DR MONTY NAICKER ARTICLES AND STORIES ON DR MONTY NAICKER DURING THE PERIOD FROM EARLY 1973 TO 1978 WHEN I WORKED AT THE DAILY NEWS, WHICH WAS SITUATED AT THAT TIME AT 85 FIELD STREET, DURBAN (NOW JOE SLOVO STREET)

 

 

                            (Photo Daily News 1973)

 

During the hurly, burly days in the early 1970s, when I worked at the Daily News situated at 85 Field Street (now Joe Slovo Street) in Durban, I used to be in regular contact with a number of political, social, educational and sports leaders, including those who were either banned or house-arrested at that time.
One of the leaders who I kept in touch with and had written a number of articles about his restrictions was the leader of the Natal Indian Congress and the South African Indian Congress, Dr Monty Naicker. Dr Naicker would have turned 110 in September 2020.
I used to visit Dr Naicker at his surgery in Short Street, off Prince Edward Street (now Dr Goonam Street) to get information about his banning orders, restrictions, his struggles to go on holiday and his inability to communicate openly with other struggle stalwarts.
On numerous occasions when I visited him at his surgery, he would be most accommodating despite his restrictions. On several occasions while we were seated, he would lift the telephone of its hook and place it on the side.
When I used to inquire why he was doing that, he would say: “The security branch people would be listening to our conversation.”
I found the articles when researching my files during this period of Covid19 lockdown for struggle stories and profiles.
One of my first stories I wrote on Dr Naicker was on May 5 1973 about his 16-year banning order being lifted.
            

          

          16 – YEAR BAN ON DOCTOR LIFTED

 

 

 

The story read:

 

A Durban doctor who had been a banned person for 16 years yesterday described the joy of his friends and his own uncertainty when his banning order was lifted this week.

“My friends were more excited than I was. I wasn’t sure what to do when the order was lifted,” Dr G M Naicker said.

Dr Naicker, former president of the Natal Indian Congress and the South African Indian Congress, had his 10-year banning order, restricting him to the magisterial district of Durban, lifted at midnight on Monday.

Previously Dr Naicker had been banned for three successive periods of two years each.

“It was difficult. Being banned for such a long time I accepted the restrictions. They had become a way of life for me,” Dr Naicker said.

He said that after the first few years of being banned he no longer thought of life being anything else but restrictions on his movements and social life.

“Now I have to re-educate myself by getting used to a new life,” he said.

Despite all the restrictions which disrupted his life, Dr Naicker has no regrets.

“You have to pay the price and make sacrifices for your rights. There are no half measures.”

He said he had made no plans for the future.

“At the moment I just want to get used to my new life,” he said. Ends – Daily News Reporter May 5 1973

 

 

        NAICKER HOPES TO GET PASSPORT 
        (June 12 1973)

 

A month after the story on his banning orders being lifted was published, I wrote a piece about Dr Naicker intending to apply for a passport to visit family members in Britain and Ireland.
The story was published on June 12 1973 under the headline: “Naicker Hopes to get passport”.
The story read:
“Dr G M Naicker, the former president of the Natal and South African Indian Congress whose 16-year banning order was lifted early last month, is to apply for a passport to visit members of his family in the British Isles.
In an interview today, Dr Naicker said that he intended to visit his son in Ireland and his sister in Edinburgh.
He said that he was anxious to visit his son whom he had not seen for more than 24 years. His son settled in Ireland after studying in India.
Dr Naicker was last given a passport in 1948 when he went on a tour of India.
“After my return I took an active part in politics and because of my campaign for equal rights I was in and out of jail.
“And when my passport had expired, I did not apply for a renewal.”
Dr Naicker said his wife had applied for a passport in 1970 to visit his son in India but her application was refused.
“I am confident that I will be given a passport,” he said. Ends – Daily News Reporter June 12 1973

 

 

     BAN LIFTED BUT NO PASSPORT FOR DOCTOR
(August 28 1973)

 

                               

             

Then in August 1973 I wrote an article about Dr Naicker and his wife being denied passports. The article was published under the headline: “Ban lifted but no passport for doctor”.

The article read:

 

The former banned leader of the South African Indian Congress, Dr G M “Monty” Naicker, and his wife have been refused passports by the Minister of Interior, Dr Connie Mulder. No reason has been given.
Dr Naicker, whose banning order was lifted early in May after 16 years, applied eight weeks ago to the Department of Indian Affairs for passports for himself and his wife, Marie. The Naickers were planning to visit their son in Ireland and Dr Naicker’s sister, whom he had not seen for 28 years, in Scotland.
A disappointed Dr Naicker said in an interview today that he was being made to suffer for fighting for the humanitarian rights “of the oppressed people of South Africa”.
Dr Naicker said that murderers, swindlers, thieves and criminals got off free after serving periods of sentences but yet political prisoners were victimised after serving their sentences.
 
