INDIAN PERCEPTIONS AND FEARS
75% support interracial marriage.
87% are comfortable to live and socialise with people of other races.
76% believe Indians are disadvantaged when it comes to jobs.
SOME Indian South Africans feel marginalised, politically insecure and many continue to grapple with whether they truly consider the country their home.
They also fear being forced out of South Africa some day by either the ANC or the EFF.
Researcher Dr Nirmala Gopal said that for these fears to be allayed, the government should do more to engage Indian South Africans at grassroots level and to promote social cohesion and race relations in communities.
The UKZN academic added that the recurrent racist views expressed against Indians, which included calls for them to return to India, had created tension, conflict and disharmony.
So had affirmative action, black economic empowerment policies and the quota system, which seemingly favours Africans while limiting job opportunities for Indians.
There was an impression, she said, that Indians suffered less during apartheid, and were rich and better able to access tertiary education.
In KZN a perception exists, added Gopal, that Indians dominate the work field.
As a result, she said, some of the 402 respondents who formed the basis of her research were grappling with their national identity.
Gopal said 51.2% of the respondents still referred to themselves as “South African Indians”, possibly indicating they don’t feel truly assimilated in the country.
This could be the reason why 56.2% of the respondents believed the country needed a political party to represent them.
If not, they felt as if their interests and well-being would not be considered, because Indians were a minority, making up only 1.2 million of the total South African population, she said.
Her research further showed that only 18.9% felt “most welcome” in South Africa, 38.8% were mid-ranged and 16.2% felt the “least welcome”.
Other results showed that 42.8% of the respondents felt accepted by South African society, 40.5% felt this happened sometimes, and 16.7% did not feel accepted.
Heritage
Only 18.2% of respondents felt government promoted Indian heritage.
Gopal said 37.1% felt either the EFF or the ANC might some day force Indians out of the country.
She added that 38.1% said it was possible this might happen, while 24.9% did not see this happening.
To add to these woes, 76.4% felt disadvantaged when it came to job opportunities.
This has led to some Indians considering leaving the country.
“About 39.1% were aware of the Indian OCI passport, which would allow them to become eligible to become citizens of India, and 63.7% said they would consider applying for it.
Another 25.9% said they had a desire to return to live in their ancestral home in India.”
An astounding 84.3%, said Gopal, had complained that even though they were tax-paying citizens, there was no Indian representation on South African television and in magazines.
She told POST that the perceptions and impressions created over the years should be urgently addressed.
“Indian forebears arrived in South Africa in 1860 to work on the sugar cane plantations. They also suffered under white rule and even now, in the new political dispensation, they find themselves still on the back-foot.
“These perceptions and impressions that have been created need to be addressed if we want to move forward.
“We sometimes forget that Indians have also suffered racism. This goes unnoticed and undetected.
“Social cohesion projects, aimed at building confidence and security among Indians and fostering better relationships with other race groups, must be taken to communities.
“These are important initiatives, and those who run these initiatives should also not under-estimate their value,” said Gopal.
She added that the government also needed to find ways to make Indians feel politically safe, and should better promote Indian culture and heritage.
On the flip side, 46.3% of third and fourth generation South Africans felt integrated and preferred to be referred to simply as “South African”.
“They say my national and political identity is South African and they are proud of it.”