RECALLING NELSON MANDELA’S MESSAGE TO INDIAN-ORIGIN SOUTH AFRICANS IN 1994
(July 18 2021)
As South Africans celebrate Mandela Day and observe the 103rd birth anniversary of freedom icon, Nelson Mandela, veteran correspondent, Subry Govender, has dug deep into his archives to bring you Mandela’s words of advice and encouragement when he addressed the country’s people of Indian-origin in Chatsworth, Durban, in 1994.
Mandela’s statement that “we are one nation of many
cultures and religion” is totally relevant today (July 18 2021) when the
country has been plunged into an unnecessary state of mistrust and animosity
following the looting and burning last week in Durban, Pietermaritzburg and
other parts of KwaZulu-Natal and in and around Johannesburg.
Certain elements, known to the state, instigated the
violence, anarchy and chaos in an attempt not only to topple the Government of
President Cyril Ramaphosa but also to generate racial animosity between the
different communities.
I am recalling Mandela’s words of wisdom in this
article after spending a better part of this morning helping to clean up, with
some residents, some parts of the main road in the town of Ottawa, north of
Durban.
Seven months after being elected as the first
democratic President of South Africa in May 1994, Nelson Mandela visited
KwaZulu-Natal in November of that year to speak to the different communities.
One of the official functions he addressed was at
Chatsworth - home to more than 500 000 citizens of Indian-origin. He made
the visit and addressed the community as a whole at a time when there was
increasing anxiety about the anti-Indian sentiments that were emerging once
again; when land invasions were taking place on farms owned by Indian-origin
farmers in a number of areas on the North Coast and South Coast and when the
sudden spike in violent crime rate began to claim a number of lives.
Mandela, speaking to a large crowd of people, re-emphasised
that they had nothing to fear in the new South Africa.
“ALL COMMUNITIES NOW ENJOY EQUAL RESPECT WITHOUT
PREFERENCE”
Trying to re-assure the people, he said:
“We are confident that as the light of knowledge
conquers the darkness of evil, the benefits of the new era for peace and
prosperity, freedom and tolerance will now be clear.
“We are one nation of many cultures and religion. No
community or religion has anything to fear from non-racialism and democracy. On
the contrary all communities and religions now enjoy equal respect without
preference.”
Mandela then went onto make it crystal clear that in
the new, non-racial and democratic South Africa, no community should feel
threatened for affirming one’s identity.
“No longer do communities in affirming their
identities should feel themselves in conflict or separated from the rest of
society,” he told the people.
“The changes are the mark of the transformation
through which our society is growing. If and radical as the changes must be
they pose no threat to any community.”
Mandela then used the occasion to urge Indian-origin
South Africans not to allow themselves to be marginalised but to become a full
part of the new South Africa.
“Members of the Indian community,” he said, “who were
forced by apartheid to count themselves as part of a minority are now free to
become part of the majority”.
“REJECT THE PAST. JOIN HANDS FOR A BETTER LIFE”
“Exercise that freedom. Reject the past. Join hands
for a better life.”
In another act of statesmanship, Mandela surprised
those present when he quoted from the Indian scriptures to call on the people
to be confident and positive about the future South Africa.
He said: “As the Hindu scriptures say and I quote:
‘We are what our deep driving desire is. As our desire is, so is our will. As
our will is, so is our deed. As our deed is, so is our destiny.’
“DESTINY OF THE INDIAN COMMUNITY IS A BETTER LIFE FOR
ALL”
“The destiny of the Indian community is the better
life for all. We are one South African nation united in one common
destiny. Let this central thought guide
our deeds in our urgent task in building this new society.”
NATAL
INDIAN CONGRESS
South Africa’s first democratic President also used
the platform to praise the role played by leaders of the Natal Indian Congress
in the liberation struggles from the early 1900s to 1994. Some of the leaders
he mentioned included Dr Yusuf Dadoo, Dr Monty Naicker, Dr Kesaval Goonam,
Ismail Meer, Mrs Fatima Meer, and J N Singh.
This is what he said about their contributions and
the sacrifices by leaders such as Mewa Ramgobin, George Sewpersadh, D K Singh, Dr
Farouk Meer, M J Naidoo, Ms Ela Gandhi, Dr Jerry Coovadia, Paul Devadas David, Billy
Nair, Sunny Singh, R Ramesar and A H Randeree and countless other stalwarts
since the early 1960s.
“The spirit of freedom and peace which was embodied
in the Natal Indian Congress as an ardent opponent of oppression and division
lives on. Forced by the constraints of apartheid to work for a century through
a political organisation restricted to one community, it is now infused in the
larger body politics, a component of the creative energy which is working to
make our country free from which oppression, hunger and deprivation.”
The statements made by Nelson Mandela 27 years ago
are memorable insights that need to be repeated over and over again today.
They are words of wisdom that bring hope to those
South Africans who today feel their colour and ethnic groupings have become more
pronounced in what should be a non-racial society.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the hotspot
areas in Durban last week, has an enormous task of restoring Mandela’s message
of goodwill and respect between the affected communities in Durban.
It seems that the rogue elements who had fostered the
chaos, anarchy and racial divisions want to sabotage him at every level. These
rogue elements must be brought to book as soon as possible because they are
violating Mandela’s values and principles for a free, non-racial, democratic,
united, prosperous and peaceful South Africa. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com (July 18 2021)
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