                    NO “YES MAN”
 
“I have served my sentences for the crimes that I was supposed to have committed but yet I am not a free man. The refusal of the passport is a first-class form of intimidation for not being a ‘yes man’,” he said.
Dr Naicker said that he could not understand why his wife was also refused a passport.
“I know of no reason,” he said, “why my wife should be denied her privileges unless of course she is paying the price for marrying me”.
There was nothing that he could say overseas that would affect the security of the country.
“The people overseas probably know more about South Africa’s injustices than you and I.”
Dr Naicker said that he might now visit Cape Town for a holiday.
He was hoping to visit other parts of the country and Swaziland, Botswana and Lourenzo Marques.
Mr G R Oakley of the Department of Indian Affairs said today that he did not why Dr Naicker was refused a passport “but the Minister has seen it fit not to grant Dr Naicker a passport”.
The Minister of Interior has denied passports to three other prominent black leaders recently. They are Mr Hassan Howa, president of the South African Cricket Board of Control; Mr Morgan Naidoo, president of the SA Amateur Swimming Federation; and the leader of the Labour Party, Mr Sonny Leon.
*In Johannesburg yesterday police visited Mr Chris Mokoditoa, vice-president of the Black Peoples’ Convention, and told him Dr Mulder had withdrawn his passport. Ends – Daily News Reporter August 28 1973
 

                      NAICKER PARTY: QUIZ

Then in July 1973, the Helping Hands Society, led by Dr Kesaval Goonam, had planned a "welcome home" function after Dr Naicker's banning orders were lifted. I spoke to an official of the sociey and filed a report under the headline: Naicker Party: Quiz on July 13 193.

           DR MONTY NAICKER TO SPEAK

 

Then in November 1974, I wrote a short piece about Dr Naicker being invited to address the Merebank Ratepayers’ Association in Durban.

The story read:

 

Dr G M “Monty” Naicker, a former leader of the Natal Indian Congress who was banned for 16 years until May last year, will address the annual meeting of the Merebank Ratepayers’ Association at the Woonathie Sabha temple hall, Merebank, on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the association said Dr Naicker, a strong opponent of the Government’s separate development policy, is expected to talk on the “farcical” aspects of the Indian Council. Ends – November 13 1974

 

 

  PASSPORT BIDS: THIRD “NO” IN THREE YEARS

 

In September 1975 I wrote another article about Dr Naicker being refused a passport for the third time in three years. The article was published under the headline: “Passport bids: Third ‘No’ in three years” on September 22 1975.

The article read:

 

The former banned leader of the Indian Congress, Dr G M “Monty” Naicker, and his wife have been refused passports for the third time in three years by the Minister of Interior, Dr Connie Mulder.

No reason has been given.

Dr Naicker first applied for his passport in June 1973, one month after his banning order was lifted after 16 years.

Dr Naicker (65) told the Daily News today that he and his wife, Marie, had applied in May to go to Mauritius. The Department of Indian Affairs just returned his money without explanation.

He said he could understand the Department of Interior refusing him a passport, but “why refuse my wife”?

“Why must my wife suffer for whatever crimes I might have committed in the eyes of the Government?

“It is the personal right of a citizen to be given a passport. I did not know that in this age of détente the Government refused passports,” he said.

He said the Government recently granted a banned couple and several other people who were anti-government in the old days, passports to go overseas.

“But I don’t know why they are treating me differently. I am going to continue to apply for our passports, until one of us gets tired.”

Meanwhile, Mr Norman Middleton, Coloured Representative Council Executive Member; and Mr Hassan Howa, former president of the Cricket Board of Control; are still waiting to hear from the Ministry of Interior about their passport applications.

Progressive Party MP, Rene de Villers, who negotiated for a passport for Mr Sonny Leon, leader of the anti-apartheid Labour Party, is negotiating on behalf of Mr Middleton. Ends – Daily News Reporter September 22 1975

 
NAICKER’S LATEST PASSPORT REFUSAL CONDEMNED

     Indian Council chairman appeals to Mulder

On the same day of September 22 1975 I went about interviewing a number of political leaders and anti-apartheid leaders about the refusal of a passport to Dr Naicker.

The article was published the next day under the headline: “Naicker’s latest passport refusal condemned” and sub-headline: “Indian Council chairman appeals to Mulder”.

The story read:

Mr J N Reddy, executive chairman of the Indian Council, has called on the Minister of Interior, Dr Connie Mulder, to grant a passport to the former banned leader of the Indian Congress, Dr G M “Monty” Naicker.

He has been refused one for the third time in three years.

Mr Reddy said yesterday it would be a welcome gesture on the part of the Government in this age of détente if a passport was granted to Dr Naicker.

The Government has been granting passports to many who had engaged in political activities and he could not understand why Dr Naicker was being refused one.

“Dr Naicker has had his innings and in any case his views had been expressed as far back as 1945. There is nothing new he can tell anybody.

“I want to strongly urge the Minister to grant Dr Naicker and his wife passports so that they can visit their family overseas or take a holiday.”

