OUR RICH HISTORY - BILLY NAIR
(Billy Nair being welcomed by family members in Durban after his release in February 1984 after being imprisoned on Robben Island for 20 years.)
One of the doyens of the liberation struggles was Billy Nair, the son of indentured labourers, who was imprisoned on Robben Island for 20 years for fighting against white minority rule and domination. After his death at the age of 79 on October 23 2008, Subry Govender compiled a three-part series as a special tribute in honour of this struggle icon.
We publish the three reports as part of our information
for those who are interested in learning about OUR RICH HISTORY. This is Part
2......
BILLY NAIR - A STRUGGLE STALWART WHO COMMITTED HIMSELF TO
FIGHT FOR A FREE AND NON-RACIAL DEMOCRACY TILL HIS LAST BREATH.
By Subry Govender
Six months after his release in February 1984
from 20 years on Robben Island, Billy Nair was again detained, tortured and
brutalised for opposing the tri-cameral elections. The tri-cameral elections
were some of the devious plans by the former apartheid regime to co-opt the
coloured and Indian-orign communities.
Billy Nair took his case to the High Court
and succeeded in winning his release from detention.
THREE MONTHS AT THE BRITISH CONSULATE IN
DURBAN
He, thereafter, took refuge at the British
Consulate in Durban along with Mewa Ramgobin, M J Naidoo, Archie Gumede and
Paul David. All these leaders were activists of the Natal Indian Congress(NIC),
the Release Mandela Committee(RMC), the United Democratic Front(UDF) and other
progressive organisations.
Nair spent three months at the Consulate and
soon after he walked out of the consulate’s office in December 1984, I spoke to
Billy Nair about the political struggles at that time.
BRUTALISED BY SECURITY POLICE
I asked him about the brutalisation he
suffered at the hands of the then dreaded security police.
"In the first place six months after I
was released from Robben Island, I was actually detained for opposing the
tri-cameral elections," he told me. "After four months of detention
and my stay at the Consulate with my colleagues I was released.
"This indicates clearly that the state
was persecuting me. Whenever I came into the custody of the special branch I
was assaulted.
"There's a charge of assault pending
against the police who assaulted me. I was assaulted and subjected to quite
humiliating experience in prison and one could say that I was subjected to it
was a quite a torrid experience."
STRUGGLE WILL CONTINUE
Billy Nair showed no signs of being beaten by
the brutal actions of the apartheid regime. Instead, he re-iterated that as
long as the National Party regime at that time refused to negotiate with the
authentic and real leaders of the people, the struggle will continue.
"As long as the National Party
Government remains intransigent and refuses to meet the authentic leaders of
the people," he said, "the unrest will naturally continue and what I
urge the National Party Government and all those at the helm of power and and
the powers that be is to come to their senses and negotiate and discuss with
the authenthic leaders of the people to resolve the problems of the
country".
UNITED DEMOCRATIC FRONT
The United Democratic Front, of which Billy
Nair was a senior leader, was facing a crisis at this time because of the
widespread detentions of thousands of leaders and activists around the country
and the charges of treason brought against most of the top leaders. But Billy Nair was unruffled. He was of the
view that as long as the UDF was the authentic voice of the people, it would
continue to operate. This, despite the oppressive actions of the then apartheid
regime.
"The setback the UDF and its affiliates
suffer at the moment will make them to re-group because, after all, an
organisation is not founded on futile principles but an organisation which is
found on firm basic principles with widespread support of the massive of the
people it has the support of 30-million people. An organisation like this will
prove invincible and emerge victorious and triumphant, not withstanding the
present difficulties.
TOTAL REJECTION OF TRI-CAMERAL PARLIAMENT
Billy Nair also totally rejected any form of
association with the regime's tri-cameral parliamentary offer to the coloured
and Indian-orign communities. He made it clear that he would struggle on for a
non-racial and free South Africa till his last breadth.
"The democratic loving people, the
people who want democracy and freedom urge the white minority government to sit
and work out with people and not for the people. Not with-standing the
repression that I have suffered and am suffering I will continue with the
struggles for as long as I live. I will continue to struggle for a free and
non-racial democracy for both black and white as long as I live."
POLITICAL FREEDOM, NOT MONETARY GAINS
Billy Nair remained totally dedicated to the
full political, social and economic emancipation of all South Africans --- without
expecting anything in return. He had
followed in the footsteps of many other great freedom leaders. One hopes that
Billy Nair's rich life will not be lost now that he's no longer with us. The
younger generation must be able to learn from the unselfish lives of Billy Nair
and scores of others. - ends:
subrygovender@gmail.com Oct 7 2024
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