RECALLING HISTORY - NELSON MANDELA APPLAUDS ROLE PLAYED BY NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS AND INDIAN-ORIGIN ACTIVISTS AFTER HIS RELEASE IN FEBRUARY 1990

 

Prior to and after the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC), the Pan Africanist Congress and the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990, a number of people not only initiated a debate on the role of the Natal Indian Congress and its future position but many leaders also acknowledged the role of the people in general in the struggles.

One of the leaders who fully acknowledged the role played by people of Indian-origin in the struggles was none other than freedom icon and South Africa’s first democratic president, Nelson Mandela.

I found an article about Nelson Mandela’s acknowledgement of the role played by the Natal Indian Congress while researching through my files for stories about the NIC and its work during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.

Mandela made the acknowledgement only two weeks after his release from life imprisonment on February 11 1990.

He had addressed a rally in Durban on February 25 1990 at a time when bloody clashes had erupted between supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party on one side and the ANC on the other.

At the same time, some racist forces from within the ranks of the apartheid regime had started to sew seeds of hatred against the Indian-origin community.

At this time, I was working for the Press Trust of India (PTI) and several international radio stations such as the BBC, Radio Deutsche Welle, Radio Netherlands, Radio France Internationale and national radio stations in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.

The articles for PTI were published in a number of newspapers in India on February 26 (1990) under the headline: “Mandela lauds role of Indians”.

 

                     SHINING EXAMPLE

 

After the initial introductory paragraphs, the story read:

In a passionate speech, heard by thousands of people who cheered loudly, the ANC leader, Mr Nelson Mandela, reminded the people of the role played by Indian patriots since 1894 and said their struggle against oppression was a shining example of Indo-African solidarity.

The struggle began in Natal with the formation of the first black political organisation in Africa – the Natal Indian Congress founded in 1894 by Mahatma Gandhi, he recalled.

Mr Mandela said “in 1946 during the defiance campaigns more than 2 000 Indians were sent to jail – many for occupying land reserved for whites. The campaign made clear the common nature of Indian and African oppression…..in 1947 this led to the Dadoo-Xuma-Naicker pact and the joint action of Africans and Indians against oppression in 1952”.

Earlier Mr Mandela expressed his concerns at the recent racial attacks.

He said the perpetrators “of these acts are enemies of the liberation movement”.

Mr Mandela told the huge gathering that he greeted the people of Natal in the name of peace which was desperately needed in the province.

“Here in Natal apartheid is a deadly disease in our midst. My message to you today is to take your guns, knives and pangas and throw them into the sea. Close down the death factories.

“Stop the violence now,” he told the mammoth crowd admonishingly.

The rally was also addressed by the Indian ANC leader, Mr Ahmed Kathrada, who was released from imprisonment last year along with other ANC leaders, including Mr Walter Sisulu. Ends – Press Trust of South Africa February 26 1990

RE-CALLING HISTORY: THE VOICE OF SUMINTHRA - LOVE, CASTE AND ETHNICITY

 

                        THE VOICE OF SUMINTHRA

 

While researching through my files for stories on the Natal Indian Congress in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, I came across an article about a book written by a local author on love, caste and ethnicity.

The book, “The Voice of Suminthra”, was written by Mr Moghamberry Govender  of Durban sometime in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

I was Editor of the Press Trust of South Africa (PTSA) at this time and we had written the story for publication in Indian newspapers through the Press Trust of India (PTI).

The story was published, among others, by the Indian Express under the headline: “Call to ban book by SA Indian” and The Hindu under the headline: “Controversy in Durban over Indian’s novel” on February 1 1990.

The story read:

Durban, Feb 1 (PTI): Mr Moghamberry Govender, a South African Indian grandfather, has raised the ire of some community leaders over the caste theme and some explicit sex scenes between the two main characters of his first novel, reports PTI.

Mr Govender (61) of Durban deals in the novel, “The Voice of Suminthra”, with a love affair between a rich Gujerati girl and a poor Tamilian forced to leave school because of his family’s financial circumstances.

The young couple face many trials and tribulations and eventually they elope and leave South Africa for India.

The book contains steamy sessions which Mr Govender says are well within the context of the story. But some members of the Indian community have called for the book to be banned.

But in spite of the controversy, Mr Govender has sold 3 000 copies, some of which to Indian school libraries.