Mr Alan Paton, author and former leader of the Liberal Party, said the refusal of passports to Dr and Mrs Naicker was “mean and disgusting”.

He described the action as “vindictive” and said it left one speechless.

There were times when one became encouraged by Government moves towards change in South Africa, “but when they do a thing like this it makes one lose patience”, he said.

Senator Eric Winchester of the Progressive Reform Party said: “One is used to the Government’s refusal to grant passports to individuals from time to time, but one can never get used to the fact that citizens of South Africa should be denied their passports, unless they have committed a crime.” Ends – Daily News Reporter Sept 23 1975

 

 

BIG RECEPTION FOR MRS MANDELA

 

Then a month later in October 1975 I wrote an article about Dr Naicker being present at the former Louis Botha Airport to welcome Mrs Winnie Mandela whose banning orders had been lifted after 13 years on September 30 1975.

She was invited to Durban by a “Welcome Back Committee”, headed by Mrs Fatima Meer.

The story, published on October 12 1975, read:
 
Durban’s Black residents’ associations will hold a special “welcome back” ceremony for Mrs Winnie Mandela, wife of Robben Island prisoner, Mr Nelson Mandela, at the Beatrice Street Y M C A on Sunday at 4:30pm.
Mrs Mandela, who was banned for 13 years, had her banning orders lifted on September 30.
Mrs Fatima Meer, a member of the committee convening the function, told the Daily News that the “welcome back” reception was being held because of the many requests from the people of Durban to honour Mrs Mandela for “all her sacrifices in fighting for justice and freedom”.
She said Mrs Mandela who would arrive at Louis Botha Airport on Sunday at 3pm would be met by prominent black leaders, including Dr Manas Buthelezi, former Director of the Christian Institute; and Dr Monty Naicker, former president of the South African Indian Congress.
Mrs Meer said elaborate arrangements would be made for Mrs Mandela both at the airport and the Beatrice Street Y M C A. Loudspeakers would be installed outside the Y M C A. ends – Daily News Reporter October 12 1975.
 

NATIONAL DAY OF CONCERN OVER DETAINEE DEATHS URGED

 

Then when the apartheid regime increased its oppression and repression of anti-apartheid opponents in the years after 1976, I spoke to Dr Naicker about the new situation where a number of activists had died while in detention.
The story was published on January 13 1977 under the headline: “National day of concern over detainee deaths urged”.
The article read:
 
Dr Monty Naicker, a former banned leader of the South African Indian Congress, has called on all democratic leaders in the country to observe a “day of concern” for all people alleged to have died in detention.
Dr Naicker, who was the leader of the passive resistance campaigns in the 1940s, issued his call after the latest deaths in detention on Sunday of two Soweto blacks.
They were Dr Nanaoth Nthuunstsha, who is alleged to have hanged himself, and Mr Lawrence Ndzanga, who is alleged to have collapsed and died of natural causes.
The latest deaths bring to 13 the number of people believed to have died in detention since the beginning of 1976.
Dr Naicker said that beside the “day of concern”, black and white democratic leaders should actively intensify the call for an independent judicial commission to investigate the deaths in detention.
Mr Norman Middleton, vice-chairman of the Labour Party, supported the call for a “day of concern” because the deaths in detention were “becoming frightening”.
Those who died in police custody since the beginning of last year were Mr Joseph Mdluli (50), a former Durban member of the banned African National Congress; Mr Mapetla Mohapi (25), a former member of SASO and BPC; Mr Luke Mazwembe (32) of Cape Town; Mr Dumisani Mbatha (16), a Soweto student; Mr Jacob Mashabane (22), a University of Zululand student; Mr William Tshwane, a Soweto student; Mr Fenuwl Mogatusi (22) of Johannesburg; Mr Edward Nzolo (40) of Soweto; Mr Ernest Mamasila (35) of Springs; Mr Wellington Mlungisi Tshazibane (30), a Fort Hare and Oxford graduate and employee of De Beers-Lesotho Mining Company; and Mr George Botha, a Port Elizabeth school teacher who is alleged to have jumped six floors down a stairwell in Port Elizabeth’s Sanlam Building on December 15. Ends – Daily News Reporter January 13 1977
 

 

 
DR MONTY NAICKER PASSES ON, ON JANUARY 12 1978

 

A year later on January 12 1978, Dr Naicker passed away at the age of 67. I recall that after his funeral a memorial service was arranged by the Natal Indian Congress to be held at the Natal Tamil Vedic Hall in Carlisle Street, Durban.
But the memorial service never materialised. I phoned Mr R Ramesar, who was the secretary of the NIC at that time, and asked him what had happened.
“I am sorry Subry. The security police has been on our backs and they are making it difficult for us. We, therefore, sadly had to put off the memorial service. It’s a great tragedy for us,” he told me. 

