Sunday, December 6, 2020

"DURBAN, PARK BY THE POZIE (HOME)" MOVE HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR A PROGRESSIVE VOICE

 

November 25 2020

INTRODUCTION:

A new pressure group has emerged in Durban apparently to promote the concerns of people who believe they are being marginalized in the new socio-economical and political South Africa.

In order to make its mark, the group, calling itself the National Indian Congress of South Africa, has called on people to stay at home on Saturday, December 12, to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the apparent discrimination that people on the margins of society encounter in their daily lives.

The organization has called the campaign, “Durban, Park by the Pozie (home)” and for the people to flex their economic muscle by boycotting all retail outlets, malls, shopping centres, cinemas and casinos on December 12.

This action by the group has come at a time in the new non-racial and democratic South Africa when there appears  to be a great deal of disillusionment and disenchantment among a significant percentage of the people.

This latest development highlights the apparent mistake by progressive leaders in the early 1990s to allow organizations such as the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) to go out of existence following the return of the ANC to the political arena.

Veteran political journalist, Subry Govender, takes a look at the current development and draws the conclusion that the emergence of “The National Indian Congress of South Africa” is directly linked to the “political limbo” in which many people find themselves.

 

     

                                 POLITICAL LIMBO

 

Twenty-seven years into our new, non-racial and democratic South Africa, one would expect that most people will feel positive, confident, and hopeful about their situations.

But, sadly, many people who have their roots to the indentured labourers who arrived 160 years ago to work almost as slaves in the sugar cane fields of the former Natal Colony, find themselves in a “political limbo”.

The new group appears to be targeting those who are mainly resident in areas such as Chatsworth, Phoenix, Verulam, Tongaat, KwaDukuza, Merebank, Asherville and Reservoir Hills in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Umzinto, Umkomaas and Port Shepstone.

The “political limbo” in which the people find themselves in appears to be linked directly to the absence of a progressive voice that they can relate to.

Prior to April 1994, most of the people could relate to or identify with organizations such as the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) and the United Democratic Front (UDF).

But many of the social, political and sporting veterans I have spoken to over the past few years told me that this lack of a progressive voice is due directly to the decision of the ANC and some activists to disband the Natal Indian Congress in the 1990s.

Most of the ANC leaders at that time felt that “we are now moving into a non-racial era” and that there was no need for the NIC.

 

 

(Retired Judge Thumba Pillay -left - with Prof Jerry Coovadia and Swaminathan Gounden)          

 

But this was rejected by no less a leader than Nelson Mandela during a meeting with ANC leaders and the NIC in Johannesburg just before the democratic elections in April 1994.

According to retired judge and long-time activist, Thumba Pillay, Mandela was of the view that that NIC was an historical organisation established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1894 and that it had played a vital role during the liberation struggles.

 

 

                             (Freedom icon Nelson Mandela)

 

 Mandela had pointed out that for historical reasons the NIC should remain because it would play a major role in promoting the new non-racial democracy and it would also be a significant progressive partner in mobilising the people of Indian-origin.

He was of the view that a decision to disband the NIC would not be in the best interests of the community and the new South Africa.

For the first decade or so, the ANC remained the first choice of most progressive forces within the Indian-origin community. But this began to take a downturn when corruption began to creep into the political scene and when  some elements began to espouse racist statements against the community over the past two decades.

The promotion of racism by some elements from at least one political party and by some elements from within the ANC have reared their ugly heads once again when most South Africans face serious socio-economic problems emanating from violent crime, unemployment, marginalisation, and inequality.

 

(Prof Fatima Meer with Advocate Ismail Mahomed, Norman Mailer and Bobby Mari) 

 

In 2008, when one of our foremost political and social activists, Professor Fatima Meer, turned 80, I made arrangements to talk to her about the disillusionment creeping into the Indian-origin community.

At this time South Africans were observing our 15th year of our new democracy and she was concerned about the lack of interest in the political affairs of the country by most people of Indian-origin.

She was very candid in her view that the Natal Indian Congress should not have been disbanded and that NIC leaders should have listened to Mandela for the organisation to have remained.

She, therefore, was of the view that the Natal Indian Congress should be revived.

This is what she had said 12 years ago: “The Natal Indian Congress should be revived because it has a very rich history. You don’t want to miss out on that history. You want to build on that history, so revive the Congress. It is a pity that it was disbanded at all.”

Professor Meer told me in that interview that it was a major tragedy that some ANC people forced leaders of the NIC to disband the organisation just before the democratic elections in 1994. She had written to President Thabo Mbeki in 1999 about this grave mistake.

“You see the Indians had a very strong organisation in the Natal Indian Congress and I wrote to Mr Mbeki in 1999, pointing out that it has been a tragedy that the ANC had asked the NIC to be disbanded.

“It was an organisation that stood by the ANC at all times. Now the ANC had made the biggest mistake, I pointed out to Mr Mbeki, by saying you don’t need the NIC, you can belong to the ANC. But the reality is that we first have to mobilise ourselves.  

“Politically, as a political party, the ANC is fine and totally acceptable but to organise the Indian people, the people need an organisation.”

Professor Meer told me that she was deeply disappointed that in view of the absence of a progressive organisation like the NIC, the ANC after 1994 had chosen to associate itself with reactionary and opportunistic elements within the Indian-origin community.

“The ANC deluded itself into thinking that some opportunistic elements represented the Indian-origin people. I pointed out to Mr Mbeki that the ANC should deal with an organised group of people who have principles and programmes that are akin to the ANC, instead of going around piece meal, picking up people who have money. I pointed out that the NIC should be revived because of its history and its role in the liberation struggle.”

Professor Meer passed on two years later on March 12 2010 at a time when there was a full debate about her call for the revival of the NIC.

 

               POLITICAL WILDERNESS IN 2020 

 

Fast forward to 2020, many people once again say that they find themselves in the social and political wilderness because of all the racist tendencies emerging within political parties. The future of this community that played a crucial role in the social, political, economical and sporting struggles is indeed an emotional talking point.

The mere co-option of “Indian” members will not be sufficient.

The ANC leaders and its progressive partners within the community must take another look about how they could make the community members feel they are full South Africans and not citizens of another, distant, distant country. They must be made to feel that they don’t have to put up with the kind of marginalisation, racism and discrimination that their forefathers and mothers suffered prior to the establishment of our non-racial democracy 27 years ago.

Most of the people are third, fourth, fifth and sixth generation South Africans and they should not be made to feel that they are “foreigners” in their own country. Ends (subrygovender@gmail.com)  – Nov 25 2020

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