By: Asha Ramgobin
I am writing in response to your article entitled: Does the Natal Indian Congress have a role in the future South Africa we want and deserve?
Ela Gandhi is not being ‘used’ as you seem to suggest, and Phoenix Settlement is far from being in a ‘sorry state’. Ms Gandhi is convening the celebration of 120 years of Phoenix Settlement, Gandhi’s first ashram.
It is not only a museum and tourist attraction but also a place of service and a living legacy to Gandhian ideas. The local community are present at Phoenix Settlement almost daily. They come by for computer classes, reading groups for children on Saturdays, sewing and handicraft activities as well as post-traumatic stress counselling after major events like the unrest of July 2021, the 2022 floods, the tornado-like event and crime in the area.
Community members are regular participants at events, many of which are tailor-made to address their needs – for example a careers day, focus on gender-based violence (GBV) and crime, self-sustainability and many other events.
Phoenix Settlement and the Gandhi Development Trust produce a monthly newsletter and an annual report. The annual report includes the annual audited financial statement that details the sources of income. They are available online and will require only a few moments of your time to conduct thorough research before writing an article that misrepresents and misleads. Better still why not conduct an impromptu visit to the Settlement and see for yourself.
Continuing on the subject of research, had you undertaken even basic research on the history of the NIC (Natal Indian Congress) you would have learned that when Mewa Ramgobin called for the revival of the NIC in 1971 it was not for the purposes of mobilising Indians only, but rather to provide a platform for the Charterist and broader Congress movement within the framework of Gandhi’s non-violent resistance for a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic South Africa.
This was because the ANC and other mass organisations were banned at the time. Even before the revival of the NIC, Mr Ramgobin established a committee that called for clemency for political prisoners. Ms Gandhi convenes the celebration of the 130th Anniversary of the NIC, as one of the last surviving members of the NIC executive in Durban.
Principles of non-racialism, non-sexism and inclusion remain central.
This anniversary occurs in the same year that the ANC lost its majority in KwaZulu Natal. The NIC and the ANC have historically been inextricably linked and remain so. Discussions are ongoing and deeply nuanced. Principles of non-racialism, non-sexism and inclusion remain central. Legacy and harnessing of the collective energy for intergenerational renewal, reset and values-based approaches remain central as the range of options are being weighed.
Your ill-considered, insulting, and sarcastic characterisation of Ms Gandhi’s role, the Phoenix Settlement, the NIC anniversary celebration and its potential role offer little if any insight into how to grapple with the important questions of today.
I must also say that your description of those who attended the celebration as resembling ‘a gathering at a SASSA office’ is nothing short of ageist and is also inaccurate.
An accurate account could not exclude Mac Maharaj’s strong and booming voice at the age of 89, offering to meet with and mentor a young activist from Pietermaritzburg. Indeed, there were many over 65-year-olds at the celebration, after all this was a celebration of their contribution.
But being who they are, they were not satisfied with revelling in the past and celebrating what was. Instead, they were focused on where we are today and how to harness all that they had to offer to contribute to the next phase in South Africa’s future.
Finally, you might recall that the 1980s were difficult years. The liberation movement, including the NIC, was infiltrated with informers and agent provocateurs. These conditions created circumstances where some were excluded, and others included. This might seem a simplistic perspective on the complex topic of an alleged cabal, nevertheless, in my view, having lived through that time and been intimately connected with it, I propose that such feelings of exclusion might be at the heart of the disgruntlement and accusations of the presence of a cabal.
We invite you to the celebration of the 120th Anniversary of Phoenix Settlement on 2 October and from 5-6 October. You could interview people, make observations and gain first-hand knowledge to offer deeper, more accurate and nuanced analysis on subjects that you write about.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.