THE WITNESS, MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2012 9

PHONE: 033 355 1111 E­MAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.witness.co.za INSIDE STORY Gandhi and the ANC Today is the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi. His death was mourned in South Africa where he had made contact with the founders of the ANC at the party’s early inception, writes ENUGA REDDY

HE birth of the African Na- tional Congress a century RIGHT: John Tago on January 8, 1912, was Dube who a landmark in the history of was visited by WITNESSING Africa, marking the beginning of Mahatma Gandhi the end of centuries of exploita- at Ohlange. tion and humiliation of the conti- PHOTO: FILE nent. It received hardly any at- tention at the time international- ly or from the white establish- ment in South Africa. 100 Mahatma Karamchand Gan- YEARS dhi, who was then looking after the families of prisoners and ex- prisoners at the Tolstoy Farm OF THE ANC near Johannesburg, during a lull in the passive resistance move- ment in the Transvaal, hailed the was demonstrated later in the eventasrepresenting“theawak- same year. In October, Gopal ening of Africa”. Krishna Gokhale, a highly re- He had become a non-violent spected leader of the Indian na- revolutionary and a mass leader tional movement and a member in 1906 when he realised the fu- of the Viceroy’s Legislative Coun- tility of mere petitions and depu- cil, visited South Africa at the in- tationstotheracistwhiteauthor- vitation of Gandhi. The South Af- ities against oppressive laws and rican government was encour- regulations. He decided to defy aged by Britain to treat him with the imposition of passes and im- due respect. He was provided migration restrictions against with a special railway car. Meet- the Indian people in the Trans- ings, held in several cities to wel- vaal and led the passive resist- come him, were attended by ance movement in which about many white people and ad- a third of adult Indian males in dressed by mayors. He was re- the Transvaal went to prison. ceived by the prime minister, He had already ceased to limit Louis Botha. During his short his attention to the status of the visit to Durban, with a heavy Indian community and his news- schedule of meetings, Gandhi paper, Indian Opinion, began to took him, on November 11, 1912, denounce the increasing oppres- to Ohlange to meet the Reverend sion of the African people — “the John L. Dube, now the first presi- sons of the soil”. At a meeting of dent of the SANNC. Gokhale re- the YMCA in Johannesburg on ceived a warm welcome from the May 18, 1908, he described his staffandstudentsattheIndustri- vision for the future of South al School and spent some time Africa: “If we look into the future, discussing the “native question” is it not a heritage we have to with Dube. Ilanga lase Natal re- leave to posterity that all the dif- portedtheeventonNovember15 ferent races commingle and pro- under the headline “Our Distin- duce a civilisation that perhaps guished Visitor”. the world has not yet seen?” As Anil Nauriya observed: Buttheleadersofthewhitemi- “The occasion is surcharged nority — the Boers and the Brit- with historical significance. ons — had a different vision. Eight decades before the com- They wished to unite South Afri- plete independence of South Af- ca into a union and turn it into rica, a past and a future presi- a country of the white people dent of the Indian National Con- where the great majority of the gress (Gokhale had been people would only serve their Mahatma president of the Congress in needs. Gandhi foresaw, as the Karamchand 1905, Gandhi became president African leaders did, the conse- Gandhi hailed the RIGHT: in 1924), were calling on the quences of this diabolic plan and birth of the ANC as Pixley ka leader of the African National described the union as one representing ‘the Isaka Seme Congress.” against the non-white people of awakening of Africa’. visited Mahatma In 1913, when the Natives the country. PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA COMMONS Gandhi at the Land Act was passed by the After Britain approved the for- Tolstoy Farm in Union Parliament, Gandhi was mationoftheUnionofSouthAfri- 1911. vehement in his denunciation. ca, thereby handing over power PHOTO: FILE An editorial in Indian Opinion to the white minority, ignoring declared: “The Natives Land Act the appeals and betraying the of the Union Parliament has trust of the African and coloured created consternation among people, four African attorneys in TELL US YOUR ANC STORY the natives. Indeed, every other Johannesburg decided to con- question, not excluding the vene a conference of all the Afri- THE full history of Africa’s oldest liberation move­ centenary year. [email protected] Indian question, pales into insig- can organisations in the country WITNESS ment is yet to be written. Many ordinary people Stories must captivate readers and add to the • Do not enclose visuals. nificance before the great native to form a national congress to de- TO played their part in the decades of struggle against forgotten or previously unknown history of the ANC. • If you send an e­mail attachment, please include question. This land is theirs by fendAfricanrights.Theinitiative HISTORY apartheid. Contributions not longer than 1 000 words can your contact details in the same document as the birth and this act of confiscation for the project was taken by If you have a story to tell, no matter how hum­ be submitted via e­mail or post. story, not just in the e­mail message field. — for such it is — is likely to give Pixley ka Isaka Seme. ble, please submit it to the “Witness to history” Send to: The Witness, Witness to History, P. O. • Editing is at the discretion of The Witness. rise to serious consequences.” SemewasborninInanda,near series which will be running throughout the Box 362, Pietermaritzburg, 3200, or e­mail • Manuscripts will not be returned. 