Mahatma Gandhi created a symbiosis between India and South Africa.
This week (and more specifically) on the 2nd of October 2013, like in all other years, India and South African Indians celebrated the birthday date of one of the sons that India ever produced - Mahatma Gandhi. If he was still alive, he would have turned 144 years of age.
The history of the arrival of the indentured labour in South Africa and the process of their naturalisation to be South Africans cannot be explain without invoking the role Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi played in fighting for their liberties against the white racist minority rule that degraded their status to nothing less than almost kaffirs status. And so, the struggle of Indians in South Africa was in the most part, the same as the struggle waged by black Africans in general.
This explains why in later periods, many Indian leaders under Natal and Transvaal Indian Congress and later South African Indian Congress [SAIC] such as Dr Monty Naicker, Yusuf Dadoo [who was also SACP Chairman later], Ismael Meer, Ismael Cachalia, Ragombin, later we had Essop brothers etc. became prominent Congress movement leaders under the stewardship of the ANC. These leaders refused to be narrow in their struggle by only raising the Indian national question at the exclusion of the national question for all the oppressed.
Mahatma Gandhi played his legendary part in South Africa and put in particular the Indian question to the fore. The Satyagraha movement that got traction both in South Africa and India formed in 1919 marked the symbolical symbiosis between the Indian society and South Africa. This is a historic reality bequeathed upon us by history in the same way as the then Malay slaves.
Many critics have written about the strategic incorrectness of Ghandi's non-violent Satyagraha movement against the enemy [both South African white government and British rule in India] which, they argue, became an end in itself than a prong tactic in the broad streams within a larger strategy. That criticism notwithstanding, this movement did not regress the struggle but had some continuum towards irritating the system.
Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg have solid bronze statues of this icon which bear testimony to the man who have lived. Tourists sashay to capture by cameras the symbolism that these statues represent.
In his birthday month, this is a right opportunity to reject as unacceptable the organisation recently formed in Durban that contests the status of Indians in South Africa as equals for opportunity with black Africans. Amongst other things they cite is racism from Indians towards Africans. This anti-Indian group associated with COPE and EFF in KwaZulu Natal confuses historic group skirmishes within and amongst blacks and Indians of late 40s and issues of land as a basis to equate Indians to white rulers that robbed blacks land.
All of this that is being advanced by this organisation lacks any iota foundation. The simplistic view from this group may be equivalent to a narrow view of historic skirmishes between African tribes or in one Kingdom such as Zulu Kingdom under King Shaka where Mzilikazi had to run to exile to what today is Zimbabwe to form Ndebele tribe or Gcugcwa who ran to exile against King Shaka wrath to what today is Mozambique to build a Shangaan tribe.
The 1949 Zulu skirmishes with Indians and land competition was not from a power relations template but it was the wretched souls of the nation scrambling in the side- lines for what was taken by white rulers. There is nothing to write home to justify the turning of guns towards Indians.
What we must deal with is an issue of attitudes that exists between Indians and African blacks where the other group has economic foothold and therefore employs the other. The welfare and administration of that workplace relationship including vigilance against abuse and exploitation is critical.
This week African trade Ministers were hosted by South Africa meeting with Indian Trade Ministers to enhance trade relations. This is a further affirmation of the Indian historical standing as a developing country, having suffered colonialism and is in a self-discovery path towards prosperity since Nehru assumed power after British conceded power.
We can only reiterate the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi in the current conjuncture fittingly in a World full of war appetite. A World with leaders who are impatient to immerse themselves to negotiations and employment of non-violent means in finding solutions to achieve World peace.
The almost declared war to Syria by US is but one; the rise of Islamic terrorism that has no aversion to cold blood killings of civilians and children as we recover from ugly scenes of Kenya by Al-Shabaab militias, Boko Haram in Nigeria and rebels in various countries in Africa such as M23 in DRC triggers us to invite memories and wise teachings of Ghandi. Gandhi once said:
"An eye for an eye only ends up the whole World blind"
He said this precisely because he believed in peace. From his doctrine under the Satyagraha movement, peace and non -violent means to political questions was not an option. He abhorred violence and war. To fortify his aversion to war he once said:
"If we are to teach real peace in this World, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with children"
Let's remember this great icon by ensuring, as the ANC predicate, that we build unity of all South Africans on the basis of non-racial and non-sexist world view; the liberation of all Africans and blacks in particular from socio-economic bondage. Indians are very much part of our heritage and are very much part of South Africa society; an important tapestry that defines us as a nation. This is what ANC seeks to entrench.
Khaye Nkwanyana is the ANC Communication Subcommittee member and the Provincial Executive Committee member of the SACP in KwaZulu Natal.
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