OUR RICH HISTORY - TONGAAT’S LOGIE NAIDOO TELLS MARGARET THATCHER SHE’S NOT WELCOME

 

 

                           

 

INTRODUCTION:

Researching through my files of articles that I had done in the mid-1980s, I came across some about the anti-apartheid leaders and organisations in South Africa taking a strong stance against the British and American Government leaders at that time.

The Natal Indian Congress, United Democratic Front and progressive community organisations took leaders such as Mrs Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan for their so-called “constructive engagement” policies they adopted towards apartheid South Africa at that time.

They did not support the call for economic sanctions against the former apartheid regime.

The anti-apartheid organisations, for their part,  supported the total isolation of apartheid South Africa and the imposition of economic sanctions.

Against this background, the Tongaat Town Board at this time took a decision to confer the freedom of the town to the British Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher.

The Board took the decision after Mrs Thatcher publicly stated that she was opposed to economic sanctions against apartheid South Africa.

But the local civic organisation, led by Logie Naidoo, condemned the decision and asked Thatcher not to accept the award. Naidoo was also an activist and member of the Natal Indian Congress at that time.

We wrote an article about this and distributed it to India via the Press Trust of India and to other countries.

One newspaper published this story under the headline: “S A Indians boo Maggie” on August 30 1987.

The story read:

Durban, August 30 (PTI): The Indian residents of the Natal north coast town of Tongaat in South Africa are up in arms over the decision of the local municipal authority to confer freedom of the town on the British Premier, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, for her opposition to sanctions against South Africa.

The townsfolk through their civic association said Mrs Thatcher would not be welcome at Tongaat for her anti-sanctions stance, reports the Press Trust of SA.

The Tongaat Civic Association said the town should rather honour statesmen such as Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India; Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe; or Shridath Ramphal, secretary general of the Commonwealth, for their stand against apartheid.

Logie Naidoo, the civic association’s secretary, said the Board had no mandate from Tongaat’s citizens to confer the freedom of the town on Mrs Thatcher.

“We are astounded that while towns in England and Scotland are honouring people such as African National Congress (ANC) leader, Nelson Mandela, our local authority sees fit to honour Mrs Thatcher.

“Even if South Africa were free tomorrow, Tongaat would not honour Mrs Thatcher because of her long-standing pro-South African lobby.

“Our association unequivocally condemns the decision as being insensitive and one that does not in any way reflect the thinking of the Indian community of Tongaat.

“Our association wishes to point out that the Tongaat town board is not a democratic institution,” he said.

The civic association has written to Mrs Thatcher, saying her acceptance of the freedom of Tongaat would be tantamount to condoning apartheid. Ends – Press Trust of SA Aug 30 1987

 THATCHER NOT WELCOME IN SOUTH AFRICA

 

Four months later in January 1988, the British Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, made headlines once again when she said she would only visit South Africa after Nelson Mandela is released from life imprisonment.

But anti-apartheid leaders hit out at Thatcher, saying she would not be welcome even in a free South Africa because of her opposition to sanctions against apartheid South Africa.

We wrote an article about this new development and the story was published in several newspapers in India after we supplied it to the Press Trust of India (PTI).

The articles were published under the headlines: “Thatcher won’t be welcome in South Africa”, “Thatcher not welcome in South Africa”, and “Thatcher no ‘friend’ of blacks” in the Hindustan Times, Patriot, Indian Express and The Hindu.

The story published in the Patriot read:

Durban, Jan 24 (PTI): British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, will not be welcome in South Africa even if her demands for the release of Nelson Mandela are met by the Pretoria Government.

Anti-apartheid leaders in South Africa took this strong stand against her following the British leader’s statements that she would consider visiting South Africa only when Nelson Mandela was released from life imprisonment.

Thatcher reportedly made the demand after completing her recent visit to Kenya and Nigeria where she stuck to her guns that sanctions were not the answer to South Africa’s political problems.

The co-president of the non-racial United Democratic Front (UDF), Archie Gumede, told the Press Trust of South Africa (PTSA) news agency in an interview that Thatcher would not be welcome in South Africa even if Mandela was released  because the British leader was not a friend of the black people of the country.

“Thatcher would do well to stay away from South Africa because she has no admirers among the black majority. As far as I am concerned her call for the release of Mandela is hollow because she really does not challenge the status quo in South Africa,” said Gumede.

“She only made the call for the release of Mandela because after her visit to Kenya and Nigeria she now fully understands the anger of Africa against apartheid in South Africa.”

An executive member of the Natal Indian Congress, Mewa Ramgobin, said he supported Gumede’s attitude against the British leader because Thatcher had never sided with the just struggles of the black people of South Africa. Ends – Press Trust of SA News Agency Jan 24 1988