BY SUBRY GOVENDER
With political parties and their leaders out in full force trying to influence the electorate for the May 29th general elections, a significant percentage of people find themselves in a state of “loss and uncertainity”.
This unfortunate situation has arisen despite the fact that many activists and members of the different communities believed that the new South Africa would be non-racial in character and they would have no worries.
The ANC became their first choice in 1994 after the progressive United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Natal Indian Congress, which was the mouthpiece of the Indian-origin community since 1894, was allowed to fade out of existence in the run-up to the first democratic elections about 33 years ago.
But after the race factor had been thrown around by some political leaders, a number of prominent progressive leaders and activists felt that some communities had no voice to articulate their aspirations and concerns in the new South Africa.
In this article on life after the UDF and the NIC, veteran journalist, Subry Govender, poses the question whether the decision to allow the UDF and NIC to fade out of existence in 1994 was the correct move?
THE PEOPLE COMPLAIN OF A LACK OF LEADER OR ORGANISATION TO GUIDE THEM AND PROVIDE THEM WITH CONFIDENCE
“If peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don’t want it. If peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don’t want peace.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
( PROFESSOR FATIMA MEER)
Sometime in 2008, I had the privilege of talking to one of our formidable social and political activists and authors, Professor Fatima Meer, when she was celebrating her 80th birthday. The quotation by American Civil Rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, above reflected the feelings of Professor Meer at that time. I spoke to her at a time when many former activists of the UDF, NIC and other progressive organisations and leaders were becoming disillusioned at the movement away from our true values and principles of a non-racial and democratic society.
RACIAL DIATRIBE
This had come about following racially-inciting diatribe by some political leaders who wanted to gain the political limelight not through progressive values and principles, but through racial mongering.
It was also at a time when people were becoming concerned at the falling standards in our educational and health sectors; the increasing rate of unemployment among the poor and marginalised people; and the fact that most people live like hostages in their homes because of the high and increasing violent crime wave.
This disillusionment was reflected in the manner in which the people voted in the 2014 general election, the subsequent 2016 local government elections and once again in the 2019 general elections.
(SOME OF THE CONGRESS LEADERS OF THE PRE-1994 ERA - DR JERRY COOVADIA, THUMBA PILLAY AND SWAMINATHAN GOUNDEN - WHO TOOK PART IN AN ANTI-CORRUPTION PROTEST IN DURBAN IN 2016)
UNITED DEMOCRATIC FRONT AND NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS
Now in 2024, when political parties are busy with their election campaigns for the scheduled May 29 general elections, many people are asking whether the communities had been let down by the progressive and revolutionary UDF and NIC being forced to shut shop in the early 1990s.
This action was taken when the ANC informed the leaders of the NIC at that time that there was no longer any need for the NIC because the people could now become members of the ANC and that there would be no need for any worries.
NELSON MANDELA
This action was taken even though the leader of the ANC and the President of our first democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela, advised that the NIC should remain because it had a historical background and linked to Mahatma Gandhi.
NIC LEADERS MEET WITH MANDELA IN JANUARY 1994
Mandela outlined his views when leaders of the NIC held a meeting with him at the ANC headquarters in Shell House in Johannesburg on January 19 1994. Mandela told the NIC leaders that he appreciated the role played by the NIC during the struggle years. He pointed out that for all intents and purposes the NIC was the ANC when the organisation was banned since 1960 and when most of the leaders were either in exile, in jail, banned, detained or house-arrested. He said for this reason the NIC should remain as a historical partner of the ANC and to continue to mobilise the community.
MANDELA WANTED THE NIC TO CONTINUE AS A SOCIAL PARTNER OF THE ANC
(ANOTHER NIC LEADER PRE 1994 - DR FAROUK MEER - TALKING TO PREMIER WILLIES MCHUNU AT A FUNCTION IN DURBAN A FEW YEARS AGO)
Many leaders such as Judge Thumba Pillay, Dr Farouk Meer, George Sewpersadh, M J Naidoo, and Paul Devadas David supported Mandela in his view that the NIC should remain, not as a political party, but as a progressive social organisation aligned to the ANC.
Now 30 years into our new South Africa, many people are saying that most descendants of the 1860 generation are not only feeling “lost and uncertain”, but also don’t have an organisation that they could align to.
