By Subry Govender
(Veteran Political Journalist (Third generation descendant of indentured labourers)
In 2010 when South Africans of Indian-origin were
observing the 150th anniversary of the arrival of their indentured
ancestors to the former Natal Colony, I had the opportunity, with the support
of my colleague, R Brijlall, Editor of Post newspaper at the time, to visit a
number of sugar estates where our ancestors had slaved in the sugar cane
fields.
Now in November 2020 when we are observing the 160th anniversary of the arrival of our forefathers and mothers, I want to re-publish the stories of the sugar estates that I had the pleasure of visiting. Their stories have to be repeated in order to inform the younger generation of the rich history of sugar cane indentured workers.
INTRODUCTION
When Indian indentured labourers arrived in batches between November 16 1860 to about 1911, they were recruited by sugar cane farmers to work at various sugar farms on the North Coast, South Coast and around the port of Durban in the former Natal Colony of South Africa.
Some of the sugar farms the indentured labourers
toiled in were at Darnall, Gledhow, Mtubatuba, Stanger, Doronkop, Melville,
Felixton, Tongaat, Verulam, Ottawa, Mount Edgecombe, Shakaskraal,
Inanda, Reunion, Isipingo, Illovo, Renishaw, Umzinto, Esperanza, Sezela, Port
Shepstone, and Umzimkulu.
One hundred and fifty years later, most of the
descendants of the indentured labourers have migrated from the sugar estates to
the urban areas of Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Stanger, Tongaat, Verulam, Port
Shepstone, Umzinto, and other areas. Many of the sugar estates are also now not
in existence any longer.
However, there are still many people who work and
live on some of the sugar estates.
In order not to forget these people of the soil on
the 150th anniversary of the arrival of indentured labourers from India, senior
political journalist and editor, Marimuthu Subramoney (Subry Govender), visited
some of the sugar estates on the North Coast and the South Coast to report on
their lives today. Here is the report....... .
(New Guelderland - early houses in which indentured labourers lived in the 1900s. Photo supplied by New Guelderland Sugar Estate office)
NEW GUELDERLAND
"I
worked and toiled in the sugar fields here for 36 years, following in the
footsteps of my parents and my grand-parents."
This
is how 63-year-old Mrs Muniamma Perumal described her life in the New
Guelderland sugar estate, situated about seven kilometres to the north of
KwaDukuza. New Guelderland is one of the sugar estates where Indian indentured
labourers and their descendants had made huge sacrifices to build a home for
themselves and their families since arriving in the then Natal Colony 150 years
ago.
The
early indentured sugar labourers were first employed by the New Guelderland
sugar estate in the 1870s when the New Guelderland sugar estate and mill was
purchased by the Stewart family, who were from Scotland. The sugar estate was orginally
established in the late 1850s by a group of Dutch settlers, led by T C
Collenbrander. The name New Guelderland originated from the town of Gelderland
in Holland where the Dutch settlers came from.
The
Indian indentured labourers were recruited from India and other local sugar
estates because the Stewart family found that the Indian workers were
hard-working and most reliable.
MRS MUNIAMMA PERUMAL STORY
When
I visited the estate I found Mrs Perumal sitting with some friends at a small
settlement, known as New Town, where just over 100 families had been
provided with accommodation by the sugar estate. The two-room brick houses are
clearly visible when one travels on the N2 just past KwaDukuza and when
visitors and golfers drive to the Princes Grant Golf Course. The little village
is inhabited mainly by those who have retired and a few employees of the sugar
estate.
The
village boasts a small temple and a church for the cultural and religious needs
of the community.
"I
was born in the sugar barracks near the old main road along with with my three
brothers and one sister," said Mrs Perumal.
"At
that time there were only about 200 families working and living in the sugar
estate. I only went to school up to standard one and at the age of 12, I began
working in the sugar fields. I remember we used to get up very early in the
morning, pack our lunch of mealie rice and dhall, and then walk to the fields.
We used to weed and clean the fields from 6am to 2pm. We were only given 10
minutes break at 10 o clock and then at twelve o clock we used to have lunch.
"It
used to be hard work but we never really thought of the hardships because our
family needed the few extra cents that we were earning. I used to get about
thirty cents a day."
Mrs
Perumal said when she was only 18-years-old, her parents arranged her
marriage with someone from the same estate.
"After
I got married, I continued to work in the fields. I can remember that I had
worked in the fields for 36 years before I stopped," she said.
Mrs
Perumal and her husband have four children - three boys and a girl - and ten
grand-children.
"We
like this place because this is where we were born, grew up and lived all our
lives. My grand-parents, who came from India, and my parents also worked and
lived here. But now we are worried because the Stewarts have sold most of the
sugar estate for housing and other development.
"We
have been promised that we will be given security and we will be allowed to
stay here as long as we live. I just hope that we will not have to be worry
about a home during our old age."
MUNIEN RAMSAMY
Another
person who was born, worked and lived in the New Guelderland sugar estate is
72-years-old Munien Ramsamy. His grand-parents, Allen Pillay and Wolvia Amma,
came from the district of Kannchipurman in Tamil Nadu. His father, Ramsamy Munien,
was born in New Guelderland.
Mr
Munien's three brothers and three sisters were also born in the sugar estate.
Two of his brothers and one sister have passed on.
Mr
Munien, who has three sons and four daughters, has worked for the New
Guelderland sugar estate for 47 years as a field hand, labourer in the building
department and a supervisor. He retired in 1994.
"My
family has worked very hard in this place. My grand-parents, parents and my
brothers and sisters know no other place than New Guelderland. The younger
generation have moved to other areas but we, the older generation, love this
place. One of my sisters lives next door to me," said Mr Munien.
Mr
Munien said although life was tough in the old days, living in barrack-type tin
houses and surviving on food rations, there was still a lot of "fun
and laughter".
"I
remember as young boys we used to play football in the fields and used to walk
to Stanger on Saturday evenings to watch MGR and Sivaji films on the big
screen. We used to look forward to going to Stanger because the movies brought
us a great deal of relief, pleasure and enjoyment," he said.
"The
old days were really wonderful. There were about 200 families here and all of
us lived like brothers and sisters. One of the past-times we especially enjoyed
was fishing. Every family used to walk to the beach to do fishing whenever they
had any spare time. In my retirement years I miss all my friends of the early
years."
