VETERANS OF THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE CALL ON PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA AND THE RULING ANC GOVERNMENT TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE RACIAL RHETORIC BY JULIUS MALEMA AND HIS ILK

BY SUBRY GOVENDER

(Judge Thumba Pillay (right) and Swaminathan Gounden) Two veterans of the struggle against apartheid and minority rule have called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC Government to come out and clearly condemn those making racially-inciting statements. Retired judge, Thuma Pillay, and Swaminathan Gounden spoke to this correspondent soon after EFF leader, Julius Malema, repeated his statement that “majority of Indians” are racist when addressing his supporters in Newcastle on Monday (June 25 2018). Malema repeated his racial rhetoric after he made an appearance at the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court on charges of inciting people to invade land. He has been charged under the Riotous Assemblies Act of 1956 after he encouraged people to occupy land during a meeting in Newcastle in 2016.

(President Cyril Ramaphosa) Judge Pillay(82), who has been associated with the Natal Indian Congress, United Democratic Front, and other progressive organisations for most of his life, said President Ramaphosa and the ANC must not remain silent when Malema and people of his ilk “sow seeds of division and hatred”. “The ANC has been very silent on this serious issue and we want to urge President Ramaphosa that he must take the lead in re-assuring South Africans that racial hatred will not be tolerated in our new non-racial and democratic South Africa,” said Judge Pillay. “The President must come out and tell Malema in no uncertain terms that he does not know the history of the people of Indian-origin. “He must tell Malema that he knows the history of the people of Indian-origin because he has worked with many of the struggle leaders for the freedom we enjoy today. He must not allow this freedom to be destroyed by people like Malema. “If President Ramaphosa and the ANC cannot speak out against Malema and his elements, then which organisation that the minority people of Indian-origin can turn to? “The people of Indian-origin are looking forward to President Ramaphosa and the ANC to re-assure them. But at the moment this is not happening. Who do the people turn to?” He added: “We are very worried about what is going on. They are talking about the Indian question. You know when the Indian question first came about? It was in 1946 when M D Naidoo and others went to the United Nations to take up the cause of the people of Indian-origin because of the oppression they had been subjected to by successive colonial and minority governments. “After all these years they are still talking about Indian question. This is worrying and disturbing. “We don’t have leaders of the calibre of Dr Monty Naicker and Dr Yusuf Dadoo any longer.” Mr Swaminathan, 90, who has been involved in the social, trade union and political struggles against minority rule for more than seven decades, said he was concerned about the “racially disturbing” statements being made by Malema and other people. “The ANC must come out to bring Malema to order because people are concerned about what Malema is doing,” said Mr Gounden, who only recently was presented with an award in Pretoria by the Government for his contributions to the struggle. “Malema’s statements are promoting uncertainity and violence against the people. He is inciting the people against another group of people.” Mr Gounden also said most people were pining for leaders of the calibre of Drs Monty Naicker and Yusuf Dadoo. “At least if we had leaders of that calibre today then the people will feel re-assured that someone will be talking against incidences of racial incitement and divisions. “We all fought for this freedom and Malema and company must be told in no uncertain terms that they cannot sow seeds of division and hatred against citizens of this country.” Both Pillay and Gounden said they appreciated the actions of the Anglican Bishop of Johannesburg, Rt Rev Steve Moreo; IFP leader Dr Manosuthu Buthelezi; and others for speaking out against Malema when he first made the racially-disturbing statements against people of Indian-origin when addressing supporters two weeks ago in Klerksdorp in the North-West Province. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com (June 25 2018)

TONGAAT HOME AFFAIRS NEED TO APPOINT AN OFFICIAL TO GUIDE THE THRONGS OF PEOPLE IN A FRIENDLY MANNER

(PEOPLE WAITING TO BE ATTENDED TO INSIDE THE HOME AFFAIRS OFFICE IN TONGAAT) By Subry Govender The Tongaat office of the Department of Home Affairs needs a staff official or a volunteer who will be able to make life easier for people who visit the centre. This is what I found lacking when I visited the office on Monday, June 18 (2018) to renew my passport. When I arrived at about 12:15pm I found that the centre was already filled with people who had thronged the office from the early hours of June 18. They were there to apply for new ID documents, to apply for new or to renew passports; or to collect their new ID documents and passports. After waiting in the queue outside the office for about five minutes, I asked the young man in front of me what was the reason for his visit. “O’h I am here to renew my passport and I have been told to wait in the queue outside here,” said the student who resides in Durban North. We chatted for a while about the congestion inside the Home Affairs office and agreed that we have to wait for another three or four hours to finalise the renewal of our passport procedures.

