AN OPPORTUNIST WHO WAS GIVEN REFUGE BY THE ANC

(ANC TO BLAME FOR ALLOWING STOOGES TO JOIN ITS RANKS)

Who is this Visvin Reddy, who has been suspended by the ruling ANC for describing Indian-origin people as "whiners" and calling on the people "to go to India"? What is the background of this politician who is reportedly the chairman of an ANC branch in Chatsworth? At the time of our transition into our new non-racial democracy in 1994, I recall that Visvin Reddy was a pal and colleague of the late Amichand Rajbansi in his Minority Front party. Then after a while there was a fall-out between the two former stooges and Visvin Reddy ran to the ANC. The ANC had no business to open its doors to reactionary and apartheid opportunists, but sadly this is what had happened. Many former struggle activists such as the late Professor Fatima Meer were vehemently opposed to the ANC giving refuge and being a home to the likes of Visvin Reddy but it seems in politics there's no place for values and principles that we endeared during the struggle years. I don't know what Visvin Reddy's status in the ANC today is but it seems that he's gone overdrive in promoting his chances for higher office. He knows nothing about following the values and principles of the ANC struggles and, therefore, will do anything to promote himself. No member of the ANC worth his salt will sink to such a low level and the gutter to condemn fellow citizens and call on them to "go to India". Visvin Reddy must understand that all citizens are South Africans and they have the democratic right in terms of the freedom we attained in 1994 to express themselves freely and to associate themselves with whomsoever they choose. No one has the right to dictate to fellow South Africans as to which political party they must belong to or support. In the struggles that we had been involved in prior to 1994, we did not see people according to their race or colour or whether they were part of the majority or minority. We only saw people as those who were part of the oppressed and those who were the oppressors. Not black or white. It's only reactionaries of the types of Visvin Reddy who categorise people according to race in our new democratic South Africa. It seems some people of Indian-origin find themselves today in a state of disarray and confusion primarily because we don't anymore have the leaders of the calibre of the Monty Naickers, Yusuf Dadoos, Ismail Meers, Fatima Meers, J N Singhs, and George Singhs. Another reason for the confusion and disarray is that we don't have a progressive organisation like the Natal Indian Congress(NIC), which played a crucial role with the ANC and other progressive forces in bringing about the freedom we enjoy today. It seems certain leaders of the NIC had made a major error or misjudgement in pushing for the disbandment of the NIC early in 1994, just before the first democratic elections on April 27 of that year. Those who chose to disband the NIC did not even take into account the advice of Nelson Mandela that the NIC should remain because it had a role to play in the new South Africa. Although it may have been seen by some of the NIC activists to be a politically correct decision to take at that time, twenty years later many people of Indian-origin find that if the NIC was around today it could play a constructive role and a "guiding force" in the new South Africa. It's because of the lack of a progressive organisation like the NIC that we find elements such as the Visvin Reddys going astray. The ANC has now taken action by suspending Visvin Reddy. The next step must be to show him the door.

The ANC's secretary general in the KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Sihle Zikalala, said Reddy had been suspended immediately and the due internal processes would deal with the matter. "We are a non-racial party and will not promote such racial talk," said Mr Zikalala. "We do not associate ourselves with any sentiments which seek to divide our members on the basis of race, sex, colour or creed. The ANC is for everyone.” - ends - sg/dbn