 
MONTY NAICKER COMMEMMORATION COMMITTEE

 

(Mr Swaminathan Gounden (left), Mr Chinappan (right, who is now late) and another comrade (centre) attended the launch of the Monty Naicker Commemorative Committee in 2010)

In April 2010, nearly 16 years after the attainment of our non-racial democracy in April 1994, some leading members of the struggles in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s banded together to establish the Dr Monty Naicker Commemoration Committee in order to honour the legacy of Dr Naicker and other struggle stalwarts.

(Mr Kay Moonsamy (who is now late)  and three other comrades also attended the launch of the commemorative committee)

(Dr Khorshed Ginwala, who is now late,  and Ms Ela Gandhi also attended the launch of the commemorative committee)

When this was initiated, I wrote the following article about this move in April 2010: The article was published in the Sunday Tribune on April 18 2010. 

                                            

By Marimuthu Subramoney

Some former leading anti-apartheid activists have established the Monty Naicker Commemmoration Committee(MONACC) to organise events that will highlight the values and legacies of the former leader of the Natal Indian Congress and other struggle heroes.

The former activists include Paul Devadas David; former Transport Minister Mac Maharaj; former NIC secretary general Dr Dilly Naidoo; Dr Korshed Ginwala of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation; KZN MEC for Human Settlement  Mrs Maggie Govender; Charm Govender; former Robben Island prisoner and umkhonto we Sizwe soldier Sunny Singh; Swaminathan Gounden; and Ethekwini Deputy Mayor Logie Naidoo.

The Committee was established in January as the Congress Aliance Commemmoration Committee but after reservations expressed by some activists, the members decided to formally change the name at a meeting at the City Hall this past week.

"Although the Monty Naicker commemmoration events will coincide with the observation of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indian indentured labourers, the Committee plans to organise programmes on a continued basis in order to inform and education the people, especially the younger generation, about the vital and important role played by activists in the struggles for a non-racial and democratic South Africa," said Committee secretary, Charm Govender.

"The commemmoration events are also aimed at mobilising the people to contribute to the ongoing struggles to build a fully non-racial and cohesive South African society," said Govender.  

Some of the events that the Committee will highlight in exhibitions are the 1946 Passive Resistance campaign; the 1947 doctors pact between Dr A B Xuma, Dr Monty Naicker and Dr Yusud Dadoo; the 1952 Defiance Campaign; the 1955 Congress of the People in Kliptown, Johannesburg; the 1956 Treason Trial; the 1960 Sharpeville massacre; the bannings of the ANC and other organisations in 1960; the establishement of Umkhonto We Sizwe in 1960; the establishment of the United Democratic Front in 1983 and the ANTI-South African Indian Council campaigns in the 1980s and early 1990s.

"We will have a launch of the main Monty Naicker 100th birth anniversary celebration in Durban in the next few months and thereafter take the exhibition to all parts of KwaZulu-Natal and other parts of the country," said Govender.

"Our main focus will be schools where we plan to encourage essay writings and debates on the lives of Dr Naicker, Dr Dadoo, Dr Kesaval Goonum and other struggle heroes," he said.

"We want to ensure that our young people know about our rich political struggles and that they involve themselves in creating a non-racial future in our beloved country.

"The Committee will be a mobilising force for our non-racial society," said Govender. ends - M. Subramoney April 18 2010

 

A permanent archive centre under the management of MONAC has now been established and is a permanent feature at the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban.   Ends – Subry Govender December 28 2020

 

SATYAGRAHA AWARD FOR DR MONTY NAICKER IN SEPTEMBER 2010

 

Then in September 2010 I wrote another article about Dr Monty Naicker being bestowed with the Satyagraha Award by the Gandhi Development Trust at the Durban City Hall on September 9 2010. The article was published in the Sunday Tribune on September 12 2010.

The award was received by his son, Dr Kreesan Naicker.  ends - January 1 2022

FOOTNOTE: Dr Kreesan Naicker, son of Dr Naicker, said after he qualified in India he returned to Durban and never settled in Ireland. He was here when his father and mother applied for their passports to visit Dr Naicker's terminally-ill sister in Edinburgh, Scotland.

He said he was visited by the infamous security police officer, Nayagar, and told that they were prepared to grant their passports provided he would guarantee that Dr Naicker would not give an interview to the BBC about the situation in South Africa.

"I agreed knowing full well that my father will never agree to this."