After a few moments I went up to the security guard at the entrance and informed him that I had come to renew my passport and asked him what was the procedure. He responded by saying that I have to join the queue outside the entrance and follow those in front of me. After I re-joined the queue and waited for some time, a lady and her son came along and went straight to the entrance without joining the queue. The lady’s son was also there to renew his passport. He was informed that they must go straight to the official who was issuing ticket numbers. The young man from Durban North and I immediately went to the security official and informed him that we were also there to renew our passports. The security guard’s colleague, a lady official, was taken aback and said: “Who asked you to stand in the queue. You must go straight to the official who is issuing the tickets and join the queue there,” said the lady official. Now imagine this. After wasting about 30 minutes outside the entrance we had to join another queue to obtain our tickets. Nevertheless, after waiting for a few minutes I was issued my ticket and number to join another queue to get finger printed and to be photographed. This was about 12:50pm. The official in this queue took her own time and it was after another about 45 minutes that I had my finger prints and photo processed. “What is the next procedure?”, I asked the lady official. “You must wait to be processed in the front,” she said. She appeared to be too tired and not interested in entering into any conversation with me. I wanted to make a few suggestions about how the service could be improved and how the people could feel welcomed at the centre. The officials should not feel that they are doing favours to the people visiting the centre. After observing her lack of interest and her “don’t bother me” attitude, I joined the third queue to process the renewal of my passport. There were more than 100 people before me. During this time, I noticed that a lot of other people were having similar problems after not being informed fully of the procedures.

I spoke to a young lady who had arrived at the centre at 11am and she appeared to be frustrated at the delay in her identity document being processed. This was around about 2pm. “I wish there will be some official here who will interact with the people and make life easier,” she said. She added: “If they have someone talking to the people and helping them to join the proper queues, then I think people will not be so angry. This is my second visit here because the first time they just didn’t care about helping me. “I think they must also have an electronic system to keep the people informed as to the next number being served. If not the electronic system, then they must use a loud speaker to announce the next number.”

The lady who resides in an area nearby was served at about 30 minutes later. When my turn came at about 3:25pm, I found the same official who took my finger prints and photo at the desk. She was as usual mechanical and was not keen on listening to any suggestions about improving the service. When I insisted, she said: “You know we work very hard here and are also under-paid.” After she completed my application, I had to go to the cashier to pay R400 for the renewal of my passport. Here too we had to wait for some time because the cashier was not at her post. The young man from Durban North then asked another official: “Where is the cashier? We have been waiting for a while.” The official sitting at a desk, outside the cashier’s cabin, shouted: “Cashier. You are wanted.” After a few moments, the cashier lady returned to her post. The young man gave his money and slip number to her. But she told him: “Wait. I have to check something.” She then proceeded to attend to the mother and her son and me. We paid our monies and wished the young man from Durban North well. “Hope you will be finished soon,” I told him. It seems that officials here are over-burdened and that’s the reason they find it difficult to interact in a friendly manner with the people who visit the centre. But all is not gloom. About 30 minutes after I left the Tongaat office, I received an SMS from the Department of Home Affairs with this message: “We acknowledge receipt of PASSPORT application for …(ID number) on 18 June 2018. More info: 0800601190 OR www.dha.gov.za”. Ends – June 19 2018 (subrygovender@gmail.com)

MOON GOVENDER - ONE OF THE BACKROOM BOYS WHO PROMOTED NON-RACIALISM IN SPORT AT A TIME WHEN THE APARTHEID GOVERNMENT PRE 1994 TARGETED ANTI-APARTHEID ACTIVISTS.

(MOON GOVENDER AT THE ENTRANCE TO CURRIE'S FOUNTAIN IN THE ARELY 1970s) During the hey-days of the historic struggles for a non-racial and democratic society there were many people who made their contributions from “behind the scenes” without the limelight that followed many of the activist leaders at that time. In this feature in our Struggle Heroes and Heroines column, Subry Govender writes about the life of Moonsamy “Moon” Govender, one of the unsung activists who for nearly four decades until 1999 played a pivotal “backroom” role in promoting Durban’s Currie’s Fountain stadium as the mecca of non-racial sport and society in general. BY SUBRY GOVNDER "MR CURRIE'S FOUNTAIN" “I started as a labourer and I was introduced to the caretaker who was then known as the Sardar. He gave me a mop and a bucket and told me I must go and start washing the toilets that were all constructed of wood and iron. “From there I built myself and carried on.”

