2025

Closing Date of Bursary Applications: 09 Jan 2026

Contact Person: Imaan Poovan

Email Address: Imaan Poovan

Phone Number: 043 722 7453

Bursary Application

Region: Gauteng

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 01 Sep 2025

Closing Date of Bursary Applications: 31 Oct 2025

Contact Person: Saadiqa Letsoara

Email Address: bursary.jhb@sanzaf.org.za

Phone Number: 011 834 6046

Region: Kimberley

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 01 Sep 2025

Closing Date of Bursary Applications: 09 Jan 2026

Contact Person: Fuad Abdul Hamid

Email Address: Kimberly@sanzaf.org.za

Phone Number: 053 8312758

Bursary Application

Region: Ladysmith

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 01 Oct 2025

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 09 Jan 2026

Contact Person: Mahomed Dadabhai 

Email Address: mahommed.dadabhay@sanzaf.org.za

Phone Number: 036 633 2792

Bursary Application

Region: PMB

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 01 Aug 2025

Closing Date of Bursary Applications: 30 Sep 2025

Contact Person: Maseera Amin  

Email Address: Maseera.Amin@sanzaf.org.za

Phone Number: 033 397 9133

Bursary Application

Region: Gqeberha

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 01 Sep 2025

Closing Date of Bursary Applications: 31 Oct 2025

Contact Person: Mymoona Lillah  

Email Address: Gqeberha@sanzaf.org.za

Phone Number: 041 457 1459

Bursary Application

Region: Western Cape

Opening Date of Bursary Applications: 01 Oct 2025

Closing Date of Bursary Applications: 31 Dec 2025

Contact Person: Faeza Govind

Email Address: faeza.govind@sanzaf.org.za

Phone Number: 021 638 5108

Iqra Education Centre: Where Learning Begins With Dignity

Iqra Education Centre is one of the first stops on the GreenBus Tour, and it reflects the foundation of SANZAF’s approach to community development.

Located in Johannesburg’s inner city, Iqra serves children whose circumstances make access to stable education difficult. Many come from households facing economic pressure, instability, or displacement within South Africa’s urban landscape. What brings them together is a shared need for structure, safety, and the opportunity to learn.

Iqra is more than a school. It is a space where children are given consistency, care, and a sense of belonging. Education here is not treated as a privilege, but as a responsibility, one that requires patience, routine, and long-term commitment.

The name Iqra means “read,” the first command of revelation. At Iqra Education Centre, this principle is lived daily. Learning honours each child’s pace. It is nurtured. Children are supported academically while also being guided in values that shape character, discipline, and purpose.

This project reflects SANZAF’s belief that education must be paired with dignity. Support is provided in a way that preserves self-worth and empowers families rather than creating dependency. Teachers, caregivers, and community members work together to ensure that children are prepared for life beyond the classroom.

Iqra represents the beginning of a journey. From learning to understanding, from understanding to responsibility. It is a reminder that meaningful change starts early, grows steadily, and requires consistency over time.

As part of the GreenBus Tour, Iqra sets the tone for the stories that follow, stories rooted in partnership, patience, and the belief that education remains one of the most powerful tools for lasting transformation.

Funding Iqra: Sustaining Education With Dignity

Iqra Education Centre operates on a simple but demanding principle: meaningful education requires consistency, care, and long-term commitment.

Funding for Iqra supports far more than classroom instruction. It sustains a safe learning environment for children who face daily instability due to economic pressure, housing insecurity, and social vulnerability within the inner city. These children require more than access to books, they require structure, routine, nutrition, and adults who remain present over time.

Iqra’s funding model prioritises sustainability and dignity. Resources are directed towards qualified educators, learning materials, safe facilities, and daily operational needs that ensure the centre can function reliably throughout the year. This is not a seasonal intervention. Education cannot pause when funding fluctuates, and children cannot be placed on hold.

Support for Iqra also reduces the long-term cost of crisis response. By investing early in education, stability, and values-based learning, the project helps prevent later interventions linked to dropout, unemployment, and social exclusion. It is a preventative investment rather than a reactive one.

Importantly, Iqra is rooted in community. It is part of a broader ecosystem of SANZAF-supported initiatives that accompany children beyond the classroom, from foundational learning to safe accommodation, nutrition, and skills development as they grow older. Funding Iqra therefore, strengthens an entire pathway, families, educators, and community partners.

This work is shaped by the values that Zakah teaches: responsibility, care for those placed in our trust, and giving that uplifts without stripping dignity. While funding may come from different sources, the ethic remains the same, to support education in a way that empowers children and preserves their self-worth.

Supporting Iqra is an investment in continuity. It ensures that learning happens every day, that children are seen and supported, and that education remains a stable presence in lives that need it most.