Their main concern is: “What is the future of our grand-children?” in a society where there’s so much racial profiling, racial mongering and lawlessness – all anti-social evils that are totally against the true values and principles of the ANC.
M J NAIDOO
(M J NAIDOO (FOURTH FROM RIGHT) AND GEORGE SEWPERSADH, BILLY NAIR, ARCHIE GUMEDE AND MEWA RAMGOBIN WHO TOOK REFUGE AT THE BRITISH CONSULATE IN DURBAN IN THE 1980s to ESCAPE FROM THE APARTHEID SECURITY POLICE)
They say that Mr M J Naidoo, a former president of the NIC, was one of the leaders who clearly outlined what kind of a future South Africa they would like to see.
This is what he said at a protest meeting in Durban in the 1980s:
“My message for South Africa is that everyone should show a concern for peace and prosperity for all its people. Where selfish interests, greed and a feeling of superiority and arrogance holds sway, there can be no real peace or prosperity.
“Everyone in South Africa – black, brown or white – should, therefore, dedicate oneself with the urgency that the South African situation deserves, to the task of building a United South Africa and to spreading the sunshine and plenty to all its people.”
Many of the people say that the current ANC, which President Cyril Ramaphosa is trying his best to resuscitate and become relevant, has too many challenges to worry about people who are classified as a “minority”.
They say that if the NIC or any other progressive organisation like the UDF was around, then the people would not feel isolated or marginalised.
PROFESSOR FATIMA MEER
Sixteen years ago, when I interviewed Professor Meer on her 80th birthday she was also of the view, like Mandela, that the NIC or the UDF could have allayed the fears and anxieties of the people who feel marginalised and lost.
She told me: “You see the people had a very strong organisation in the Natal Indian Congress and I wrote to Mr Mbeki long, long ago that it had been a tragedy that the ANC had asked the NIC to be disbanded because that was an organisation founded by Gandhi in the last century.
“It was an organisation that stood by the ANC always. Now the ANC had made the biggest mistake. Politically as a political party, the ANC was fine and totally acceptable but to organise the people, they needed an organisation.”
Professor Meer was of the view that the history of the people of Indian-origin in the Natal Indian Congress, Transvaal Indian Congress and the South African Indian Congress could not be de-linked in the new South Africa.
“This was a very rich history. You don't want to miss out on that history. You want to build on that history. It is a pity that it was disbanded at all.
“I would prefer we resurrect our roots and our history and the ANC must recognise that what the Indian Congress had contributed in the time of revolution, will today, in the time of government, continue to give it support in all fields.”
Many other former activist leaders such as Judge Thumba Pillay and the late Dr Farouk Meer, Swaminathan Gounden and George Sewpersadh also expressed similar sentiments since 1999.
GEORGE SEWPERSADH
Mr Sewpersadh, president of the NIC when negotiations against white minority rule and domination were taking place in the early 1990s, was particularly concerned that those left behind after 1994 and those struggling for livelihoods would be affected gravely by the absence of an organisation such as the UDF or NIC.
Early this week I talked to Ashwin Ramchand, a concerned South African who is involved in the import and export industry in Durban.
He expressed his serious disillusionment with the current social and political tendencies and state of affairs.
“I have no leader or organisation that I can look up to for advice or direction. There is no organisation that is taking up social and other issues of concern to me and other people in the different communities.
“I thought President Cyril Ramaphosa would be okay in 2019 but over the past five years he has demonstrated that he is not strong enough to tackle the serious challenges facing the people.
“What do I and others do under these circumstances?
“If we had an organisation such as the UDF we would have no worries because we would know that someone is taking up our concerns. Now we are lost. As far as I am concerned the NIC always promoted the interests of all South Africans and not a particular people.”
Mr Dhavanathan Govender, a building contractor of Verulam, told me he could take care of himself without any organisation but he asked: “What about the people living on the margins of society?”
He added: “At least if there was an organisation like the NIC or the UDF, the people who are struggling can look up to these organisations for direction and advice. Now they don’t have any leader or organisation who can give them hope. Many people in our communities are lost. “Something must be done to bring hope to the people.” Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com April 5 2024