1913 was also the year of pas- Gandhi’s Phoenix settlement, sive resistance by African, col- and he must have known of oured and Indian people in South [email protected] Gandhi who had been an attor- Africa. Letters Editor, P.O. Box 362, Pietermaritzburg, 3200 ney in Johannesburg before he In June, African and coloured decided to devote his energies to women in the Free State began the passive-resistance move- passive resistance against a new ment. Welcome Netting lawrequiringthemtocarrypass- It has become known recently, es. They were supported by the from the memoirs of Pauline SANNC. The authorities were Podlashuk, who translated for democratisation runaway trucks eventually forced to abandon Gandhi the last letter he had re- Dutch drug policy passes for women. ceived from Count Tolstoy, that A few weeks later, in Septem- Seme visited Gandhi at the Tol- I REFER to the article headed “The risk of Islamist UNFORTUNATELY, Werner Ehlers has not tional drug use and treat and rehabilitate us- THE tragic loss of yet another innocent life at Lib- ber,the Indian community began stoy Farm in 1911 and had a long coups” (The Witness, January 23). If we believe in true followed the logic of my argument in his letter ers, reduce harm to users, diminish public erty Midlands Mall highlights the ignorance or lack resistance, especially against an discussion during which Gandhi democracy, equality and human rights, then we need headed “Why stop at drugs” (The Witness, nuisance by drug users and combat the pro- of imagination of the people who design our roads. onerous tax imposed on Indian explained the Indian passive-re- to accept these so-called Islamist parties just as other January 23). There is no known country duction and trafficking of recreational drugs. Arrester beds are far from the only answer. A indentured labourers on the sistance movement. faith-based political parties are accepted in other where theft and fraud have been reduced by In 2010 research showed that heroin junk- standard solution that has been proven countless completionoftheircontractsand On July 29, 1911, Indian Opin- parts of the globe. legalising them. However, there are coun- ies had disappeared from the streets of the times in mountainous countries involves the use the non-recognition of Indian ion reported an interview with According to Kenneth Roth, executive director of tries where drug use has been reduced by Netherlands, and treatment was upgraded of steel rope nets, for which there is ample room. marriages. It developed into a Seme on the progress of plans for Human Rights Watch, the West should abandon tradi- legalising it and implementing programmes from a test trial to standard practice for oth- Correctly designed they can stop any truck that general strike involving tens of the conference, which was held tional repressive regimes and begin working with new to deal with the scourge. erwise untreatable addicts. The number of goes into them, bringing them to a halt in a control- thousands of workers in the in Bloemfontein from January 8 Islamist politicians on democratic reform. Islamist Most policymakers in the Netherlands be- heroin addicts has dropped by more than led manner. mines, cane fields, and railways. to January 11, 1912. The confer- parties are genuinely popular in much of the Arab lieve that if a problem has proved to be un- 30% since 1983. No doubt South Africa can They are relatively cheap and quick to erect and This campaign was also signifi- ence established the South Afri- world and seen as the antithesis of autocratic rule. solvable, it is better to try controlling it and learn something from the Netherlands as our extremely effective. They also occupy little space. cant for the participation of can Native National Congress Western countries need to support and encourage reducing harm instead of continuing to en- drug problem continues to worsen. The difficulty is getting to talk to someone in the women and their heroism. Kas- (SANNC, later renamed the Afri- democratic change in the interests of lives of dignity forcelawswithmixedresults.Theirdrugpol- ANDREW TAYNTON roads department who is prepared to listen to turba, wife of Mahatma Gandhi, canNationalCongress).TheRev- for all. If this is shown in the constitutions of these icy has four major objectives: prevent recrea- Shongweni other solutions. was in the first batch of resisters. erend John Langalibalele Dube Islamist parties, then the West should welcome them. ROBIN REYNOLDS Passive resistance and partici- of Natal, founder of the Ohlange ABDULLAH SAEED Hilton pation of women in the struggle Industrial School, was elected Pietermaritzburg for freedom thus became a com- president in his absence. Dube Appropriate appeals mon heritage of South Africa and then sent a letter to “Chiefs and India. Gentlemen of the South African RELATIVE DISTRACTIONS MISGUIDED MARKETING • Enuga Sreenivasulu Reddy, a Native National Congress” ac- KHAYA Dlanga’s article headed “Madiba’s no An appeal to the government to equip and national of India, has been an cepting the honour and pub- JUST a thought regarding the removal of roadside sellout” (The Witness, January 18) is abso- educate our children properly would be more THE Democratic Alliance’s patronising stance active supporter of the South lished it in his newspaper Ilanga crosses erected by the bereaved and presumed to lutely correct. It seems that over the years appropriate than blaming others. So too with an advert to boost its black membership African freedom movement for lase Natal on February 2, 1912. be hazardous to passing motorists. Are they that since Nelson Mandela was president we have would an appeal to utilise taxpayers’ money will do its public relations no good. more than half a century. As Indian Opinion reproduced an much more distracting than newspaper billboards, developed a culture of entitlement and mak- more productively, especially that which has Coming on the heels of a coup over the head of the United Nations extract from his letter in its Feb- plus advertising posters, plus expired election post­ ing excuses by naming and blaming everyone been used over the years for celebrations, in- selection of Lindiwe Mazibuko to a stellar posi­ Centre against apartheid for ruary 10, 1912, issue under the ers? else — whites, blacks, apartheid and now cluding R400 million for the current cente- tion, this new recruitment campaign goes over two decades, he played a title “The Awakening of Africa”. This little old woman becomes a positive menace Mandela. One would hope that after 17 years nary affair. As the editorial in the same issue against the grain of a party that is, numerically, key role in promoting interna­ It referred to Dube as “our friend behind the wheel if she misses any detail on the the government would have persuaded us to of The Witness pointed out, there are great the only one to have stood tall against a tional sanctions against South and neighbour” and called the first poster. I speed up to get to the next one. do what Dlanga says: “Use this precious right needs in the further education and training rampant ANC. But now it uses promiscuity as a Africa and organising the world letter a manifesto. Always the soft targets are singled out. [freedom] to ensure that the darkness of the (FET) sector. It’s our choice. marketing ploy to swell its numbers. campaign to free Nelson Man­ The importance attached by D. A. CLARK past never returns.” It sometimes seems to JEN SCOTT A. R. MODAK dela and other political prison­ Gandhi to this African congress Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg be returning. Creighton Johannesburg ers.