(Some former sugar cane estate workers at New Guelderland developed houses like this to live in)
SIVAPERUMAL DADDY MUNSAMI
Another
long-time resident of New Guelderland is 74-year-old Mr Sivaperumal Daddy
Munsami, whose grand-father also came to South Africa as an indentured
labourer. His grand-parents first worked at nearby Kearsney before moving to
New Guelderland.
His
father, Sivaperumal Munsami, also worked as a labourer at the sugar estate and
he recalls living in the tin barracks with his four brothers and four sisters.
"I
worked in the fields for 12 years as a young man and being paid about R9 a month.
After that I moved to various jobs and then worked as a time clerk from 1962 to
2001 when I retired. In the early days we used to be given food rations of
mealie meal, dhall, flour, rice, pumkin, and potatoes every week. With this we
had to survive. We had no luxuries such as meat," he said.
Mr
Munsami married in 1954 and has five children - four boys and a girl - and a
number of grand-children.
"This
place where we are now living in is very peaceful and we want to continue to
live here until the end of our lives. We have been told that the area has been
sold for new development but the New Guelderland management has promised us
that the place where we are staying will remain in our names for as long as we
live."
He
said although he and many others did not have the chance of attaining any
education, a number of the new generation had the opportunity of attending
primary school in the area and many of them had climbed the ladder over the
years to become teachers and doctors.
"Today
in South Africa we must realise that education is all important. Our parents,
although they did not have any means encouraged their children to ensure that
their children and grand-children should obtain an education.
"I
would urge our young people today to show more respect for their parents and to
ensure that they attain a decent education. Without tertiary and higher
education, the children of today will be nothing," he said.
ONLY ABOUT 12 INDIAN-ORIGIN PEOPLE STILL
WORK IN THE SUGAR ESTATE
Currently
there are only about 12 Indian-origin people who work for the sugar estate -
three maintenance personnel, one administration clerk, one driver and six
domestics.
The
sugar estate, which has been in the hands of the Stewart family for 140 years,
will in the not too distant future give way to the new Blythedale development.
According
to the agricultural director of the estate, Mr Rodger Stewart, the
Indian-origin former workers and those current employees who are resident on
the estate would not be displaced. They would be provided with alternative
accommodation that would blend in with the new development. - ends 2010 subrygovender@gmail.com
DARNALL
(Darnall Shri Subramanier Alyam Temple)
A short distance away from New Guelderland is the
village of Darnall, another area where our forefathers and mothers were taken
to work on the sugar estates.
Here I found two magnificent religious
institutions, believed to have been built 120 and 106 years ago, are stately
reminders of the early settlement of indentured labourers in this small sugar
mill village on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.
(Darnall Baptist Church)
The Shree Siva Subramanian Alayam and the Darnall
Baptist Church were built by indentured labourers who moved to the village from
surrounding sugar estates to work at the sugar mill in the late 1880s and early
1890s.
These heritage sites stood out large and
proud.
The temple, initially built of reed and mud, at
first served not only as a place of prayer for the indentured labourers and
their families but also as a meeting point for all the people.
The Baptist Church, built in the early 1900s, also
served as a prayer and meeting place for the Indian Christians.
The early Indians first lived in reed and mud
houses that they built themselves. Then they were housed in one-room
barrack-type homes with communal toilets. They had to fetch water from the
nearby Nonoti River for personal use.
Their homes were first known as Mill or Down
Barracks. Then as their numbers grew to about 200, they were provided with
accommodation to what became known as Top Barracks and Temple Street.
In the 1960s, the sugar mill, now owned by
Tongaat-Hullett, demolished the barrack-type homes and provided the workers
with slightly better quality accommodation with running water and
electricity.
"Initially all our grand-parents and parents
worked only as labourers at the mill," said 75-year-old Mr Paul Arthur,
who is the chairperson of the heritage Baptist Church.
Mr Arthur retired as a school principal about 10
years ago after being in the teaching profession for 42 years.
His grand-father, Guriah, came from the district of
Vizakapatnam in South India. His father, Attiah Guriah, worked as a cook for
the Darnall mill manager. As time passed his father became known as Arthur and
this name over time became the family name.
"I must tell you the conditions in the early
stages were not pleasant for our forefathers," said Mr Arthur.
"But over time our people rose from mere
labourers to other jobs at the mill as clerks and machine minders. The
situation has changed to such an extent today that the mill manager is of
Indian-origin."
AYAPAN NAIR
Another son of Darnall is 70-year-old Ayapan Nair,
who is the current treasurer and former chairman of the Shree Subramaniam
Alayam Temple. His grand-father, Krishnan Nair, was one of the early indentured
labourers who worked on sugar estates on the north coast.
His father, Subramoney Krishna, first worked for
the Huletts Sugar Mill in Empangeni before being transferred in 1939 to
Darnall.
Mr Nair and his five brothers and two sisters were
born in Darnall.
He started work at the Darnall Sugar Mill in 1957
as a boiler attendant and retired recently as a supervisor after 42 years of
service.
"I was born here and my whole life is
here," said Mr Nair.
"I have been a member of the temple from the
age of 10."
The temple is believed to be the second oldest
Hindu temple in South Africa after the Shree Emperumal temple in Mount
Edgcombe.
The temple and the Baptist church have been
upgraded and developed over the years. The temple complex also comprises a
small Hanuman shrine and a modern hall, while the Baptist church also boasts a
hall in its complex.
Both Mr Arthur and Mr Nair point out that although
people belonged to different language groups and religions, all of them lived
as "one big family" in the early days.
"I can recall the days when as children we
used to partake in all religious festivities without any worry in the
world," said Mr Arthur.
For his part, Mr Nair said: "We regarded
everyone as our family. There was no such thing as one person being a
Christian, Hindu or a Muslim. We were one big family."
GOKOOLS AND GOVENDERS
Both Mr Arthur and Mr Nair recalled that there were
a number of families who had made significant contributions to community life
in Darnall over the decades. They included the Gokools, Munian Govenders,
Sarvana Moodleys, Nadas Govenders, Nagoors, Davids, P D Johns, P.K. Samuel, and
Murugans.
The early Indians in the village did not only
concentrate on religious and community life but also made sure that their
children were provided with education opportunities. The first English school
was started at the Baptist Church.
Today, the community prides itself in having two
primary schools and one secondary school.
"Education has played a very important part in
the upliftment of the people of Darnall," said Mr Arthur.
"Our small community has not only produced
many teachers and principals, but also lawyers, doctors, accountants and
business people. Many of our young people have moved out to greener pastures to
other parts of the province and Johannesburg. Some have also migrated to other
countries."
