THE VIEWS OF MEWALAL RAMGOBIN – ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S COMMITTED ANTI-APARTHEID LEADERS DURING THE STRUGGLES FOR A NON-RACIAL AND DEMOCRATIC ORDER - ON A FORUM OR A RESUSCITATED NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS TAKING UP ISSUES OF CONCERN TO THE PEOPLE

BY SUBRY GOVENDER Now that many South Africans of Indian-origin are discussing the political situation after the 6th democratic elections on May 8 2019 and after 25 years of democracy, I would like to bring you the views of Mewalal Ramgobin, who played a leading role in the early 1970s in the revival of the Natal Indian Congress. The revived NIC played a major role in the struggles for liberation in the absence of the ANC and other progressive organisations that were banned by the former apartheid regime. But in 1994, when South Africans were preparing for the country’s first democratic elections, the NIC was forced to shut shop after an agreement was reached that the ANC would represent and promote the aspirations of all South Africans. Ramgobin, who died at the age of 84 on Monday, Oct 17 2016, was one of the NIC leaders who supported the move for the people to throw their lot with the ANC.

(MEWA RAMGOBIN WITH ARCHBISHOP DENIS HURLEY AT ONE OF THE BRIEFINGS AGAINST THE FORMER APARTHEID REGIME) Beside the revival of the NIC, Ramgobin was best known for initiating the campaigns for the release of Nelson Mandela and other political leaders in 1971, the promotion of the values and principles of Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi’s Phoenix Settlement Trust, north of Durban; the establishment of the UDF in August 1983, the promotion of the struggles to international levels by occupying the British Consulate for several months in 1983, isolating apartheid opportunists and for playing a major role during the negotiations process from the early 1990s to 1994 when the new democratic order was established. For his involvement in the struggles, Ramgobin was hounded, harassed, targeted with a parcel bomb, and banned and house-arrested for nearly 20 years from 1970 to 1990. He was also detained and charged with High Treason in 1985 . Ramgobin became a member of parliament for the ANC in 1994 and occupied this position until his retirement in 2009. I interviewed Ramgobin in 2008 and asked him for his views about a Forum or for a resuscitated NIC to take up issues of concern to people of Indian-origin in the new democratic South Africa. I compiled this radio documentary after talking to him about the concerns of many people. (ends - subrygovender@gmail.com May 15 2019)