Mr Govender says: “I do not consider the book to be dirty. The book is a genuine portrayal of many young couples who have been caught in caste, religion and language problems.” Ends – Press Trust of South Africa Feb 1 1990

 

              INDIAN GIRL IN LOVE MISSING  

 

The book by Mr Govender has resemblance to a real life story that developed in Durban in June 1973.

I was working for the Daily News at this time and covered a development about a young Gujerati-speaking girl who had gone missing after her parents objected to her relationship with a 20-year-old Tamil-speaking boy.

She went missing after applying to the Durban Supreme Court for permission to marry her boy-friend.

This story made headline news and was published on June 14 1973 under the headline: “Indian girl in love missing”.

The story read:

                          

A young Durban girl who applied to the Durban Supreme Court for permission to marry her Chatsworth boy-friend is missing. Twice this week she failed to appear in court.

Miss………………., an 18-year-old Gujerati-speaking Indian girl, applied to Mr Justice Friedman in the Supreme Court last October for permission to marry her 20-year-old Tamil boy-friend, Mr …………, with whom she had been in love for six years. The application was opposed by her parents.

Miss ……. . was granted an order preventing her parents, Mr and Mrs…….. , from removing her from the magisterial district of Durban.

Mr ……… (her boy-friend) is baffled by her disappearance.

He saw Miss ……. . last Friday and she was in a happy mood.

“She was looking forward to the court case because she was confident that permission would have been granted for us to marry.

“I am now frightened for her safety.”

When Miss…….. applied for permission to marry, the application was opposed by her father who claimed that his daughter’s “so-called love is nothing more than a temporary infatuation”.

He said his daughter’s boy-friend belonged to a different group.

He said: “It is important to me and my family that my daughter should marry within the faith, and my experience is that people who marry out of the faith usually reap unhappiness as they are isolated from the community.”

Despite her parents’ objection, Miss …….sought Supreme Court permission.

When the decision was to have been given on Monday, June 11, she failed to appear. The hearing was postponed for the next day, June 12, but she again failed to turn up.

Her disappearance has been reported to the police by both her boy-friend and her parents. Ends – Daily News Reporter June 14 1073

 

        GIRL CAN MARRY IF SHE RETURNS

 

Then three weeks later on July 6 1973 I wrote a follow-up story that her father would allow her to marry her boy-friend if she returned home.

The story read:

 

The father of Miss….. , the Durban girl who disappeared from her  home early last month after her parents objected to her marriage plans, now says she can go ahead and marry if she will return.

Mr ……… . said today although he had originally objected to his daughter marrying her Chatsworth boy-friend, Mr……… , he had changed his mind.

Miss ……. , an 18-year-old Gujerati-speaking Indian girl, sought Supreme Court permission last October to marry her boy-friend. Her parents objected to the application.

Mr …….. . opposing his daughter’s marriage on the grounds that the “so-called love is nothing more than a temporary infatuation”.

Miss ……, however, continued with her application and a decision was to have been given on June 11, but she failed to appear.

Mr …….. . said anyone seeing his daughter should phone the Chatsworth police at 031 – 846644 or contact the nearest police station. Ends – Daily News Reporter July 6 1973

 

After these two stories were published, the families concerned refused to talk to the media. But it appeared that the young couple married and continued with their lives with the full blessing of their parents.

 

 

 

 

RECALLING ARTICLES ABOUT RONNIE GOVENDER'S PLAYS "THE LAHNEE'S PLEASURE" AND "OFF-SIDE" PUBPLISHED IN DURBAN IN 1976 AND IN INDIA IN 1984

 

RONNIE GOVENDER’S PLAY, “OFF-SIDE”, IN 1984 POKES FUN AT SA’s INDIAN MPs

 

While researching through my files for articles that I had written on the Natal Indian Congress from the early 1970s to the 1990s, I came across articles that I had written about the recently late, Ronnie Govender’s play, "The Lahnee's Pleasure", in October 1976 and “Off-Side”, in September 1984. 
I am re-publishing these stories as a tribute to Ronnie Govender, who passed away at the age of 85 on April 29 last month. He was one of the most accomplished playwrights and theatre personalities who reigned supreme during the days of struggles against the apartheid regime.

