TOP POLITICAL LEADER CALLS FOR UNITY WITHIN THE ANC AND GREATER SOCIAL INTER-ACTION BETWEEN AFRICAN AND INDIAN PEOPLE IN SOUTH AFRICA AT THE ONE YEAR MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR STRUGGLE ACTIVIST, MEWA RAMGOIBIN

(MR MEWA RAMGOBIN ADDRESSING A PROTEST MEETING IN VERULAM AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STRUGGLES IN THE 1980s) By Subry Govender

(PREMIER WILLIES MCHUNU TALKING TO FORMER STRUGGLE ACTIVIST, DR FAROUK MEER, AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE) The Premier of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, Mr Willies Mchunu, has called for those using violence to promote their political ambitions to be identified and brought to justice. He made the call when addressing a number of political activists, political prisoners and others who attended the one year memorial service for struggle activist, Mewa Ramgobin, at the Somtseu Road Temple in Durban on Sunday, Oct 15. Mr Ramgobin passed away at the age of 84 in Cape Town on Oct 17 last year. Mr Mchunu said Mr Ramgobin and other leaders had stood for a united ANC without factions and divisions. He said the current violence in the province had affected unity in the ANC. “We are promoting dialogue to end this problem and we have faith in the Moerane Commission to identify the people responsible and for justice to be done,” he said.

(PREMIER WILLIES MCHUNU IN CONVERSATION WITH SATISH DHUPELIA, ELA GANDHI AND MEMBERS OF THE GANDHI FAMILY) Mr Mchunu also strongly condemned those involved in corruption and said this evil must be rooted out.

Mr Mchunu identified and acknowledged the former activists who attended the service. The activists had contributed to the liberation of South Africa and the establishment of a non-racial, democratic society. Some of the people he acknowledged were Ms Ela Gandhi, Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Dr Farouk Meer, Bishop Rubin Philip, Dr Dilly Naidoo, Sonny Singh, and Paddy Kearney.

He also acknowledged Mr Logie Naidoo, the former Deputy Mayor and Speaker of Ethekwini Municipality. He called on Mr Naidoo and the other activists to use their special skills in order to promote greater interaction and social cohesion between the African and Indian people. “Prior to the establishment of the group areas act we all lived side by side in Cato Manor and other areas. We lived in peace and harmony but this was shattered when the apartheid regime created townships such as Phoenix, KwaMashu, Umlazi, Chatsworth and Wentworth. “In the new South Africa we must all work together and promote the dream of our non-racial and democratic South Africa,” he said.

Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com