GEORGE SEWPERSADH - ONE OF THE STRUGGLE HEROES WHO CONTRIBUTED ENORMOUSLY TO THE FREEDOM WE ENJOY TODAY

(GEORGE SEWPERSADH BEING CARRIED SHOULDER HIGHER BY SUPPORTERS AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM DETENTION DURING THE DARK OLD DAYS OF APARTHEID) INTRO: In our ongoing series on struggle heroes and heroines, veteran journalist, Subry Govender, in this contribution writes about George Chandradeo Sewpersadh. An unassuming political stalwart, Sewpersadh was, among other credentials, president of the Natal Indian Congress(NIC) in the 1970s and 1980s.

(GEORGE SEWPERSADH IN HIS UNIQUE DRESS CODE SEEN OUTSIDE AT ONE OF THE PROTEST MEETINGS) In the 1970s and 1980s when repression by the former apartheid regime was at its height, it was leaders of the calibre of Chandradeo George Sewpersadh who kept the fires burning for the new non-racial democracy that we enjoy today. Sewpersadh, who passed on at the age of 71 on May 18 2007, was one of the hundreds of selfless activists to pave the way for leaders of the ANC to take power in 1994. Born into a working class family in Cato Manor, Durban, on October 7 1936, Sewpersadh became actively involved in the anti-apartheid struggles while still in his teens. Influenced by India’s freedom leaders, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlall Nehru, Sewpersadh joined the Natal Indian Congress at the age of 20 at a time when political pioneers of the calibre of Dr Monty Naicker, Dr Yusuf Dadoo, Dr Kesaval Goonum, J N Singh, and I C Meer were dominant as leaders within the Indian-origin community. George Sewpersadh came to the fore as an activist in the 1970s when the repressive actions and laws of the apartheid regime totally suppressed all extra-parliamentary political activities in the 1960s. The regime outlawed the ANC, PAC, and Communist Party and arrested, detained and banned leaders of the calibre of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Dr Monty Naicker, Ismail Meer, and J N Singh. For some reason or the other the Natal Indian Congress escaped the sword. But for all intents and purposes it became non-functional with all its leaders either being banned, arrested, detained or forced into exile. It was during this period in 1971 that George Sewpersadh emerged as an activist who was to play a leading role in the anti-apartheid struggles. When Mewa Ramgobin, who initiated the revival of the Natal Indian Congress in 1971, was banned and house-arrested just before the NIC was to be relaunched, Sewpersadh had to step in to take-over the reigns of the NIC. He was elected along with Prof Jerry Coovadia, Paul David, Ela Gandhi and Dr Dilly Naidoo.

(SEWPERSADH WITH OTHER LEADERS WHO OCCUPIED THE BRITISH CONSULATE IN DURBAN. THEY ARE M J NAIDOO, MEWA RAMGOBIN, PAUL DEVADAS DAVID, ARCHIE HUMEDE AND BILLY NAIR) It was during this period that this correspondent came to know Sewpersadh not only as a human rights lawyer based in Verulam on the North Coast, but also as a committed and progressive leader in the political and social spheres. I knew him as a person who went the extra mile to assist the families of detainees and those in prison. He also made himself available to defend activists charged for their political activities. He had a unique dress code and always stood out at public meetings with his coat half open, shirt on the outside and his tie loosened. I recall that he was a staunch supporter and promoter of the ideals and principles of the Freedom Charter, which was drawn up by the Congress Alliance in Johannesburg in 1955. The Congress Alliance was made up of the ANC, South African Indian Congress, Coloured Peoples’ Congress, Congress of Democrats, which represented anti-apartheid white activists, and the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU). Like other activists of that era, Sewpersadh also suffered at the hands of the former apartheid regime. He was first banned for five years from 1973 to 1978 and then again from 1980 to 1983. He was also detained under the former regime’s terrorism laws and charged with High Treason in 1984 along with 15 other activists. The others charged were Mewa Ramgobin, who died a few months ago on October 17 2016, Paul Devadas David, the late M J Naidoo, the late Archie Gumede, Essop Jassat, Aubrey Mokoena, Curtis Nkondo, late Mrs Albertina Sisulu, Frank Chikane, Ebrahim Saloojee, Prof Ismail Mahomed, Thozamile Gqweta, Sisa Njikelana, Sam Kikine and Isaac Ngcobo. Prior to the High Treason charges, Sewpersadh and his colleagues focused the attention of the world on the situation in South Africa in September 1983 when they took refuge at the British Consulate in Durban. At that time the British Consulate was situated at the corner of Field and Smith Streets in central Durban. (Field and Smith streets have now been re-named Joe Slovo Street and Anton Lembede Street.) Sewpersadh and his comrades (Ramgobin, David, M J Naidoo, Gumede and Billy Nair) spent more than a month at the British Consulate in Durban. It was one of the most crucial periods in South Africa as with their action they had once again highlighted to the world the injustices perpetrated against the black majority by the former apartheid regime. Despite all the bannings, detentions, harassment and intimidation, Sewpersadh never succumbed to the antics of agents of the racist regime. He committed himself to the struggles as president of the Natal Indian Congress, vice-president of the United Democratic Front, a member of the Release Mandela Committee, a member of the Chatsworth Housing Action Committee, a member of the Phoenix Rent Action Committee, a member of the Durban Housing Action Committee(DHAC) and a member of the Mahatma Gandhi Trust. Sewpersadh took a back seat in the early 1990s. He told me in numerous interviews that it was now time for the ANC to lead the way. In my interviews I found him to be a modest individual who did not seek fame, wealth or position. He came across as a person who wanted others to come to the fore because he believed that he had done his job along with other activists to create the climate for a new crop of leaders to emerge in the new South Africa. “I am of the view that there is no need for the old activists to vie for positions in the new South Africa,” he used to emphasise in discussions with me. “We must be more concerned about the socially-deprived and the poor.” A few months before he passed on in 2007, George Sewpersadh telephoned me and said he wanted to speak to me about the current political and social in South Afrrica. When I arrived at his office in Verulam, he said: “Subry jump into my car. We will drive to the beach at Umdloti and chat there.” He spoke about the struggles to create the new South Africa and in no uncertain terms pointed out that he was disillusioned with the actions of some of the people in the new Government. He was concerned that the new ruling elite had not kept to the values and principles promoted by the Mandelas, Sisulus, Tambos, Monty Naickers, Yusuf Dadoos and Mbekis.

(SEWPERSADH WITH DR AUBREY MOKOAPE, ONE OF THE TREASON TRIALISTS) “Many of us sacrificed our lives for the democracy we enjoy today. But it seems some of the people in the new government have become more reckless than our former oppressors. They have forgotten the values and principles that we had committed ourselves during the height of the struggles,” he had said. When we departed, he told me: “Subry, we have made our contributions and it is now up to the new generation to ensure that the true values and principles of the new South Africa are promoted and protected.” Whatever he did was in the interests of the marginalised, a fast disappearing principle in the new South Africa where consumption and greed for wealth appears to the norm. George Sewpersadh left his mark as a humble and self-less human being, qualities that many in positions of power today should try to emulate. Although he became disillusioned during the last days of his life, he has not been forgotten in the new South Africa. One of the streets in Verulam where he practised as a lawyer all his active life, has been re-named “George Sewpersadh Street”. Ends – Feb 15 2017 (subrygovender@gmail.com)