 

G K MOODLEY - ONE OF THE GIANTS OF HUMANITY OF VERULAM IN SOUTH AFRICA. HE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 88 ON DECEMBER 23 2020 ONLY A FEW DAYS AFTER THE PASSING OF HIS WIFE. AS A TRIBUTE TO THIS GREAT SOUL I AM RE-PUBLISHING A PROFILE I WROTE ABOUT HIM IN AUGUST 2011

G K MOODLEY - A SHINING EXAMPLE FOR THE WHOLE OF HUMANITY

By Marimuthu Subramoney (aka Subry Govender) A former farm boy, who has been an educator for nearly 40 years, is still continuing his service to humanity at the age of 79. In addition to the educational and religious organisations he serves, Mr Moodley is the life blood of the Verulam Hospice, an organisation that he and a number of other community workers established 12 years ago. Despite his age, Mr Moodley is at the Verulam Hospice headquarters in Riyadh, Verulam, everyday from 8am in the morning to 4pm. "It is the community that has made us what we are today. Therefore, we must serve selflessly till we go to the grave," an unassuming Mr Moodley told me in an interview at the Verulam Hospice centre recently. The gentle and humble giant believes in the philosophy that "the world does not owe us anything". "We are born to serve. Service to humanity is service to God." Mr Ganasen Konapalan Moodley, who is popularly known as "GK", has come a long way from the farming area of Inanda where he was born on June 4, 1932. He was the eldest of 10 brothers and three sisters and belonged to a large extended family. Three brothers and one sister are now late. Mr Moodley, whose parents were market gardeners, is a descendant of an indentured labourer, Mr Appasamy Moodley, who came to the then Natal colony from the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. Although his parents were working class people, they emphasised the importance of education among all their children. "All of us had to do our stints on the farm but for some reason or the other I was allowed to concentrate on my education." He first attended a school in 1939 under a wattle tree in Inanda and, thereafter, went onto to complete his primary school education at the famous Moonsamy Government-Aided Indian School in Inanda. He attended the Tongaat High School where he was one of four pupils who attained first class passes in standard eight. Mr Moodley and three other class mates were accepted by Sastri College in Durban where they completed their matriculation. He, thereafter, qualified as a teacher at the Springfield College of Education and started to teach at the age of 19 at the Tongaat High School. He was at Tongaat High for only one month and, thereafter, moved to the Doringkop Primary School on the North Coast where he taught for three years. Over the next 35 years, Mr Moodley taught at various schools throughout the province as a teacher, deputy principal and principal. The schools include Wild Memorial and Moonsamy Primary in Inanda, Verulam High (which is now known as Verulam Secondary), Estcourt Secondary(vice-principal), S L Naidoo in Winterton(principal), Weenen Primary(principal), Deccan Road Primary in Pietermaritzburg(deputy principal), Stanger Primary School (principal), Chaks Primary School (principal), Chatsworth New Haven, Highstone Primary (Phoenix) and finally Mounthaven Primary in Verulam.

Mr Moodley retired in 1991 at the age of 59 from Mounthaven Primary where he served as principal for eight years. He was an educator for nearly 40 years. "The standard of education in those days was very very high because the children showed a great deal of respect to their teachers. For instance, when I taught at Verulam High we had Mr Simon David, who as the principal instilled commitment and dedication among both teachers and pupils. "I sincerely wish we could inculcate this discipline, dedication and commitment in our schools today." He has been so dedicated to his profession that throughout his teaching career, he has not taken a single day of "sick leave". Mr Moodley began his public life in the early 1960s when, together with other ex-pupils of the Moonsamy Primary School, he helped to build extensions at the school. When he moved into Verulam in 1972, Mr Moodley, who is a deeply religious person, joined the Shri Siva Subramaniam Alayam in Umdloti Drift where he used to organise the Sunday services. He served the temple as a secretary, vice-chairman, and chairman. He now serves the temple as a trustee. He was also responsible for the establishment of the Verualm Retired Teachers' Association, an organisation he has been the treasurer of for the past 14 years, and the Verulam Historical Society, of which he is also the treasurer. In 1997, Mr Moodley and a number of other community workers became involved in the establishment of the Verulam Hospice to help the terminally ill. After occupying a number of premises in Verulam, the organisation moved to their present premises in Riyadh in 2004. He has been the chairman for 12 years and currently serves as the HLVP of the organisation. "We offer hospice palliative care mainly to those afflicted with the HIV-AIDs virus and to cancer patients. We have a dedicated staff of 14 people who are helping those who are very ill. Currently we provide assistance to more than 254 adults and 30 children from Ottawa in the south to Stanger in the north. We are an NGO organisation and all our expenses are met through the kind assistance and donations by members of the public. "Providing this service brings immense joy to all of us." For his community service, Mr Moodley has been given a number of awards. These include the "community development" award by the Verulam 150th Anniversary Committee; Paul Harris Fellow Award by the Umhlanga Rocks Rotary for his "good relations and fellowship"; and Shri Siva Subramaniam Golden Anniversary Award for his services to the temple.

