‘Indians enriched SA’s culture’
“I BET my last cent that there is not a single African home where curry is not enjoyed.”
So said Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi at an event hosted by the Indian Consulate in Durban in conjunction with the 1860 Heritage Association.
Speaking on the topic, “Impact of the arrival of Indians on the culture of South Africa,” Buthelezi said South Africa had been enriched over the past 158 years by the presence of Indians.
“South Africa would not be what it is today without the contribution of Indians, and KwaZulu-Natal in particular would have been all the poorer.”
He said for 130 years of their existence in South Africa before the advent of democracy, Indians, together with other races, had been “separated into cultural and linguistic silos”.
“However, even during the height of apartheid, some of us broke the barriers which kept people apart and learnt about each other’s culture. When I was expelled from Fort Hare University, I enrolled at the Natal University College’s segregated campus at Sastri College and met Fatima Meer who, with her husband Ismail Meer, became lifelong friends.
“I attended rallies at Red Square that were addressed by Chief Albert Luthuli, Ismail Meer, Monty Naicker, Walter Sisulu, Debi Singh, Yusuf Dadoo and others. I was often hosted to dinner at the homes of Dr (MGH) Mayat and Pat Poovalingam. We ate in the dining room of Indian families, slept on their spare beds, knew their children by their first names and had deep political discussions over many, many cups of tea. Many Africans had Indians as friends because we all wanted the same future for our country.”
Pointing to peace activist Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Buthelezi said: “Ela and I have known each other for decades,” and with a wide smile added, “it is risky to say such a thing, if you are as old as I am.”
He made much mention of the influence the late Swami Sahajananda, the spiritual head of the Divine Life Society of South Africa, had on his life.
“Swami Sahajananda was my mentor and we spent many hours together. My daughter Mandisi stayed at the ashram and was taken care of by Swami Sahajananda when she was suffering from HIV/Aids.
“Despite the poverty of many Indians, the Divine Life Society built thousands of classrooms for Africans.”
Buthelezi said Indians were not given all that they have on a silver plate.
“Indians pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. Indians now hold some of the most influential positions in South Africa. This only came through hard work, passion, ingenuity, and most of all, patriotism.”
In an apparent swipe at the likes of EFF leader Julius Malema, Buthelezi said: “Indians are not settlers in South Africa – they are an indigenous group. Indians are the greatest patriots of South Africa yet some African leaders call Indians racists.”
He said he was still pained by the race riots of 1949 when Zulus targeted Indians in greater Durban.
“Fortunately, there were people such as Fatima Meer who subsequently helped to bridge the gap between Indians and Africans. Later I worked with others such as YS Chinsamy and Amichand Rajbansi to foster links between Indians and Africans.”
Buthelezi urged all people to work towards social cohesion because “it is the right thing to do”.
“We need to work together; we have a common destiny. We are all affected by home invasions, load-shedding and petrol price increases. We either swim together or sink together,” he said.