Indians belong in South Africa too

THE EFF, with Malema as its leader, is using the race card as its strategy to divide a country that has suffered enough from past divisions.

Malema has not laid out a plan of how he would change people’s lives for the better, other than talk about nationalisation and taking land without compensation.

Both have been done before in countries like Zimbabwe, resulting in 80% unemployment, food shortages and a worthless currency.

A series of legal restrictions and discriminatory laws were also implemented against the Indian community such as:

In 1891 the Statute Law of the Orange Free State prohibited Indians from owning businesses or farms. All Indian businesses were forced to close and the owners were deported from the Orange Free State without compensation.

Act 17 of 1895 of the colony of Natal imposed a £3 tax on ex-indentured Indians who failed to re-indenture or return to India after completion of their labour contracts. (£3 was equivalent to about six months’ earnings).

The Transvaal’s Onerous Act 3 of 1885 barred Indians from owning land and confined them to locations.

The Franchise Act of 1896, disenfranchised all Indians in Natal.

The Asiatic Law Amendment Bill (The Black Act) of 1907, proposed the registration and fingerprinting of Indians, who would be required to carry registration certificates (similar to passes) at all times.

The Transvaal Immigration Restriction Act of 1908 barred all non-resident Indians from entering the Transvaal without permits.

The Immigrants Regulation Act, No 22 of 1913, classified all Asiatic persons as undesirable.

A judgment by Justice Malcolm Searle in March 1913 in the Cape division of the Supreme Court rendered all marriages conducted according to Hindu or Muslim rites invalid. This meant that all married Indian women were reduced to the status of concubines while their progeny was classified illegitimate and deprived of all their rights of inheritance, property, assets and legal claims.

Under apartheid, people were classified and excluded based on race.

The Indian citizens of this country are as much equals as any other group and cannot and must not be denied any right of contribution or participation in our land. Lone Hill, Sandton