Most of the Indian-origin residents in Darnall
today are either retired or work outside. Only a small number of people still
work at the Mill.
MARIMUTHU NAICKER
Another old-time resident is 74-year-old Marimuthu
Naicker. We found Mr Naicker spending time with other local pensioners at the
Darnall community centre. A former herd boy, Mr Naicker retired from the sugar
mill as a supervisor after working for 47 years.
"We must really be proud of our forefathers
because had it not been for them, we would not have sugar in South
Africa," said Mr Naicker who was born in nearby New Guelderland and worked
as a herd boy in neighbouring Nonoti when he was 10-years-old.
"When we observe the 150th anniversary of the
arrival of our forefathers we must not forget the sacrifices they made. It is
only because of their efforts that we have made tremendous advancements in this
country," said Mr Naicker, who has 15 grand-children and four
great-grand-children.
"We have come a long way here in Darnall. Till
this day we are all one here. There's no difference between us whether we are
Christians, Hindus or Muslims. We still share food and curries. I hope
this type of life will continue but I don't know.
"The modern life is taking its toll on the
type of life we enjoyed in the early days," said Mr Naicker. Ends –
2010 subrygovender@gmail.com
ILLOVO
Photo - 100th anniversary publication of the Illovo Chariot Festival in 2009)
From the North Coast, I visited several sugar
estates on the South Coast where descendants of indentured labourers still work
and live in. One of the best-known estates I visited was the historical village
of Illovo, which is tucked away at the bottom of several hills about six kilometres
from the south coast town of Kingsburgh.
Here more than 140 years after Indian indentured
labourers arrived to work at the Illovo sugar estate and set up home, there are
still about 100 families or about 500 descendants of the early Indians who have
made this little village their permanent home.
As soon as you enter the village you are
immediately transported to an era when Indian sugar labourers, despite their
hardships, developed a close-knit community through their religion, culture,
song, and dance.
(Mr Kamsal Archery - who was responsible for building the temples in Illovo. Photo - 100th anniversary publication of the Illovo Chariot Festival in 2009)
At the entrance to the village, two temples and a
church greet the visitor. A short distance away is the primary school where
some children and grand-children of the early workers obtained their schooling.
A number of the original sugar barracks homes still
survive alongside renovated and improved ones and newly-built and modern
houses.
A little distance away in an area called Illovo
Heights is situated the main Illovo Maha Vishnu Temple, which has its origins
some 140 years ago.
RANGASAMY GOUNDEN
When I arrived in the village, I bumped into an
energetic and sprightly man, 73-year-old retired estate worker Rangasamy
Gounden. The talkative Gounden, who was a Theerookutoo (six foot) dancer,
stage performer and comedian for more than 50 years, took me on a tour of the
village before inviting me to his humble home.
His sitting room was adorned with photographs of
his parents, grand-parents, other family members and two large portraits of
legendary Tamil actors, M G Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan.
"I was born here in Illovo in a place called
Mill Barracks along with four brothers and two sisters," said Mr Gounden.
He did not attain any schooling because at that
time there were no schools in Illovo. He had to make do only learning to speak
his Tamil mother tongue and being involved in temple and cultural activities.
He says his grand-parents came from a village near
Madras (now Chennai) in Tamil Nadu.
"I started work as a field-hand in the sugar
estate at the age of 15. My first salary was one pound-two-and-six (two rand
and 25 cents) a month.
"I worked as a field hand for 20 years and
then also cut cane. Thereafter I worked in the nursery and finally in the
painting department. In all I worked for Illovo for more than 50 years,"
he said.
According to Mr Gounden, the early Indian workers
were first housed in a nearby village called Karridene before being moved to
the Tin Barracks and Top Barracks at Illovo. The Indian workers were housed in
the current village about 100 years ago.
The Illovo sugar estate was first started by the
Pierce family before being sold to the current owners, C G Smith.
Most of the sugar estate workers were mainly Tamil
and Telugu speaking with a sprinkling of Hindi-speaking people. Most of the
people worked as labourers on the estate and at the Sugar Mill.
"After the mill was moved to Eston about 30
years ago, the company established a syrup plant in its place. Some of the
people moved to Eston while others were taken to work at a sugar mill in Cool
Air, near Pietermaritzburg," he said.
"Today there are only very few people working
at the Syrup plant. “The company has sold the houses to its former workers and
this village is now under the jurisdiction of the Ethekwini municipality.
"Illovo is mainly famous for its cultural and
religious activities. I took part in many six-foot dances and was also a stage
performer and comedian. We also took part in the eistedfodds and shows in and
around Durban and many other areas."
SHUNMAGUM NAIDOO
Another resident who worked for the Illovo company
for more than 40 years is Shunmagum Naidoo. Born in an area called Thata Place
in Illovo in 1939, Mr Naidoo's grand-parents came from the former Madras
Presidency, parts of which is now in the current state of Andhra Pradesh in
south India. His father was also born in Ilovo.
"My four brothers, one sister and I were all
born here. Now I only have one sister who is still alive. Four of my
elder brothers have all died.
"I started work at the age of 17 as a tea boy
and I remember my first salary was six pounds(R12). When I retired five years
ago, I was earning about R6 000 a month," he said.
Mr Naidoo, who has three sons and one daughter,
said in addition to the religious and cultural activities that kept the people
together, they also used to be involved in football. Some of the football teams
that came out of Illovo were Young India, Pirates, Blue Birds, United, and
Workshop.
(K Velayudan - who worked at Illovo for 52 years was one of the pioneer leaders.
Photo - 100th anniversary publication of the Illovo Chariot Festival in 2009)
There were a number of leaders who contributed to
the social, religious, cultural, sporting and educational development of the
community. They included K. Velayudan, who came from Kerala in India; Muthoo
Gounden; Veerasamy Chetty; Latchappa; Chinna Naidoo; Kamsal Archery; V M Reddy
and P.A. Naicker.
Despite the hardships and poverty, the Illovo
community managed to produce a number of teachers, three doctors and a number
of business people.
"You know we also had two political activists
in our village. They were C S Naidoo and Aniff Omar, who were forced to flee
Illovo because of harassment by the police. Mr Naidoo went to Canada and Omar
went to Port Elizabeth.
"Both of them have visited us recently and
have made contributions to the activities of our temples and cultural
life," said Mr Naidoo.
