Intimate bond between SA and India

IT WAS fitting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Constitution Hill in Johannesburg yesterday and paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi.

He will also visit KwaZulu-Natal today, following in Gandhi’s footsteps in Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

The iconic hero of India’s own liberation, and one of history’s great non-violent leaders, Gandhi’s roots in South Africa run deep, as do those of the Indian community, whose forefathers came to South Africa in the 19th century, first as indentured labourers and later as shopkeepers.

Indians have, in this country, often been the targets of abuse, and worse, from those on both ends of our racial spectrum. Many are those who are jealous of the apparent success of the community – those who do not appreciate that financial success is often the result of hard work and determination.

The spectre of the Gupta family being involved in “state capture” has not helped the image of the community, it must be said.

However, the relationship between India and South Africa is one which can be of great benefit to our country. India is a huge market and is increasingly flexing its economic muscles internationally, especially as part of the Brics grouping of countries, to which we also belong.

With the world awash with uncertainty after Brexit, developing countries are likely to the feel the impact of dwindling business confidence in the West, and South Africa will be the hardest hit in southern Africa.

Brics offers a real alternative to a unipolar or bipolar world dominated by developed nations. It allows those from former colonies to speak up and have their voices heard.

But on an emotional level we need to nurture the bond, and love, between the two countries, because the reconciliation which Gandhi – and Nelson Mandela – stood for, is the only thing that will heal our own country.