Civil group to preserve history of Gandhi-founded Natal Indian Congress in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, Sep 30: A new organisation has been established to preserve the history of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC), which was founded on August 22, 1894, by Mahatma Gandhi in Durban.

A number of veteran Indian-origin activists who were part of the freedom struggle against apartheid for decades, both as NIC members and outside of it, gathered recently in Durban to find a way to ensure that the history and values of the liberation movement are not lost.

This led to the establishment of the Natal Indian Congress Legacy Foundation (NICLEF), a civil society organisation, which will not only aim to preserve the legacy of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC), but also create opportunities for young people to engage with the experiences of those who fought against apartheid.

The Board of the NICLEF is chaired by NIC stalwart Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of the Mahatma, who continues to run the Phoenix Settlement, which was started by him as a hub of community activity.

Jeeven Padayachee, a Management Committee member of the NICLEF, told the weekly Post that the foundation's main objectives were to preserve the NIC's name, legacy and intellectual property, while collecting and archiving documents, artefacts and oral histories linked to the organisation.

"It also aims to promote the NIC's legacy through public programmes and co-operate with similar organisations to promote progressive history and nation-building.

"Its secondary objectives include promoting non-racialism, social cohesion, youth and leadership development, and democratic rights. The foundation hopes to become a permanent centre for education, research, public dialogue and community engagement," Padayachee said.

The decision to establish the NICLEF followed renewed public interest in the organisation during its 130th anniversary programme in 2024.

This, Padayachee added, was also because much of the NIC's history was at risk of disappearing, particularly as many former activists were ageing.

"Our documents, minutes, photographs, banners and artefacts are sitting in garages and homes of ageing veterans and families. If we do not collect them now, they will be lost forever," he said.

The NIC would later join the Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC), also started by Gandhi in 1903 during his tenure in Johannesburg,  and the Cape British Indian Council to form a national umbrella body called the South African Indian Congress (SAIC) to fight apartheid.

Through the SAIC, leaders like Yusuf Dadoo (TIC) and G M "Monty" Naicker (NIC) joined hands with AB Xuma of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1947 to sign the historical "Three Doctors' Pact," forging a joint alliance against apartheid.

After the unbanning of liberation movements like the African National Congress (ANC) in February 1990, the NIC debated whether to maintain a separate ethnic/regional political presence or fully integrate into a non-racial party.

In the lead-up to South Africa's first democratic elections in April 1994, which saw Nelson Mandela installed as South Africa's first democratically elected president, the majority of the NIC's active members and leadership chose to join the ANC directly.

Rather than holding a formal disbandment ceremony, the NIC simply ceased all political and administrative activities around 1993–1994, folding its organisational machinery and membership into the ANC.

Some Indian leaders are now lamenting this decision as one which is allowing the history of the NIC in the fight against apartheid to fade away.

Padayachee said the foundation was also concerned about preserving the oral histories of surviving NIC stalwarts, including their experiences of the Defiance Campaign, Congress Alliance and the struggle for non-racialism.

"The NIC is often reduced to an ethnic organisation. In fact, from 1894 it evolved to become a significant force in the broader non-racial struggle," he said.

Padayachee said the NICLEF planned to establish a digital archive accessible to pupils, researchers and the public, as well as a NIC Youth Fellowship linking young leaders with veterans through mentorship, leadership training and inter-generational dialogue.

It also plans to host heritage lectures, exhibitions, Freedom Charter dialogues and constitutional literacy workshops in schools and communities.

The foundation will be formally and publicly launched early in the new year. (PTI)