MS VIJAYA SHUNMAGUM
A young resident of Illovo is 46-year-old Vijaya
Shunmagum. Like other residents, Ms Shunmagum says she wouldn't want to trade
Illovo for any other place.
"This is the best place to live in. We all are
very united and we still share food with our neighbours," she says.
According to Shunmagum, the entire village was very
involved spiritually and culturally. She, her brother and sister-in-law have
formed the Sri Saraspathy Ragam and they perform at funerals, ceremonies and
other prayer functions.
"We are all keeping alive the rich cultures
and traditions of our forefathers who have sacrificed so much for us."
RENISHAW
(Indian women working in the fields in the early days at Renishaw. Photo - Renishaw : The story of Crookes Brothers Anthony Hocking)
Further south, about 30km away and near Scottburgh,
is the little settlement of Renishaw, which is owned by the Crookes family. I
travelled along a corrugated road for about four kilometres from the N2 highway
to find the little village.
Driving into the village one has to pass the
Marantha Church, which was first built of reed by Indian workers, and a short
distance away the Sri Saiva Sithantha Sungum temple.
There are about 27 Indian families living in the
company-built two-room houses. Most of the heads of the families are retired,
while only about eight still work for the company.
In the early days more than one thousand
descendants of indentured labourers used to work and live in Renishaw.
Photo - Renishaw : The story of Crookes Brothers Anthony Hocking)
CHINSAMY MOODLEY
"Culture and religion has been an important
part of the lives of my forefathers in this village," said 67-year-old
Chinsamy Moodley, who retired in 2007 after working for Crookes Bros for 37
years.
"My grand-parents, who were from India, and my
parents first lived in an estate called Colin Cotry before moving into
Renishaw. I remember in Renishaw we stayed in an area called Mill barracks. But
in 1976 the area was hit by huge floods and there was a lot of damage.
"The company moved us to this new place and
also helped us to move the temple to its present site," he said.
Mr Moodley said his six brothers and four sisters
were born at Renishaw. Three brothers are now late. The rest of his siblings
live in the Umzinto-Park Rynie area and in Durban.
"I remember when I first started work, I was
paid three pounds (R6) a month and given ration of mealie rice, flour, oil,
dhall and salt. My father used to earn about four pounds (R8) a
month."
Moodley and his wife, Muniamma, who was also born
in Renishaw, have three sons and two daughters who are all professionals.
"Despite our family working in Renishaw and
other Crookes family estates for more than 100 years, we have no permanency
here," says Mrs Moodley.
"We are paying rent. We hope this house will
be given to us so that we can live in peace in our retirement years."
(Chinatown houses built by Crookes Brothers at Renishaw for their workers. Photo - Renishaw : The story of Crookes Brothers Anthony Hocking) )
MRS DEVI GOVENDER
Another resident, Mrs Devi Govender, 58, whose
family also worked in Renishaw for more than 100 years, said Renishaw was their
historical home.
Mrs Govender, a widow, said her grand-parents
and parents had all worked in the sugar estates owned by Crookes Bros for more
than 100 years.
"We all live here as a family and help one
another in times of need. The temple is a meeting place for us and we have a
service once a week," she said.
MICHAEL PILLAY
One of the residents still working for Crookes Bros
is 59-year-old Michael Pillay. His father, Kanabathy Pillay, and mother,
Kamachee, had worked in the fields and in the mill as labourers for more than
52 years each.
His grand-parents, who had come from India, had
also worked for Crookes Bros.
Mr Pillay, who is in charge of the Marantha Church,
said they would be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of
the church in 2012.
"We were told that the early workers first
built the church with reed and mud. Later it was upgraded with wood and iron
and about 80 years ago, it was built with block.
"We hope to have a grand centenary celebration
in two years time," said Mr Pillay.
Other estates near Renishaw where Indian indentured
labourers toiled to make a home for themselves and their families included
Ellingham and Ocean View. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com 2010
ESPERANZA
(Locomotive driver - Kola Govender - with his fellow workers at Esperanza. Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978)
About 20 kilometres away from Renishaw is the little village of Esperanza. Situated on a hilltop about six kilometres to the south of the town of Umzinto, Esperanza was one of the earliest settlements in the area where Indian indentured labourers worked and built a community.
The village was established in the 1870s after the
pioneer sugar farmers, Reynolds Brothers, closed down two mills at Old
Esperanza, about 10km away, and at Umzinto to build a new factory on the banks
of the nearby Umzinto River.
The early indentured labourers who worked in the
sugar estates at Old Esperanza and Umzinto were moved to the new village. It
was the start of a community that for more than 90 years boasted of being rich
in culture, language, education, sport and religion. At the height of its rich
history, the village boasted three temples, a primary school, and sporting,
social, women’s, and musical clubs.
When one enters the village today one is greeted by
an atmosphere of quietness and silence. The colour, inter-action of the people,
and vibrancy of the past is now for all intents and purposes a mere memory.
"We now only have 20 Indian-origin families,
10 of them who worked for the company, living in the village," said
65-year-old Mr Michael Pillay, who retired in 2005 after working for Reynold
Brothers, C G Smith and Illovo Sugar for 45 years.
"At one time before the sugar mill was moved
in 1952 to Pongola on the North Coast we used to have more than 500 families,
making up about 6 000 people, living here. Although we were very poor and
worked long hours in the fields and in the factory, we made time to promote our
languages, cultures, traditions, sport and education," he said.
(Esperanza Vishnu Temple in the early days in the 1960s. Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978)
The early indentured labourers and their descendants were first housed in wood and iron houses. Later the company built block houses.
Mr Pillay lives in one of these houses which he
purchased and renovated over the past few years. He lives in the house with his
wife, a daughter and grand-children. Three of his other daughters have moved
out of the village.
Mr Pillay, being one of the few active people still
in the village, takes care the Shree Vishnu, Shree Muruga and the Mariammen
Temples.
"We continue with all the prayer services at
the temples in order to keep our traditions and our cultures alive," he
said.
He said unfortunately the Esperanza Government
Aided Indian Primary School had been closed down some time ago and the few
children in the village attend schools in Umzinto.
(Some early pioners of Esperanza. Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978)He said some of the best-known pioneers who helped to build the social, cultural, sporting, and edcuational life of Esperanza included Aboo Sirdar, G. Nynah Naidoo, E. Thirajaloo Naidoo, Karupanna Moodley, Ganas Moodley, Kandasamy Naidoo, Kullapa Govender, Mathooray Pillay, M. Angu Pillay, Soobramoney Raju, Narainsamy Naidoo, Govmarsamy Padaychee, Sangu Govender, Arumuga Sidar, C. Patchappa Govender, Erappa Sirdar, Karupanna Moodley, Latchman Sirdar, Saligram Sirdar, C.T. Singh, Chaithram and the Paliam brothers.