            BLACK ACTORS GET CHANCE IN RONNIE’S PLAY

During the hurly, burly days in the 1970s, I was working for The Daily News, which at this time was situated in a building in 85 Field Street (now Joe Slovo Street), Durban. 
As an activist journalist I covered most of the anti-apartheid political, educational, social, sporting and cultural stories.
It was in this frame that I spoke to Ronnie Govender and filed a story that Ronnie was intending to stage his play, The Lahnee’s Pleasure”.
Writing about Ronnie Govender’s stage plays was also of interest to me because most of Ronnie Govender’s plays in some way or other attacked the apartheid policies of the former apartheid regime.
The story I wrote was published in the Daily News on October 22 1976 under the headline: “Black actors get chance in Ronnie’s play”.
The story read:

Mr Ronnie Govender, the Durban playwright, whose play “Swami” was highly acclaimed a few years ago, is to produce another play, “The Lahnee’s Pleasure” in December.
“The Lahnee’s Pleasure”, which was written by Mr Govender in 1972 and staged once during the South African Black Theatre Union’s Festival in Durban, will feature some of Durban’s best known black actors.
They are Essop Khan, who took part in “Swami” and “The Fire Stone” and was one of the producers of the well-received musical, “Saras”; Mahomed Ali, who acted in “Swami”, “The First Stone” and “Stableexpense”; Sunny Clothier, the talented Coloured actor; and Solly Pillay, who came to prominence when he played the lead role in “Saras”.
The central character in the play is a worker on a sugar plantation. As a widower, he is faced with the problem of rearing his children, among them a teenage daughter.
The entire play is set in the Indian bar of a white-owned hotel and revolves around the barman, the “Lahnee”, a stranger and a young man who seduces the widower’s daughter.
Mr Govender, who is also a journalist, told The Daily News he had decided to re-stage the play because of the favourable reaction of the people who saw it during the black festival.
“I intended to stage the play long ago but was not able to do so because of many problems. I have now assembled my cast and am busy with rehearsels,” he said. – Daily News Reporter Oct 22 1976

"OFF-SIDE" PLAY POKES FUN AT SOUTH AFRICA'S INDIAN MPs

Eight years later when I was the Editor of the Press Trust of South Africa (PTSA), we filed stories daily to the Press Trust of India (PTI) in New Delhi about the struggles and other relevant articles.
At this time RonnieGovender wrote and produced the play, “Off-side”, to expose the Indian-origin collaborators who participated in the tri-racial elections a few weeks earlier in August 1984. The collaborators had participated in the sham elections despite the majority of the people of Indian-origin boycotting the racial elections.
“Off-side” was just one of several plays that he had written and produced over the past six decades or so.

           POLITICAL SATIRE ON SA INDIANS

The article on “Off-side” was published in several newspapers in India under the headlines: “Off-side” play pokes fun at SA’s Indian MPs”, “Play debunks Indian MPs of S. Africa” and “Political satire on SA Indians”.
One of the Indian newspapers, Indian Express, published the article on “Off-side” on September 17.

The story read:
Durban, Sept 17 (PTI): A local Indian playwright, Mr Ronnie Govender, has poked fun at those Indians who are participating in the new South African Constitution by producing a play, named “Off-side”, about their actions.
The play, which is running to packed houses in Durban, takes a knock at a Durban butcher, Amichand Rajbansi, who is the leader of the National Peoples’ Party (NPP); Mr Pat Poovalingam, chairman of the Party; and a columnist, Mr Ranji Nowbath – all willing collaborators with the apartheid regime.
The play is spiced with Indian and English music, reports Press Trust of South Africa.
Mr Govender, who is a strong opponent of the apartheid South African Government, has produced a number of plays with Indian characters.
The calibre of the new coloured and Indian members of the tri-racial parliament is very poor, according to political observers here who cite reports that the new members of the coloured House of Representatives and the Indian House of Delegates were to undergo crash courses in parliamentary procedures.

PLAY DE-BUNKS INDIAN MPs OF SOUTH AFRICA

The four-day course will be made up of intensive briefing about how the new three-chamber parliament will operate, its standing rules and the general conduct of the new MPs, reports Press Trust of South Africa.

One political observer said it was shocking that people could enter the new system without any idea about its workings.

Contestants for seats in the new Houses also showed an appalling lack of knowledge of the new Constitution in the run-up to the Indian and coloured elections. When several candidates were questioned on how they would fight apartheid legislation from within the system, they were unable to explain their stance.

Their arguments that they wish to fight apartheid from within therefore comes to naught considering that many have not even read the new Constitution.

With the majority of the MPs undergoing intensive briefing section, it has also been revealed that several Indian candidates had taken crash courses in Afrikaans – which is one of the two official languages used by the new parliamentary scheme. The other official language is English. End – Press Trust of South Africa Sept 17 1984