Mariam Bee Centre comes to life
FROM the aromatic scent of baked artisan bread and freshly brewed coffee to an assortment of Islamic books on sale, the Mariam Bee Centre in Overport has been given a new lease of life.
The centre, which has a rich history, provides diverse services to the community and surrounding areas.
In 1962 the property and a house, which is situated in Kenilworth Road, were donated by Shaykh Ameer to the Mariam Bee Sultan Charitable Trust to open a madressa.
Hajee Malukmahomed Lappa (ML) Sultan, a philanthropist, started the trust and the centre was named after his wife, Mariam Bee Shaik Emam.
According to the ML Sultan website, he was born in Kollam (Quilon) in the Kerala State of South India in 1873.
At the age of 17 he decided to emigrate to Ceylon, but due to troubles with the ship en route he instead migrated to South Africa in August 1890.
He worked as a porter at a train station in Durban and thereafter as a waiter at a hotel in the old Transvaal province.
Sultan also had a brief stint in farming and started a dairy.
In 1905, Sultan married Mariam Bee and they had four sons and six daughters. When Mariam Bee died in 1933, Sultan sought refuge in his work and launched a wholesale and retail business in Durban. This success led him to invest in property and establish a soft goods business, known as ML Sultan and Sons, in Victoria Street. He also did betel leaf farming in Stamford Hill.
According to the website, Sultan ventured into the property market and later owned several real estate properties in the then Natal.
By 1941, he had realised his dream of building a technical education facility for Indian South Africans.
Sultan believed that young Indians should have opportunities for education to prepare for employment in industry, business or professions of their choice. This was at a time when this opportunity was not available to them in the country.
In 1949, he founded the ML Sultan Charitable and Educational Trust and from the £100 000 he donated to the trust, £33 000 were allocated for the establishment of the ML Sultan Technical College.
Sultan died at his home in Escombe on September 6, 1953, three years before the college’s official opening on August 7, 1956.
Today the Mariam Bee Centre has historical significance for the community and the Islamic Forum, a non-profit organisation which has undertaken to uphold Sultan's legacy.
The original house was initially used as a madressa. In 1968, the trust built a double-storey building on the property to extend these classes. The classes ran until 1992 and thereafter the property was left vacant.
In 1992, the Women’s Cultural Group was granted the lease of the property and, with the Al-Ansaar Foundation, it renovated it.
At the property, the Al-Ansaar Foundation ran the Mariam Bee Sultan Preschool. While some of the rooms were used for tuition, the Al-Ansaar radio station broadcast from the property for 21 years until it moved in 2020.
Ebrahim Vawda, the treasurer of the forum, said the trust leased the property to them in 2018.
“We have been in existence for about 30 years. We did not have formal offices but we still managed to carry out various programmes, seminars, training and lectures.
“It was when the lease with the Women’s Cultural Group expired in 2017 that we saw the opportunity and negotiated a new lease with the trust. When we came on board, the first thing we found was that the property required extensive repairs and renovations.
“We first revamped the interior of the newer building, of which the upper level is now used as a lecture venue. Here we hold various lectures as well as the Friday prayers. The Women’s Cultural Group has remained and uses the lower level for its various activities. We also did the paving.”
Vawda said they then began renovations on the original building.
“We painted the building and put in new doors and windows. We also refurbished the rooms, some of which are still being used for tuition. We have tutors that hire out the rooms to provide lessons to high school and university students. This place is unbelievably busy on Saturdays.
“We also decided to rent out some of the other rooms which we renovated. Now you will find small businesses, such as the book and coffee shop, a bakery and a health food shop. This is ideal, especially for the parents who arrive early to pick up their children who attend the preschool.”
He said the preschool was also renovated and reopened.
“We revamped the classrooms as well as the play area. We also built a new ablution facility.”
Vawda said the aim was to make the venue a centre that catered for all.
“The main objective is to make it a vibrant centre for everyone, from all walks of life. If you look at ML Sultan, he served the community and not just one portion of the community. We aim to keep his legacy alive through this centre.”
Vawda said they intended to renovate the exterior of the newer building.