(Early pioneers of Esperanza. Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978)
The first principals of the school that was built
in 1930 was D. Ramaser and Beethasie Maharaj.
Many Esperanza residents distinguished themselves
in many areas of life and produced scores of teachers, school principals,
lawyers, doctors, and even passive resisters, who took part in the passive
resistance initiated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1906.
One of the residents who distinguished himself in athletics was Kanna Rao, who became one of the first Indians to participate in the Comrades Marathon in 1937.
(Some early pioneers of the sugar village. Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978)
Another of the original residents who still lives
in the village is 88-year-old Visvanathan Pillay. Born in Esperanza, Mr Pillay
worked for the company for 40 years.
He and his wife, Dhanabaigium, 87, live in one of
the original houses with his youngest son and daughter-in-law.
His eldest son, Ganas Pillay, said his
grand-father, John Angu Pillay, had come from India to work on the sugar
estates and for the Reynolds company.
"We had a very good life here in
Esperanza," he said.
"I remember the therookuthoo (six foot) dances
that we used to attend for the whole night and the football matches we used to
have here every Sundays. We had some of the best footballers coming out of this
village. Our Esperanza team won a number of tournaments in the local
competition in Umzinto."
Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978
Most of the people from Esperanza have re-settled
in areas such as Umzinto, Park Rynie, Merebank and Chatsworth.
(Some early pioneers.
Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978)
Eighty-year-old Mrs Pushpavathie Naidoo, who was
born in the village, remembers Esperanza as a place where life was tough but
the people lived as a "united, peaceful and happy community".
Mrs Naidoo, a former nurse, said her grand-father,
Subbiah Pillay, was one of the people who came on the first ship, S S Truro, in
1860.
"The sacrifices made by our forefathers and
mothers has made it possible for all of us to make tremendous advances in all
areas of life," she said.
Her father, Moonsamy Pillay, took part in the
Passive Resistance campaigns started by Mahatma Gandhi.
"The young people of today must understand
that our forefathers and mothers persevered under great difficulties and they
too must also strive in the same way. They must enter the future with faith and
confidence. We at Esperanza used to work, live and play under the philosophy
that 'truth conquers'," she said.
(Some teachers who originated from Esperanza. Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978)
(Esperanza Gala Committee 1978. Photo: A publication of the Esperanza Sports and Social Club in 1978)
Mrs Naidoo, who came from a family of eight sisters and four brothers, has a huge family of her own. She has four sonsv(two are late) and three daughters; 19 grand-children; and 18 great-grand-children.
SEZELA
About 20km from Esperanza along the coast is the village of Sezela, which was established after the sugar mill was built in 1915. The mill was first owned by Reynold Brothers before being purchased by C G Smith and finally by Illovo Sugar.
One of the old residents who was born in the Sezela Barracks is 89-year-old Poinamma Pillay, whose father had three wives and 11 children - three daughters and eight sons.
"It was a hard life and my grand-father, who was from India, didn't want me to attend school. He was of the view that even if girls get educated, they must finally get married and serve their husbands.
"I was married at the age of 11 to my husband who was from the Beneva sugar estate nearby. We stayed in Beneva for some time before we moved to Lower Sezela and Esperanza.
"I had ten children - four boys and six girls," she said.
"We all grew up in Sezela barracks where we had to share communal toilets and bathing facilities with other neighbours," she said.
Her husband, two sons and three daughters are now late.
She now lives with a daughter in the New Delhi area of Sezela.
Another field hand and sugar factory worker who
grew up in Sezela barracks is 74-year old Chellan Chinappen. He retired in 1997
after working for Illovo Sugar for 44 years.
He was part of a large family of four brothers and
three sisters. His father, Chinnakanu, and mother, Muniamma, moved to Sezela
barracks from the Nagoli sugar estate when he was about 10- years-old.
He attended the local Sezela State Aided Indian
School and started work as a field hand at the age of 15.
"Life was very tough for all of us where we
all had to live in compounds made of wood and iron and had to use communal
toilets and water," he said.
"It was only sometime later that the company
built the block houses. But we still did not have inside toilets and water. For
many years we had to stand in long queues to use the toilets and bathing
facilities. It was not good.
"Only after many representations and petitions
that the company thought we deserve our own toilets, water and
electricity," said Mr Chinappen.
Mr Chinappen, who was the chairman of the Sezela
Barracks Indian Council for 20 years, said in the early days about 20 000
people lived in the Sezela Barracks, Lower Sezela, Upper Sezela, Bazley and
Brake Barracks.
Like other sugar estates, Sezela residents had also
built their own temples and churches.
"Today there are only about 200 families
living in the old Sezela barracks and in the recently-established New Delhi
area," he said.
A number of young people have followed in the
footsteps of their parents and work at the Sezela sugar mill as technicians,
clerks and managers.
One of the young men working at the mill is
42-year-old Sidney Murthy. He has worked at the mill for the past 17 years and
lives in one of the original block houses, which he has improved and renovated.
"My father was born here and my three sisters
and I were born here. My grand-father came from India," he said.
"I have purchased this house from the company
and we love this place because it is quiet, peaceful and right next door to the
beach.
"A number of outside people have purchased
property here after the old residents moved out," he said.
The remaining Sezela residents still send their
children to the local Sezela Primary School and maintain and promote their
cultures and traditions through the local Sezela Siva Subramaniam Temple and
three churches. Like other sugar estates - Sezela had also produced its fair
amount of teachers, doctors, lawyers, and business people. Most of the young
people have migrated to other areas - especially Durban and Johannesburg. Ends
– subrygovender@gmail.com 2010
NONOTI
While the vast majority of the descendants of
indentured labourers have moved to urban areas, a significant percentage had
become farmers on the north coast and south coast. Many of these farmers have,
however, were forced to move to urban areas since the early 1990s because of
the high rate of crime and the murders of many farmers.
The worst affected areas are Inanda, near Verulam,
areas near KwaDukuza, Tongaat on the north coast and Umzinto, Umkomaas and Port
Shepstone on the south coast.
However, one of the areas where about 100
descendants of former indentured labourers still farm is the Nonoti and San
Souci region, situated north of KwaDukuza.
