THE NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO OPERATE ALONGSIDE THE ANC

ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT ANTI-APARTHEID LEADERS DURING THE DARK DAYS OF RACIAL OPPRESSION IN SOUTH AFRICA WAS PROFESSOR FATIMA MEER. A SOCIOLOGIST, ACADEMIC, AUTHOR, WRITER AND A CONFIDANTE OF WINNIE AND NELSON MANDELA AND OTHER STRUGGLE STALWARTS, PROFESSOR MEER ALSO MADE ENORMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE STRUGGLES FOR A NON-RACIAL AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY. DURING MY LONG YEARS AS A JOURNALIST DURING THE STRUGGLE DAYS, I HAD REGULARLY INTERACTED WITH PROFESSOR MEER AND CONTINUED TO KEEP IN CONTACT WITH HER AFTER WE GAINED OUR FREEDOM IN 1994. IN ONE INTERVIEW AT HER HOME IN DURBAN IN 2008, PROFESSOR MEER WAS OF THE VIEW THAT THE HISTORICAL NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISBANDED. SHE WAS OF THE VIEW THAT THE NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO REMAIN AND OPERATE ALONGSIDE THE ANC IN PROMOTING THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL INTERESTS OF ALL SOUTH AFRICANS. TODAY, AFTER THE 6TH DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS THAT WAS HELD ON MAY 8 2019, HER VIEWS ARE AS RELEVANT AS THEY WERE IN 2008. I AM PUBLISHING THIS RADIO DOCUMENTARY CONTAINING PROFESSOR MEER'S VIEWS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS: