Time to reflect on our heroes
ON FRIDAY the 158th anniversary of the arrival of indentured Indian labourers descends upon us.
It is a time when we acknowledge the role of the Indian working classes in the dismantling of apartheid and the liberation of South Africa.
In particular, I wish to note the actions of the nine brave Indian persons who stood cheek by jowl with their equally courageous 10 African compatriots in the accused box in the Natal Sabotage Trial of 1964.
Preceding this period, the ANC, in the face of intransigence from the obstinate Nazi-like regime, took the decision to pursue militancy in the pursuit of freedom.
However, the clarion call was that although symbols of repression would be targeted with impactful acts of sabotage, there would be no loss of life.
Thereafter various acts of insurgency were undertaken mainly in the then Natal, Cape Province and Transvaal. Due to weak links in the system and the immense resources of the then government, various struggle icons were arrested, including the great Nelson Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada, who stood trial in the famous/notorious Rivonia Trial.
However, at that time two other sabotage trials featuring MK soldiers took place in Natal and the Cape, and history has not given these trials as much prominence as the Rivonia Trial.
Among the acts committed by the Natalians was the blowing up of three electrical pylons in Durban, which resulted in the whole of the city being thrown into darkness, which was symbolic as Durban was full of ruthless and greedy racists at the time.
The saboteurs also carried out an attack on a Mr Kajee’s office, as he was regarded as a collaborator with the state. However, ironically Mr Kajee, when giving evidence at the trial, conceded that he did not blame the accused for their acts as there was no hope of salvation in the country.
The Natal heroes were mainly trade unionists and workers drawn from the townships and ghettos.
Among them, I was privileged to meet the now late Billy Nair, a humble, intellectually strong and committed person, who, after his release from prison, became a Member of Parliament.
Billy spent every day of his 20-year sentence on Robben Island at the maximum security B Section alongside Mandela, Sisulu and others.
In prison, always educating himself, he obtained a BA degree and a BCom degree. When Billy was released in 1984, the opening lyrics of the 1969 song, “Which way are you going Billy?” came to mind.
He could have opted for a sedate lifestyle reminiscing about the past. Not our Billy! The next day he was at the United Democratic Front office, working intensely for the struggle. More drama and detentions were to follow when freedom dawned.
Ebrahim Ebrahim, another accused, was our Member of Parliament whose service covered Chatsworth; a brave soldier of freedom, who still serves the country and underwent great pain and sacrifice in the cause. Ebrahim was such a warm, gentle man, yet with the steely resolve of a determined revolutionary, he spent 15 years on Robben Island.
And after his release, he was abducted from exile in Swaziland and was subjected to horrendous, malicious and devilish torture by the security police.
They used heavy sounds to continuously batter his eardrum to render him disorientated.
The late George Naicker, with roots in Malvern and Shallcross, was a cadre par excellence of the ANC. The late Kisten Moosamy, who also served as an MP, with Chatsworth among his constituencies; Girja Singh; Natvarial Babenia; Kisten Doorsamy; Ragowan Kistensamy; and Siva Pillay made up the rest of the Indian contingent.
Among the African compatriots proudly stood Curnick Ndlovu, a guiding light to many of us in our youth, Alfred Duma, David Ndawonde and Matthews Meyiwe.
These soldiers spent long years on Robben Island, in the service of the people.
Girja Singh, also known as Sunny Singh, upon his release from Robben Island and among his many revolutionary activities, still found the time to mentor and guide an “underground cell” of ragamuffin youngsters in slum-like Mayville in the art of revolutionary politics and community service.
In this present era, there are plans to enhance social cohesion, which is laudable, but my argument is that in South Africa our peoples have fought the good fight together in the quest for a brighter future.
On Robben Island, the Natal comrades were joined by the likes of equally brave MK operatives like Reggie Vandeyar, who together with other Transvaalers like Indres Naidoo and Shirish Nanabhai, paid the prison price for carrying out acts of sabotage in Transvaal.
There have been many outstanding people, who served the country selflessly and whose names have been left out in this article due to space constraints.
However, never fear, their selfless acts of heroism are out there in the universe and their names will resound in the annals of history.
Vedan is an attorney and community activist