The two areas have historically been
farmed by former indentured labourers and their descendants since the early
1900s.
MOON RAMLAKAN
"It has been an uphill battle for
our grand-parents, parents and for my generation," said 94-year-old Lal
Bahadur Moon Ramlakan, one of the doyens of the farming fraternity in the
Nonoti-Stanger region.
"But we made it despite all the
hardships and the discrimination," said a sharp-witted Mr Ramlakan.
His grand-parents came from the Kanpur
region of Uttar Pradesh in north India and worked for French farmers on the
North Coast. His father also worked on a sugar estate in the Umhlali region.
He remembers as a young boy he and his
four brothers and five sisters moved to the San Souci area where his father
became a small-scale sugar and vegetable farmer.
"My father, who died in 1947,
built a school in the area and all of us and other children had our early
learning at this school," he said.
"After I completed my schooling I
went into sugar and tomato farming at first on 40 acres of land. Thereafter I
purchased another 20 acres. Farming and business has been my life until only
recently."
In the early days Mr Ramlakan and other
Indian farmers from the area, supplied sugar cane to the Melville Sugar Mill
and later the Darnall Sugar Mill.
"In those days we did most of the
work ourselves. We enjoyed very good relations with the African people
and I remember that my father used to host Chief Albert Luthuli and other
African leaders.
"My father imbued in us the
philosophy of live and let live. He wanted everyone to be treated equally. My
father used to say we must leave the world a little better than what we find it
in. I followed this philosophy all my life."
Other pioneer farmers in the two areas
include the Ram Pratals, the Pandits, the Badews, the Rampersadhs, the
Jugnanans and the Ramlall Jankis.
Mr Ramlakan said the Indian-origin
farmers had not only played a significant role in providing sugar cane to the
Melville and Darnall sugar mills, but also involved themselves in the social
and cultural upliftment of the people.
"The farmers have given generously
for the construction of schools and religious institutions. One of the
schools that my family has built has now been given to the African community."
RAJAN RAMPROTAL
Another sugar farmer, Rajan Ramprotal,
who retired recently, said it was "a hard life".
"At one time we farmed more than
300 acres. We did not only struggle to cultivate the land but also faced
restrictions from the sugar industry and the authorities," said
63-year-old Ramprotal.
"It was not easy. We used to be
told that our cane was not as good as those of the white farmers, there was a
quota system for our cane and the authorities introduced a permit system for
the purchase of petrol.
"But despite all the restrictions
and discrimination we survived and made progress," he said.
MS SOBENA DHARAMDEW
One of the younger generation of
farmers is 32-year-old Ms Sobena Dharamdew. Her family has been farming
in the area for more than 100 years.
"I took up serious farming only
five years ago and I am involved both in cash crops and also sugar
farming," said the young farmer.
"Farming has always been in my
blood and I enjoy it," she said.
Ms Dharamdew and the more than 100
other small-scale sugar farmers continue to farm in the region despite
incidents in the late 1980s and the 1990s when more than 500ha of land were
invaded and settled by squatters. About 30 Indian landowners affected by the
invasions had to move out and settle in Stanger and other areas.
The affected land had been purchased by
the Department of Land Affairs and given to the local municipality for
administration.
"I have no fears about continuing
to farm. My neighbours are both African and white farmers," said Ms
Dharamdew.
DARNALL CANEGROWERS' ASSOCIATION
The organisation that looks after the
interests of the farmers is the Darnall Canegrowers' Association, which is
affiliated to the Natal Canegrowers Association.
The secretary of both associations, Mr
Arjun Jagessur, said at one time in the 1960s there were about 130 Indian sugar
farmers in the Nonoti-San Souci region.
"But now there are 100 farmers in
the area and 430 sugar growers in the Stanger-Darnall area," he said.
ARJUN JAGESSUR
Mr Jagessur, 70, who hails from the
Kearsney area, near Stanger, said at one time in the 1960s there were about
1800 Indian-origin sugar farmers from the Tugela River in the north to the
Umzimkulu River in the south.
"But this number has now
diminished for various reasons to only about 1 000 Indian sugar farmers. A lot
of land has been expropriated for things like township developments and
for the King Shaka Airport.
"Crime has also been a
factor in many Indian farmers leaving the land. Also, the younger generation
seem to be interested in following a number of other professions," said Mr
Jagessur.
About 90 percent of the Indian-origin
farmers today were small-scale farmers.
"The younger generation don't seem
to have any hope in farming. They believe farming will not provide them with
security and they also don't have any incentive to continue like their parents
and grand-parents.
"The conditions today are changing
all the time." ENDS – subrygovender@gmail.com
CHOPPER’S
TOWN
While some people had been fortunate to
continue with sugar cane farming, other descendants of indentured labourers,
who were forced to move out of sugar estates after the closure of the sugar
estates, had to move into urban areas and find jobs as labourers. One such
group of descendants settled in an area called Blackburn Village or Chopper's
Town, near Mount Edgecombe, some 60 years ago.
The village, made up mainly of wood and iron
houses, is home to about 6 000 people.
Among the residents are about 30 families who have
their roots in sugar estates that dotted the Mount
Edgcombe-Ottawa-Verulam-Umdloti region some 60 years ago.
The village, situated on sugar cane land between
Mount Edgecombe and Umdloti, is clearly visible when one uses the N2 highway in
both directions.
But there's no access to the village from the
highway. In order to get to the village, I recently had to drive on more than
six kilometres of corrugated and dirt road from an access point along the
Verulam-Umdloti Beach road.
When I reached the village, I was not prepared for
the sight that greeted me.
Hundreds of tiny wood and iron shacks dotted the
village alongside about four brick houses, foot paths formed long lines in and
out of the shack houses, a pile of rubbish dumped in one section of the
village, and there were also some men who relieved themselves in the open
without any concern for women and other passers-by.
At the same time some residents went about their
chores without any worry in the world, and children shouted and played in the
only proper but dirt road that served the area.
The village was first established about 60 years
ago by former sugar cane labourers who had been forced to look for new homes
after the sugar estates they worked in had stopped operating. These sugar
estates included the La Lucia barracks, where the La Lucia Mall is currently
situated; Blackburn; Cornubia; Burnside; Bellamont; and Hillhead.
MRS LUTCHMEE GOVENDER
A young man, Wayne Govender, whose grand-parents
worked as labourers at the La Lucia Sugar Estate, acted as my guide through the
shack jungle.
His grand-mother, Lutchmee Govender, father,
two uncles, and other cousins still live in the village.
"All the people who settled here some 60 years
ago were from sugar estates nearby," Mrs Lutchmee Govender, 66, told me
while seated in the small lounge of her humble home.
"I also worked in the sugar cane fields while
staying at La Lucia barracks. I was born there and as a young girl I joined my
parents to work in the sugar fields. I was paid two pounds a month," she
said.
"My father, Pakiripan, was born in Darnall.
After marrying my mother, Muniamma, he moved to La Lucia barracks where my four
brothers, four sisters and I were born. I married at a very young age and
continued to stay at La Lucia barracks. I had four sons and two girls.
"We all moved here after La Lucia barracks was
closed down some 60 years ago. My three sons and their families are still
staying here," said the sprightly Mrs Govender.
Mrs Govender, some of her siblings, and others who
have links to the sugar cane industry say that although their lives have been
an uphill struggle, they regarded Chopper's Town as their "home".
"We have always lived here as one big, happy
family. Up to this day we share all our joys and sorrows with one another. We
would like to continue to live here but it seems new developments are going to
affect us," she said.
VINOD BAWANIPERSAD
Mr Vinod Bawanipersad, 38, is another resident
whose parents and grand-parents worked in nearby sugar estates. He works as a
waiter at the nearby Mount Edgecombe Driving Range to support his wife and five
children.
"My parents worked in the Naningar, Cornubia
and Burnside sugar estates before moving here," he said.
"I was born here along with my two brothers
and three sisters. Now I live here with my wife and five children. This is a
wonderful place and all I want is for us to stay here."
Mr Bawanipersad is concerned about the unemployment
situation affecting the families and the plight of some teenage children who
have stopped attending high school.
"Most of the people staying here are
unemployed and this is of concern to all of us. What is even more worrying is
that a number of young people have stopped going to high school because they
are unable to pay school fees and they cannot afford the transport to the
schools. We are concerned that these children are going to become the new lost
generation because without a decent education they will have no future
whatsoever," he said.
RICKY MUNSAMY
Another family we visited was Ricky Munsamy, 40,
his wife, Lynette, and two children. His parents also worked at La Lucia sugar
estate. They were also concerned about teenage children not attending high
school to complete their secondary education.
"This area is our home but we are concerned at
the high rate of unemployment and the lack of opportunities for the teenage
children to complete their education," said Mr Munsamy.
His wife, Mrs Lynette Munsamy, said she had read
and heard about a number of organisations being established to commemorate the
150th anniversary of the arrival of Indian indentured labourers to South
Africa.
She had a question?
"What is the point of all these activities
when the people heading these organisations are not in touch with people like
us and they know nothing about the conditions under which some of us,
descendants of sugar cane labourers, live?", she asked.
"Song and dance is good but these so-called
leaders must do something practical and constructive to create a better life
for people who live in places like Chopper's Town," she said.
ABDULLA SHAIK
One of the few residents who is a property owner in
the area is 81-year-old Abdulla Shaik.
He lives in the area with his wife, some of his
seven children, grand-children and great-grand-children.
He has very little information about his ancestory
but knows that his grand-parents were among the early Indians who came to the
then Natal colony.
His daughter, Mrs Shamim Cassim, said they had
emotional ties with Chopper's Town.
"We grew up here with so much freedom and
joy," she said.
"We used to fetch water from the nearby river,
wash our clothes in the river, and also swim there. That type of life is
now gone forever," she said.
ISH RAMBAROSS
Another old-time resident who owns property in the
area is Ish Rambaross, 55. He and his extended family of seven brothers have
been living in Chopper's Town for more than 40 years.
"We love this place but it's the not the same.
In the early days this place was like heaven. But it has changed a great
deal," he said.
His nephew, Sanjeev, 25, said he was born in
Chopper's Town and remembered the time when he and his friends "went
fishing" without any worries.
"I am afraid this has now all changed,"
he said.
"The good life that our parents and
grand-parents led, despite the hardships, are gone forever." – ends subrygovender@gmail.com 2010
MAGAZINE BARRACKS
(Magazine Barracks in the early days. Photo supplied)
Indentured labourers and their descendants also lived in many settlements in and around Durban. Some of these included Tin Town in Springfield, Magazine Barracks and Railway Barracks in central Durban, Point Barracks in the former Point Road area, Congella Barracks that was situated near the King Edward V111 Hospital, and Dayal Road in Clairwood. Magazine Barracks was one of the most famous and I spoke to some former residents of Magazine Barracks to get a picture of what life was like during the early days for the people.
When
you visit the Central Police Station, the Magistrates' Court and the Somtseu
Road Temple in central Durban today, do you by any chance have any inkling
that this area was once a rich, colourful and thriving community settled by our
indentured ancestors and their descendants for more than 80
years.
Called
Magazine Barracks, the area bounded by Argyle Road, Umgeni Road, Somtseu Raod,
NMR Avenue, Stanger Street and Brickhill Road had its origins in the early
1880s when a group of about 28 indentured labourers were employed by the then
Durban City Council.
(Magazine Barracks traditional wedding in the early days. Photo supplied)
The indentured labourers, who were not allocated to any of
the sugar estates, were recruited to work in positions such as street sweepers,
night soil removers, and parks and gardens attendants. They were initially
housed in what was called Tram Barracks in Point Road before being moved to
Magazine Barracks.
Between
1880 and 1966 more than 2 000 families or about 10 000 people lived in Magazine
Barracks. The majority of the people lived in houses built of wood and iron,
while some had brick houses. For their water and sanitation needs they had to
rely on communal facilities. The heads of all the families worked for the city
council, mostly as labourers.
YESUDHAS KUPPEN
"My
father, who was India born, worked in the cleansing section for the city
council and our family lived in one of the houses in Magazine Barracks,"
said 70-year-old Yesudhas Kuppen, who also worked for the council as a
messenger and clerk.
Mr
Kuppen was the youngest of four brothers and a sister, who are all late now.
"My
brothers and I went to the then Depot Road primary school before starting work
in the city council as messengers and clerks. We all stayed in Magazine
Barracks until the early 1960s when we were moved to Unit 3 and 5 in Chatsworth
because of the Group Areas Act," Mr Kuppen.
Mr
Kuppen recalled that his father, Kuppen, and mother, Muniamma, were staunch
Tamil Baptists and all of them were fully conversant in the Tamil language. But
despite their adherence to Christianity and the Tamil language, they had very
good and cordial relations with the other Telugu and Hindi-speaking members of
the community.