Mr Moodley, who speaks and writes Tamil, said for him the adherence to tradition and culture was just as important as "service to humanity". "Without our languages and cultures we will be lost. It's, therefore, vitally important that all attempts are taken to ensure that our languages and cultures are promoted." Mr Moodley, who married Ruby Moodley in 1957, has five adult daughters, six grand-children and one great-grand-child who is five-months-old. Mr Moodley has been described as a person "who has realised that his human life is constructed in such a manner that he has to perform actions that will make him move towards a spiritual destination". Mr Moodley himself has taken a leaf out of the lives of great philosophers, swamis and spiritual leaders. One of them is George Bernardt Shaw who once said: "I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle for me. It is sort of a splendid torch, which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on the future generations." A person of great humility, commitment, dedication, integrity, dignity and honesty, Mr Moodley is a shining example of a selfless community worker, not only in the town of Verulam, but humanity as a whole. ends - subrygovender@gmail.com February 2011

RAJAS PILLAY – OUR RICH HISTORY SERIES : THIS WAS AN ARTICLE WRITTEN ABOUT RAJAS PILLAY THREE YEARS. SHE PASSED AWAY TODAY DEC 29 2020. MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE

As we enter the 23rd year of our freedom, we want to recall the lives of scores of former anti-apartheid activists who played a vital role in some way or the other in the struggles for a free, non-racial and democratic South Africa. This series will be brought to you by veteran journalist, Subry Govender (Marimuthu Subramoney), who during his career spanning nearly five decades, has interviewed and profiled the lives of some of these political, social, educational and sports activists. In our first instalment, Subry Govender profiles the life of 72-year-old Rajaluxmi Pillay of Reservoir Hills in Durban who spent 12 years in exile as a member of the political division of the ANC’s military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe. SHE BECAME AWARE OF RACISM AT AN EARLY AGE WHILE GROWING UP IN THE MINING TOWN OF KIMBERLEY “My father was a member of the Natal Indian Congress and I have some letters from M D Naidoo and J N Singh asking him to attend meetings in Durban. He was also secretary to the Coloured Peoples’ Congress. So most of my political awareness at that time was coloured by the activities of my father.” Rajaluxmi Pillay, who is well-known as Rajas to her comrades, friends and family members, was speaking about her entry into the anti-apartheid fold when I interviewed her in July 2009 just before she was honoured for her contributions to the struggles by the Durban-based Mahatma Gandhi Foundation. Born in Pietermaritzburg in 1944 she became aware of the unjust political system when she was still a young girl while growing up in the diamond mining town of Kimberley. Her parents moved to Kimberley when she was still a baby. The discriminatory state of affairs at that time became clear to Rajas Pillay when she was denied entry to the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg and the University of Cape Town to study law in the early 1960s. She then went to London where spent three years from 1963 to 1966, completing her A levels. Here she came into contact with Dr Yusuf Dadoo and other South Africans in exile. “Dr Dadoo used to use our flat for meetings with South African students and I came to know him very closely and others such as Essop and Aziz Pahad,” Ms Pillay told me. CAME TO KNOW DR YUSUF DADOO VERY CLOSELY IN LONDON “Although Dr Dadoo did not tell us directly what he was talking to the students about, it was clear that he was organising on behalf of the ANC. Dadoo and all others in exile were part of the Anti-Apartheid Movement,” she had said. Heavily influenced by Dr Dadoo and the others, Rajas Pillay, accompanied by her younger brother and mother, returned to South Africa in 1966. They settled in Asherville in Durban. She continued her studies at the University of Natal, where she came under the influence of activists of the calibre of Paul Devadas David, Phyllis Naidoo, Steve Biko, Rogers Ragavan and Ben Ngubane. During the 1970s, Rajas Pillay came into contact with the ANC underground while working for the Game Discount Centre in West Street, Durban at that time. WORKED FOR THE UNDERGROUND “At the same time,” she said, “I became a field worker for a programme that the South African Council of Churches (SACC) was running to look after those who were affected by the oppressive actions of the apartheid people”. “This gave me a good cover to make contact with people like George Naicker, Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, Mac Maharaj, Justin Khuzwayo, Shadrack Maphumulo, Phyllis Naidoo who left the country at some stage or the other, and some of the ladies that Phyllis used to be dealing with. “There was a woman called Mynah. If I remember correctly her husband died on Robben Island and the regime did not inform her about his death. “So this interaction of the people in the underground gave me more and more of an opening to go into the ANC.” In 1979 Rajas Pillay was recruited as a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe and skipped the country to work for the ANC in Swaziland. Life here for the next 12 years was difficult and dangerous with the apartheid South African Defence Force carrying out regular raids against ANC safe houses. Rajas Pillay was on the run most of the time. “You know the regime used its security forces and agents to attack, kidnap and assassinate our people,” she recalled. “There was fear all the time on the outside. The ANC headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia, told us that we must not leave the area and that we must survive somehow or the other. LIVED ILLEGALLY IN SWAZILAND “So the only option for us was to go underground and to live there illegally until headquarters gave us some direction as to what should happen. Then in 1985 two people came from headquarters to investigate our situation. They were Cassius Marge and Paul Dikeledi. “But before they could leave the airport they were shot.” Rajas Pillay was seriously affected by all the attacks, kidnappings and assassinations and she had to travel to Holland to seek medical treatment. “Life in exile in Swaziland was tough and dangerous. This had a serious impact on a lot of us,” she said. SERIOUSLY AFFECTED BY THE KILLINGS, KINDNAPPINGS AND ATTACKS OF ANC ACTIVISTS BY THE APARTHEID REGIME She continued with her medical treatment after she returned to the country in 1991 when negotiations were in full swing between the ANC and the former National Party government. Although she was receiving medical treatment, Rajas Pillay immediately returned to active politics by joining the ANC branch in Reservoir Hills in 1991. She was one of the senior people who helped to organise the people during the elections in 1994. In July 2009, nearly 15 years into our non-racial and democratic order, Rajas Pillay was of the view that the country was proceeding in the right direction although there was still much more to be done. “More needs to be done,” she said, “to bring about the social and economic upliftment of the majority of the people”. “I believe more emphasis should be placed on education and the building of more schools for the many thousands of people who are on the sidelines of the new South Africa. THE ANC MUST LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE “The ANC must ensure that they attend to and listen to the people they are ruling. If they do this, then there will be nothing to fear,” she told me in that interview seven years ago. Rajas Pillay said she was hopeful about the future because the younger generation were not fully aware of the evils of the apartheid past. “The children today go to integrated schools where all the children sit with one another. They don’t see themselves in racial terms. “They know no colour and that is where our future lies. I think if the class-room situation permeates in the hospitals, buses, trains, beaches and all that, then I think we are on the right track,” she had said., Rajas Pillay is just one of thousands of unsung heroes and heroines who have contributed to the struggles without making the headlines. It's hoped that they will not be forgotten. The honour bestowed by the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation on Rajas Pillay in 2009 is just the kind of gesture that would educate the post-1994 generations about the sacrifices made by many in our different communities for a non-racial, democratic and just society. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com

