Then & Now: Aliwal church/mosque

LAST Saturday, we highlighted Aliwal Congregational Manse in Samora Machel Road. This week, Mark Levin looks at the Aliwal Congregational Church itself.

Its first congregants had worshipped in a wattle and daub structure before building a brick church in Smith Street in 1855. When this became too small for the growing congregation, it was sold for £22 000 in October 1901. A new church, at 50 Aliwal Street, was built.

The hall, designed by Cathcart Methven, went up in 1902 and was used for services until the new church, designed by John Phillip Mumford, was completed. It opened on February 28, 1904, the preacher being Reverend Aldridge. The first photo was taken at about that time.

What became of the organ, the plaques commemorating the war dead, and the stained glass behind the altar after 1982 are unclear.

Even during its centenary, the change of the residential area to a business district had begun to affect the church. By the early 1980s, the congregation had declined to such an extent, the church was closed. The final service was in July 1982.

The second photo of the interior was taken on July 29, 1982.

The church became business premises before 2015, when the South African National Zakah Foundation bought it and the hall. After a twoyear, multimillion-rand restoration it was converted into a mosque. The recent photo shows the building today.

The former pulpit serves as a minbar for the delivery of Friday sermons. Pressed ceilings were restored, as were the remaining ceramic tiles and stained glass. The new intricate plasterwork was applied by Moroccan craftsmen. Small changes included the removal of the angels inside, the cross on the spire outside, and the lengthening of the windows into doors. The final photo shows the interior of the mosque this week.

Now known as Musjid Maryam, it is the first mosque in South Africa to be named after a woman, Mary, who is revered in both Islam and Christianity. The first prayers were held in May 2017.