"We
all lived in unity. There was no such thing as one being a Hindu, Christian or
Muslim. We also all learnt one another's languages and lived as one big family."
VASSIE MUTHEN
Another
person whose family lived in Magazine Barracks for more than 80 years is
67-year-old Vassie Muthen. His grand-father, Bengalaroo Munsamy Muthen, and
grand-mother, Muniamma Rangamma, came to the then Natal Colony as indentured
labourers from the current south Indian state of Karnataka. His grand-father
worked as a "district sardar" for the city council.
His
father, Muthusamy Muthen, who was born in Magazine Barracks, worked as a clerk
in the treasury department and also as a "market master". His father
was also known as "Headmaster" because he was in charge of a school
that taught Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English.
Mr
Muthen, who was also born in Magazine Barracks along with his three brothers,
five sisters and four adopted brothers, worked for the city council for 40
years, retiring in 1998.
He
and his extended family moved to Chatsworth in 1963 after being affected by
the Group Areas Act, which stipulated that the city was for whites only. All
other groups had to move out of the city to so-called Indian, African and
coloured townships.
"If
it had not been for the Group Areas Act, we would still be living in Magazine
Barracks," he said.
"There
was brotherhood in our little village. There were no differences between us.
There were no problems what-so-ever and we had no difference relating to
religion. Religion only came to the picture when we went to the temple, church
or mosque for prayers.
"We
also all learnt to speak Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. It was a fantastic situation
to live in an area where we all looked at one another as brothers and sisters.
We all looked after one another," he said.
Although the residents of Magazine Barracks came from disadvantaged and poor backgrounds, they played significant and prominent roles in the religious, cultural, educational, sporting and political struggles at that time.
There were a number of young activists who mobilised the community to join the Natal Indian Congress and became involved in the Passive Resistance campaigns against racial repression and discrimination.
(Swaminathan Gounden with other former Magazine Barracks residents in 2010)
SWAMINATHAN GOUNDEN
One of the activists who has his roots in Magazine Barracks is Swaminathan Gounden, who at 84 is still active today.
Mr Gounden also initiated the Young Communist League and the Red Rose Social Club. His brother, R K Gounden, was chairman of the Durban Indian Municipal Employees Society (DIMES) for 25 years. Dimes later became known as the Durban Integrated Municipal Employees Society.
Mr
Gounden's father, Karuppa, who was from India, worked as an elephant attendant
at Durban's Mitchell Park. Swaminathan, his brother and nine sisters were all
born in Magazine Barracks. His brother and eight sisters have now all passed
away.
"We
were very young when we became interested in the struggles against racial
inequality and discrimination," said Mr Gounden.
"We
came under the influence of George Singh, Dr Monty Naicker, Billy Peters, Dr
Kesaval Goonum and other leaders who used to visit Magazine Barracks to take up
our struggles," he said.
The
president of the Magazine Barracks Remembrance Association, Danny Pillay, whose
great-grand-parents came from India in 1878, recalls that Dr Naicker was a
regular visitor to Magazine Barracks. The association was established in 1997
to keep alive the rich history of the village and to keep in contact with
surviving residents.
"In
addition to taking up our plight, Dr Naicker showed great interest in our
cultural activities and used to attend the Thirukutu or six-foot dance
festivals. He used to be the patron," said Pillay.
"At
one time Dr Naicker also paid for a group of people from the barracks to attend
a debate on the Thirukural (Tamil holy book) in Johannesburg. Mr Muthusamy
Muthen and Angie Solai won the debate."
TAMIL AND TELEGU BAPTIST CHURCHES, TEMPLES
In
the religious field, the residents had built several temples to cater for the
spiritual needs of the community. In addition to the Somtseu Road Temple, which
still survives today, there used to be a Tamil Baptish Church, a Telugu Baptist
Church, Somtseu Kovil, and the Vishnu Temple. Some of the leaders in the
religious, cultural and linguistic fields were Chinnapapa Nattar, R C Sam,
Muthusamy Muthen, Nagan Pandaram, G M Solai, Velu Irusen, Bill Munsamy and Tony
Moon.
Some
of the people who played leading roles in the musical field were Jeddy Maharaj,
Jagessar, Kapri Vaithar, Andhra Naidoo, Angela Peters, Janaki Appalsamy, Kamala
James, Ruthnam Ganas, Singarveloo, Kamala Nathan, and John Kisten.
MARI MATHAMBU AND OTHER SPORTS STARS
The
sporting personalities who have come out of the barracks include Marimuthu
(Mari) Mathambu, Lighty Chinniah, V C Moodley, Kannay Dharmalingam, Chappi
Kisten, Vardha Chetty, Siva Millar, Johnny Millar, G. Kistensamy, Angumuthoo
Aboo Reddy, Noor Reddy, Ford Naidoo, Sewnarain Lall, Chin Bobby Naidoo, N S
Naidoo, Govindsamy Moodley(soccer); Louis Joshua, Billy Nagiah, Steven
Appiah, Sada Pillay, Darkie Moonsamy (boxing); and Andara brothers (wrestling).
Some
of the football clubs that rose to prominence from Magazine Barracks were
Sunrise, Temple Villa, Violets, Square Rangers, Clyde, Ramblers, Casbah, Sons
of India, Temple City, Pop Eye Lads, Young Buccaneers, Magazine Rangers,
Leicester City, Celtic, Boys Town, Depot Road United, Spartak. In addition to
these clubs, the city council workers also had their own soccer clubs named
after the departments they had worked in. These included Storm Waters,
Painters, Cleansing, City Health, Sanitations and Sewage.
There
were also soccer clubs that were run by gangsters in the village. They included
Yorks F C and Groundfeel F C.
SAM RAMSAMY
One
of the best-known sporting personalities to emerge from Magazine Barracks is
Sam Ramsamy, who started his sporting involvement as a lifesaver. He played an
influential role in non-racial swimming in KwaZulu-Natal and later left the
country to lead the sporting onslaught against apartheid South Africa under the
auspices of the South African Non-Racial Olypmic Committee (SANROC). Ramsamy
returned to the country in the early 1990s and became head of the South African
National Oympic Committee. Today he serves on the executive of the
International Olympic Committee.
"The
vibrancy, culture, and colour of Magazine Barracks has been lost forever,"
said Mr Vassie Muthen.
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