THE CALL BY PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA FOR ALL SOUTH AFRICANS TO LEARN ONE OF THE OFFICIAL AFRICAN LANGUAGES WAS FIRST MADE 46 YEARS AGO BY INDIAN-ORIGIN TEACHER AND COMMUNITY LEADERS

                 (STORY I WROTE IN JULY 1974)

The call by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday ( December 13 2020) for South Africans to bridge the racial and cultural gaps by learning one of the official languages seems to have come 46 years after a similar call was made by leading Indian-origin educationists and community leaders. 
This call was first made in early July 1974 by the then president of the of the former South African Indian Teachers Association (SAITA), Mr R S Naidoo, and supported by a number of community leaders.
Mr  Naidoo called for the teaching of IsiZulu in all Indian-origin schools at that time so that the people would be able to interact and communicate better.
In his call to promote the Day of Recomnciliation, President Ramaphosa said learning another of the 11 official languages would help to promote cross-cultural understanding.
He said: “Reconciliation is a weighty concept, and there may be many who are unsure as to what they can actually do to advance racial reconciliation. We may feel reticent to take the first step or to reach out, for fear of being judged or even rejected.
“On this Reconciliation Day, I call on each of our citizens to think of the simple things they could do to reach out across the racial divide in their every day lives. One way of doing this is to learn another South African language.
“By trying to learn the language of your friend, your colleague, your neighbour, or the people you interact with daily in public places, you go beyond just demonstrating cross-cultural understanding.
You open up the space for real communication. We need to find ways to reach beyond our social and professional circles, to appreciate other people’s points of views.”
The call by President Ramaphosa is indeed what should be happening in reality in our every lives in our new non-racial and democratic South Africa.
It seems if the authorities in 1974 had listened to the pleas of the Indian-origin educational and community leaders at that time we would have been nearly five decades into speaking, communicating and interacting with our fellow South Africans in the majority language, particularly in KZN and in the Johannesburg-Pretoria region. 
At that time in 1974 I was working for the Daily News and had covered the meeting at the Durban City Hall where Mr Naidoo made his call. The story was published under the headline: “Teach Zulu in Indian schools, say teachers” on July 3 1974.

                     ‘TEACH ZULU IN INDIAN SCHOOLS, SAY TEACHERS”

The article read:

The President of the South African Indian Teachers’ Association, Mr R S Naidoo, has called for the teaching of Zulu as a third language in Indian schools.
Making his presidential address at the 48th annual conference of the association in the Durban City Hall, Mr Naidoo said that four fifths of the Indian population lived in Natal and, therefore, it was essential for all Indian school-children to be taught Zulu.

                   VITAL TO LIVE IN HARMONY

He said that as a minority group in a multiracial country, it was vital for the Indian community to live in harmony with all fellow South Africans on a basis of mutual respect.
“One of our biggest concerns here is the slowly diminishing number of contact points with our fellow South Africans and the effect of this isolation on our education and the choices available to our children.
“Getting to know the other man’s point of view and his way of life are important, and language is the effective means to this end.

                     LAST YEAR FOR LATIN

“This is the last year for Latin as a second language, and in effect almost all our children will be studying only the two official languages, English and Afrikaans,” he said.

