Ramgobin remembered
MEWA Ramgobin, who died on Monday night after a prolonged illness, has been remembered as a person who left a big footprint in South Africa’s history.
He was at the forefront of the revival of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) originally founded by Mohandas Gandhi in 1894 to fight increasingly anti-Indian legislation.
Once married to Gandhi’s granddaughter, Ela, Ramgobin, 83, established a Gandhi museum and library, organised the Annual Gandhi Lecture and helped educate people of different race groups on Gandhian thought. He became chairman of the trust that oversaw Gandhi’s Phoenix Settlement where Gandhi had carried out his social experiments of truth and non-violence.
Ramgobin was born on November 10, 1932, in Inanda. He started becoming aware of the political situation in South Africa as a teenager when he saw the difference in how he was treated compared to black African children.
This idea was strengthened when he finished primary school, but could not get a space in the only Indian school in then Natal.
The NIC stepped in and started a new school. It was at this point that Ramgobin became aware that there was an Indian Congress, and that as an Indian he could not do as he liked.
When he was 17, a driver of one of his father’s buses was killed by a group of black people. After this his father moved them from the area, and Ramgobin found it difficult to be separated from his black friends. That was when he began to realise that he could not complain about discrimination against Indians if he discriminated against blacks.
At the University of Natal he became more politically involved.
In 1965 he received his first banning order, but this did not affect his political involvement.
In 1970 his banning order expired and he founded the South African Committee for the release of Political Prisoners, and began to work towards a revival in the NIC. By the end of the year he was president of the NIC.
In September 1971 Ramgobin was banned again, after he organised a petition for clemency for political prisoners. He remained under house arrest until February 1973.
In March 1973 he received a parcel bomb, reportedly the first in South Africa, which exploded in his office in Durban.
The government then restricted him, meaning he could no longer work in Durban, so he moved his office to Verulam.
In 1983 Ramgobin became the treasurer of the United Democratic Front (UDF), and was arrested in 1984 and released after 19 days.
He went into hiding after his release, and sought refuge in the British consulate, but was arrested again on October 6 and accused of high treason after the 1984 riots.
He was acquitted in December 1985. He continued his work with the UDF and became an ANC MP.
He was also an author, writing Waiting To Live and his memoir, Prisms Of Light: Within My Memory.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal said of Ramgobin: “He stands out as one of the great activists and sons of our province... From a young age Cde Mewa was driven by a deep passion for justice, uniting our people and building the non-racial society.”
Friends, family and former comrades of Ramgobin remember him fondly:
Nephew Satish Dhupelia: “Our country has lost a great person and to me, someone who was integral to my life.
“He taught me to drive and taught me the meaning of politics. He also taught me valuable lessons and was there when my dad died and during the happy moments when I turned 60.
“My uncle was a son of the country and had given his life for South Africa.
"I remember when we got democracy and after the election, he said the battle was still not over.
"He said there was still the battle of poverty, which is so true and relevant to today’s society.”
Retired judge Thumba Pillay: “I’ve known Mewa from the mid 1950s, so our friendship spanned many decades. We were student activists at the University of Natal and colleagues in the NIC, UDF and the ANC.
“We were also in many campaigns together, including the Free Mandela campaign, and we were both served banning orders.
“Mewa was devoted to the struggle for freedom and his passing is a sad loss to the South African community.”
Jerry Coovadia: “Our friendship goes back to around 1969-1970, when I returned to Durban from India, having qualified as a doctor.
“Mewa was responsible for revitalising the NIC and was central to the release Nelson Mandela campaign. He developed my political identity and I think he did this for many others. He helped when I was naive politically."
Swaminathan Gounden: “Mewa was an old comrade, who had done a lot for the NIC and the liberation movement. He was a vociferous and straightforward person, who took an active part in the people’s struggle. He was a progressive person and would not shy away from tackling and discussing issues.”
Paul David: “Mewa was a confident and wonderful public speaker. He threw his body and soul into the ANC during the underground struggle. He joined the NIC and after the leadership was banned, he emerged as the person that revived it.
“With his passing we have lost a caring person, a person who made a big footprint in our history.”