(MOON GOVENDER AT THE STANDS IN CURRIE'S FOUNTAIN) Mr Moonsamy “Moon” Govender, who was known as “Mr Currie’s Fountain” for most of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, was speaking to this correspondent in early 2 000 after he retired a year earlier from serving as “captain” of the historic Currie’s Fountain stadium for more than 45 years. He was 16-years-old when in 1952 he was recruited by the then secretary of the Durban Indian Sports Grounds Association, Mr Dave Moodley, to work at Currie’s Fountain. “At this time,” he told me, “I was working as a waiter at the Durban International Club in the Grey Street area”. “I got this job as a waiter after the famous educationist, Dr A D Lazarus, introduced me to the Durban International Club. My father used to at this time work as a gardener at the home of Dr Lazarus in Effingham Heights in Durban and on several occasions I used to join him at the home of Dr Lazarus. “My father told Dr Lazarus that it was not right for me to work as a gardener as well and that he should try to fix me a job. That is how Dr Lazarus used his influence to fix me a job as a waiter. “When working at the Durban International Club I met top people, including Mr Dave Moodley, who was the secretary of the Durban Indian Sports Grounds Association at that time. One day early in 1952 he approached me and asked me whether I would like to work for him at Currie’s Fountain. This is how I started work at Currie’s Fountain in early 1952.” Moon Govender saw this move from the Durban International Club to Currie’s Fountain as a major step in his working life. Although his entry into Curries Fountain started off at what could be described as an unpleasant experience, he quickly progressed from a toilet cleaner, grass cutter and labourer to the association’s office as a clerk. When in the late 1950s, the then secretary of the Durban Indian Sports Grounds Association, Mr R S Govender, passed on, Moon Govender was appointed as the new secretary.

(MOON GOVENDER WITH ONE OF THE OFFICIALS, MR ROY RAJU) As secretary he came under the influence of some of the most prominent anti-apartheid sports activists who were not only committed to the promotion of non-racial sport but also the transformation of the apartheid social, political and economic areas of life into an equal and non-racial society. Some of the forgotten veterans who influenced Moon Govender’s role in the promotion of non-racial sport were Mr E I Haffejee, who was president of the Durban Indian Sports Grounds Association from 1960 to 1964; Mr R Bijou, who was president of the Durban Sports Ground Association from 1964 to 1974; and Mr Ramhori Lutchman, who was president of the Durban Sports Gound Association from 1974 to 1982. Mr Govender told me that he had heard from his fellow activists that the leaders who initiated the establishment of Currie’s Fountain were Mr Albert Christopher, who was the first president from 1925 to 1926; Mr S L Singh, who was president from 1926 to 1960; and political icon, George Singh.

(MR RAMHORI LUTCHMAN IS ONE OF THE OFFICIALS MOON GOVENDER WORKED WITH AT CURRIE'S FOUNTAIN) Moon Govender also worked with sports leaders such as Abbas Rasool, who was president of the Durban Sports Gound Association and the Durban Football Association in the early 1980s; Rama Reddy, who was president of the South African Soccer Federation at that time; R K Naidoo, who was the first president of the SASF Professional League; Ashwin Trikamjee, who was also president of the SASF Professional League after Mr Naidoo; Charles Pillay, Vic Pillay, S K Chetty, Danny Naidoo, Norman Middleton, M N Pather, who was one of the top leaders of the anti-apartheid tennis union and SACOS, and Morgan Naidoo, who was involved in the non-racial swimming federation. He also came under the influence of non-racial cricket administrators such as Abdullah Khan, S K Reddy, Pat Naidoo, Harold Samuels, Krish Mackerdhuj, and Cassim Docrat.

(MR R. BIJOU IS ANOTHER OFFICIAL THAT MOON GOVENDER WORKED WITH AT CURRIE'S FOUNTAIN) All these activists were involved in the international struggle to isolate apartheid sport until there was freedom for all South Africans. Over the years since 1952 Moon Govender witnessed and participated in the struggles for non-racial sport from Currie’s Fountain. “This is where non-racialism in all codes of sport was born at Currie’s Fountain,” he told me. “And also to make it interesting we had people like Dennis Brutus and all the journalists who showed enormous courage in promoting non-racial sport at a time when the Government was only interested in harassing, intimidating, detaining, banning and denying activists their passports. “These people used to come to Currie’s Fountain and they were always targeted by the security branch. In order to evade the security branch officers they used to run away from the stands and hide behind Currie’s Fountain. In order to protect them I used to go right in the front in the ticket box and watch for these security policemen.” It was also during his term as “Mr Currie’s Fountain” that some of the finest football teams, footballers, cricketers and boxers who highlighted their skills at the mecca of non-racial sport. Some of the football teams include Aces United, Avalon Athletic, Moroko Swallows, Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Berea, Hearts, Maritzburg City, Verulam Suburbs and Lincoln City. Some of the footballers who caught the imagination of the people during Moon Govender’s work at Currie’s Fountain included Sewnarain Lal, Lionel Homiel, Dharam Mohan, Excellent Mthembu, Gava Ellis, “Black Cat” Cele, Scara Wanda, Sugar Ray Xulu, Hector Fynn, Pat Blair, Charles Carey, Deena Naidoo, Dudu Munsami, Fikky Vally, Stanley Govender, Daya Maistry, Sadeck Ebrahim and Preston Julius.