          ZULU SHOULD BE A THIRD LANGUAGE

Mr Naidoo said that Zulu, numerically the most important black language, which was not being taught anywhere in Indian schools, should be added as a third language. 
There had also been a clamour for the introduction of Indian languages but to date no progress had been made, he said.
Mr Naidoo said that it was regrettable the University of Durban-Westville had not yet recognised the association as the official mouthpiece of Indian teachers.
“The SAITA is officially recognised and serves on several statutory professional committees covering teacher-training, examinations, subject programmes and libraries.
“The voice of the Indian teacher is heard and it has been conceded that he has made some useful contributions.
“Teacher training, however, is not controlled by the Department of Indian Affairs alone. A substantial part of it is in the hands of the UDW which has been in existence for some 13 years.
“There is no such recognition of SAITA by them in their faculty of education, although we are the only body of Indian teachers in this country and as such are directly involved in their practical teaching programmes in our schools.” Ends – M. Subramoney July 3 1974

(Story published on October 12 1974)

TEACH OUR CHILDREN ZULU, SAY INDIAN PARENTS

Over the next three months, I took up the call of Mr Naidoo and talked to community leaders.  The unanimous view of all the people I spoke to was that the learning of Zulu will provide an opportunity for future generations to interact and communicate better with our fellow African citizens.
I wrote an article about this and it was published on October 12 1974 under the headline: “Teach our children Zulu, say Indian parents”.

The article read:

Indian teachers and parents are anxious that Zulu be taught as a third language in Indian schools.
This is the finding of a Daily News survey conducted among leading members of the Indian community who felt that a stand must be made for Zulu to be introduced as a language. 

LEARNING OF ZULU WOULD LEAD TO BETTER COMMUNICATION, GREATER UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT BETWEEN THE AFRICAN AND INDAN COMMUNITIES

The Indian leaders were of the opinion that it was important for Indian children to learn Zulu because it would lead to better communication, greater understanding and respect between the African and Indian communities.
The Indian leaders claimed that separation of the racial groups led to ignorance and confrontation. The Zulu language would be the binding influence between the minority groups and the majority of the people of South Africa.

                     HARMONY

The president of the South African Indian Teachers’ Association, Mr R S Naidoo, who made the call early this year, said today that his association would make the request to the Department of Indian Education in the next week.
“As the smallest minority in South Africa it behoves us to live in harmony with our fellow South Africans, on the basis of mutual respect,” he said.

TEACHING OF ZULU IN INDIAN SCHOOLS – LONG OVERDUE

The outgoing Indian Council Executive member, Mr Y S Chinsamy, said it was long overdue for Zulu to be taught in Indian schools.
Mr Chinsamy, who is a grantee of three Indian schools in Verulam with more than 35 years of service to Indian education, said that he fully supported the stand by the teachers’ association.

                         EXCELLENT

The chairman of the Natal Association of Indian Education Committees, Dr Fatima Mayat, said that it was very important for Indian children to know Zulu.
“It is an excellent idea for Zulu to be introduced in schools,” she said.
The Director of Indian Education, Mr P W Prinsloo, said that if a request was made for Zulu to be introduced in Indian schools, it would be considered just like any other subject.
“It will first have to be sanctioned by our examination board and then by the Joint Matriculation Board in Pretoria.
“I don’t know if it will be approved or not,” he said. Ends – Marimuthu Subramoney October 12 1974

Twenty five years later in 1995, one year after the attainment of our non-racial democracy, I interviewed the first MEC for Education in KwaZulu-Natal about the need for Zulu being taught in all schools. I had joined the SABC in Durban as a senior political journalist about six months earlier and was determined to see if the new leaders would show any understanding of the need for Zulu to be one of the languages taught in schools.
I was covering an official event in Port Shepstone where the Education MEC was the main guest speaker. 
At the conclusion of the event, I approached the MEC and requested to talk to him about an important education matter. He was not too happy that I was not just covering his event but was also keen on talking to him about another matter.
He said: “I am very busy but will give you a few minutes.”
I told him about the importance of Zulu as a medium of communication in KwaZulu-Natal and asked him whether he would be doing anything to promote Zulu as one of the languages to be taught in all schools in the province.
His response was really thought-provoking. He said: “If anyone wants to learn Zulu then they must do it on their own.”
I was taken aback but asked him whether he did not realise that that Zulu was a major language of communication in the province and it was vital for harmonious relationship between all the people. He did not respond but just looked at me.
When I returned to the SABC offices in Durban I wrote a script and recorded a radio feature on my interview with the MEC and the importance of Zulu being taught in schools.
There was very little reaction from the powers to be at that time and I did not take up the matter any further.

The latest call by President Ramaphosa demonstrates the ignorance of the former apartheid regime and some of the early leaders in 1994 who failed to failed to see the importance of African languages being taught in schools.
I understand Zulu is now being taught in schools in KwaZulu-Natal but whether its importance is being emphasised is another matter altogether. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com December 14 2020