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.
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.
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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