(MR R K NAIDOO, who was president of the Federation Professional League (FPL), was one of the sports leaders that Moon Govender worked with at Currie's Fountain) Currie’s Fountain also became a home for many anti-government activities by the black consciousness organisations and trade union movements such as Cosatu. One of the major events scheduled for Currie’s Fountain in 1974 was the pro-Frelimo rally that was organised to celebrate the rise of Frelimo to power in Mozambique. But the security police and the authorities in Durban had other ideas. “When the police came here they approached us and wanted to know what was going on because the rally was banned. We told them we are having a dance and all sorts of entertainment. But they didn’t listen to that. They said you are talking lies. They said they wanted to know the truth about where the BC leaders were. “At this time Strini Moodley, Saths Cooper and also Steve Biko were inside the stadium. They were all under the stand where the referees used to change and no one knew about this except me. I told them there’s nothing happening here, you can see people are dancing. “But the security police officer did not listen to me and he pulled me out and gave me a slap. Despite this harassment and intimidation by the security branch, I did not succumb to their antics. With the help of people like Luthcman, R K Naidoo, Morgan Naidoo, M N Pather, and other stalwarts we continued to make available Currie’s Fountain for the promotion not only of non-racial sport but also anti-apartheid organisations such as Cosatu, the BC movements, United Democratic Front and other organisations. “We wanted to play our role in keeping alive the struggles for a non-racial and democratic South Africa.”

(MOON GOVENDER'S GRAND-FATHER AND OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY AT THE DUFFS ROAD SUGAR ESTATE IN DURBAN IN THE 1930s) After 1990 when Nelson Mandela was released from life imprisonment and the ANC, PAC and other organisations were unbanned, Moon Govender once again made available Currie’s Fountain as a venue for political rallies and the revival of political organisations. When Moon Govender retired in 1999 after more than four decades as “Mr Currie’s Fountain”, it was the pinnacle of a working life that had its origins in the humble settings of a sugar estate at Ottawa on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. His father, Chinna Kollandrai Govender, came to South Africa from the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu in south India. He first worked as an indentured labourer at the Ottawa Sugar Estate, north of Durban near Mount Edgcombe. His father, after serving his first five-year indenture, moved to Frasers Sugar Estate on the North Coast where he married his mother, Muniamma Govender. Moon was born in April 1936 at the Duffs Road Sugar Estate where his parents moved to in the early 1920s. Moon was part of a large family of five brothers and five sisters.

(MOON GOVENDER'S FATHER, MOTHER AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS AT THEIR SUGAR ESTATE HOME ON THE NORTH COAST) Like most children in the 1930s and 1940s, Moon Govender did not have the opportunities to further his education after attending primary school at the Jhugroo Government-Aiden Indian School in Ottawa for a few years at that time. “I had to give up schooling because of the tough conditions at home. My father wanted me to start work and to contribute to the upkeep of our home.

(MOON GOVENDER IN HIS YOUNGER DAYS) “I used to go and work in the sugar estate, starting at five o clock in the morning and what we used to get for a day was two-and-half cents a day. We used to call it tickey. “When it came to food I am not ashamed to tell you this that every day our favourite food was porridge and herbs. “Despite my hard life and lack of a proper education, Curries Fountain gave me the opportunity to interact with some of the most prominent anti-apartheid activists and leaders and to make my contribution from the background to the freedom struggles.” At the time of his retirement in 1999, Moon Govender lived with his wife, Priscilla, in Unit 10, Phoenix. He passed on, on January 3 2008 at the age of 71. He is survived by his wife, five children, a number of grand-children and three brothers and four sisters who range in ages from 62 to 83. – ends (subrygovender@gmail.com) May 13 2018