Drawing inspiration from leaders like Dube and Gandhi
FIRST, on behalf of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, we wish Comrade Yusuf Bhamjee good health and strength. We have learnt about his condition and we wish him a speedy recovery.
Comrade Bhamjee remains a dedicated leader of our movement, who ensured service delivery when he was the mayor of uMgungundlovu District Municipality. We recall that he received the Andrew Mlangeni Green Jacket in recognition for his services to sports activism in the province.
As we celebrate 30 years of our freedom and democracy, we need to pause and reflect on our journey over the years.
I am reminded of the work of the two leaders, the pathfinders of this freedom, Reverend John Langalibalele Dube and Mahatma Gandhi.
Dube, the first president of the ANC, dedicated his time and energy to a revolution against colonialism and racism. He worked closely with Gandhi, who was a Hindu.
When the two leaders were called upon to lead, they upheld what was in the best interest of all people. They focused on the task at hand and not on what they stood to gain from their positions.
As we celebrate this major milestone, we must remember them for their strength of character, discipline and patriotism.
Dube was inspired by Gandhi’s commitment to peace, to such an extent that he became an advocate of non-racialism, a concept that was later adopted by the governing party and is being used as a tool to unify all South Africans.
Reverend Dube and Gandhi were driven by the desire to improve the political and socio-economic conditions of their communities. Notably, both leaders were involved in public work for their communities.
Gandhi founded the Natal Indian Congress in 1894. Reverend Dube helped found the Natal Native Congress in 1900.
Gandhi began publishing the
Indian Opinion, a weekly in English, Gujarati, Hindi and Tamil, in June 1903. Dube launched the Ilanga Lase Natal, an African weekly in English and Zulu, in the same year.
It was printed at the same press as the Indian Opinion until Dube acquired a press for the Ohlange Institute.
The two leaders respected each other and, as a result, they laid the foundation for this democratic society. The two are proof that indeed, leaders across racial lines can unite and rise against all odds to create a better life for future generations.
We have a rich history that we are all proud of, and it is because of the two leaders.
It is true that, for a long time, our history inspired many people who found themselves in similar conditions.
Our history gave hope to many who sought to improve the conditions under which they lived. We must therefore preserve our history and use it to unite our efforts.
As we approach the general elections, in our candidate list as the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal we have ensured representation from the Indian community. It is important to reiterate that no minority community should feel isolated or marginalised within the ANC.
I recall that a few months ago, there was a call for the revival of the Natal Indian Congress from some quarters as a means to address the perceived marginalisation.
The ANC and many leaders in the Indian community advised against
that thinking.
We welcome the fact that those who harboured such ideas came forward and discussed their concerns with the leadership of the ANC.
We are working together to build a prosperous province and country.
The Natal Indian Congress was the first to be founded among the components of the congress movement in this country. It remains a respected member of the anti-apartheid forces in the history of our liberation Struggle.
In a letter written by Dr Yusuf Dadoo to Professor Davidson Don Tengo Jabavu, the then-president-general of the ANC, on July 4, 1940, he stated: “It was time for African, Indian, and coloured people to form one solid, powerful organisation.”
Racially separate organisations were formed in the context of racial segregation in the country at the time, but when our leaders signed the Three Doctors’ Pact, they cemented the unity of all the oppressed people and created
a common platform for fighting apartheid.
When the ANC was unbanned, it had become a home for all, and the matter of the existence of the Natal Indian Congress was laid to rest.
The solution to the challenges identified does not lie in ethnic mobilisation but in honestly confronting one another and resolving differences as members and supporters of the ANC.
Areas of under-representation and concerns about a lack of emphasis on some issues need to be addressed.
The identity of all groups is assured in the ANC, in theory and in practice.
We must reiterate that the ANC remains a home for all progressive forces and activists, capable of adequately representing the aspirations of minority communities.
This includes those in the Indian, coloured and white communities who, by virtue of their views, beliefs and support for the vision of the Freedom
Charter, are part of the majority of this country.
Let us hold hands and walk together to victory on May 29, 2024.
The ANC needs strong community support to form a strong government to face the challenges that South Africa faces. We remain committed to promoting a culture of peaceful coexistence, non-racialism and political tolerance.
As a multiclass party, there is space for people from religious or traditional backgrounds, communists and non-communists, workers, peasants and property owners, all of whose views are respected by the ANC.
The struggle and sacrifices of Gandhi, Dube, Inkosi Albert Luthuli, Dr Monty Naicker, Dr Dadoo, Dr Alfred Xuma, Ruth First, Bram Fisher, Fatima Meer and many more leaders, heroines, and heroes of our Struggle should not be in vain.
We need to unite and work together to end poverty, starvation, illiteracy, disease and all forms of underdevelopment.
We have to fight crime, the proliferation of drugs in our communities and eradicate fraud and corruption.
We have to accelerate the delivery of services to all our people and bring development to all communities across the country.
We need to continue to take this country on a path of nation-building, using the wonderful tapestry of our cultures, which have survived many years of discrimination.