Funding the Paledi Drop-In Centre: A Place of Safety, Stability, and Growth

The Paledi Drop-In Centre exists because one woman chose to remain present.

Founded and stewarded by Dr. Sabata, the centre began as a response to what she saw daily, children with nowhere safe to go, families under strain, and a community in need of stability more than temporary relief. What emerged was dignity-centred support, a space rooted in care, responsibility, and long-term presence.

Funding the Paledi Drop-In Centre sustains a safe and consistent environment for children who would otherwise spend their days exposed to risk, hunger, and instability. The centre provides more than supervision. It offers structure, routine, and adult care, elements that are essential for healthy development but often absent in vulnerable rural communities.

Dr. Sabata’s leadership anchors the project. Her role is active and essential, drawing on her deep knowledge of the community; it is operational and relational. She knows the children, their families, and the realities they face. This proximity ensures that support is responsive rather than generic, and that dignity is preserved at every level.

Support for the centre covers daily operational needs: safe facilities, basic nutrition, learning support, and the presence of caregivers who show up consistently. These are not once-off costs. Children do not experience vulnerability in cycles, and neither can the response.

The Drop-In Centre also functions as a foundation for broader development. It creates the stability that allows children to engage meaningfully in learning, benefit from nutrition programmes, and later participate in skills-based initiatives connected to agriculture and community development.

This work reflects the values that underpin Zakah, not as a transactional act, but as a trust. While the Paledi Drop-In Centre is not defined solely by Zakah funding, it operates according to the principles Zakah teaches: responsibility, care, and support that enable people to stand with dignity.

Funding Paledi is an investment in continuity. It ensures that the doors remain open every day, that children are protected and nurtured, and that a community-rooted solution led by Dr. Sabata can continue to grow responsibly.

Paledi Drop-In Centre & Community Agriculture Project

The Paledi Drop-In Centre exists because one woman chose to remain present.

Founded and stewarded by Dr. Sabata, the centre began as a response to what she saw daily, children with nowhere safe to go, families under strain, and a community in need of stability more than temporary relief. What emerged was dignity-centred support, a space rooted in care, responsibility, and long-term presence.

Funding the Paledi Drop-In Centre sustains a safe and consistent environment for children who would otherwise spend their days exposed to risk, hunger, and instability. The centre provides more than supervision. It offers structure, routine, and adult care, elements that are essential for healthy development but often absent in vulnerable rural communities.

Dr. Sabata’s leadership anchors the project. Her role is active and essential, drawing on her deep knowledge of the community; it is operational and relational. She knows the children, their families, and the realities they face. This proximity ensures that support is responsive rather than generic, and that dignity is preserved at every level.

Support for the centre covers daily operational needs: safe facilities, basic nutrition, learning support, and the presence of caregivers who show up consistently. These are not once-off costs. Children do not experience vulnerability in cycles, and neither can the response.

The Drop-In Centre also functions as a foundation for broader development. It creates the stability that allows children to engage meaningfully in learning, benefit from nutrition programmes, and later participate in skills-based initiatives connected to agriculture and community development.

This work reflects the values that underpin Zakah, not as a transactional act, but as a trust. While the Paledi Drop-In Centre is not defined solely by Zakah funding, it operates according to the principles Zakah teaches: responsibility, care, and support that enable people to stand with dignity.

Funding Paledi is an investment in continuity. It ensures that the doors remain open every day, that children are protected and nurtured, and that a community-rooted solution led by Dr. Sabata can continue to grow responsibly.

The GreenBus Tour: A Journey Into Impact

The GreenBus Tour is a journey into the heart of SANZAF’s work across South Africa. It offers a clear view of the people, partnerships, and projects that help restore dignity in communities often overlooked.

This journey is not about numbers or quick results. It is about presence. It takes us into spaces where change happens slowly, through trust, consistency, and working alongside people over time. Each stop on the route reflects a shared belief that dignity is restored when communities are supported.

The GreenBus travels from inner cities to rural towns and villages, connecting stories of education, nourishment, shelter, and skills development. From learning centres and hostels to kitchens, bakeries, agriculture projects, and training spaces, the focus remains the same: real change is built through participation.

Across these projects, SANZAF’s role is not to take ownership, but to enable growth. Local leadership is strengthened, skills are transferred, and communities are supported in ways that allow them to sustain progress long after support is given.

This tour is also shaped by the values that guide SANZAF’s work. Giving is treated as a trust, not a transaction. Contributions, whether through Zakah or voluntary support, are honoured by ensuring they are used responsibly and with care, translating into meaningful action on the ground.

The GreenBus Tour sets the foundation for the stories that follow. It is an invitation to understand how compassion, when matched with commitment and partnership, can lead to lasting impact. The GreenBus connects people to the lives changed through consistent, dignified work.