South Africa's Oldest Hindu Temple Faces Financial Crisis Amid Fraud Allegations

South Africa's oldest Hindu temple, the 151-year-old Shree Ambalavaanar Alayam in Durban, faces a financial crisis with unpaid municipal bills exceeding half a million rand. The South African Hindu Maha Sabha (SAHMS) has urged the community to support the temple, which was established by Indian indentured laborers in 1860 and declared a National Heritage Site in 1980. Allegations have emerged that donations and funds were diverted to private accounts, prompting the temple's executive to initiate a forensic audit to investigate financial mismanagement.