Indian ties with South Africa honoured

Mr Nelson Mandela received a courtesy call from Mrs Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress in India and widow of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, on Wednesday, 22 August.

Gifts were exchanged at the meeting, and speeches made commemorating the ties between South Africa and India.

The main speech was offered by Mr Ahmed Kathrada, a long-time friend and comrade of Mr Mandela’s, who was imprisoned with him on Robben Island. Mr Kathrada had celebrated his 78th birthday just the day before. He was born on August 21, 1929 in the-then Western Transvaal.

Mr Kathrada spoke of the strong ties between South Africa and India, the role of the Gandhi family in international politics, and India’s proud history of support for the struggle against apartheid.

After the formalities, Mr Mandela received a gift from Ms Saeeda Cachalia, the daughter of struggle veteran Mr Molvi Cachalia – a historic photograph taken at the opening of the ANC’s office in India in 1967.

Mr Cachalia was an anti-apartheid activist and a leader of the Indian Passive Resistance Movement who worked closely with Mr Mandela. After being served with restriction orders in 1963 he escaped from the country and represented the ANC in India from 1967, when the ANC’s Asian Mission was established in New Delhi. He died on August 8, 2003.

Full text of speech by Mr Ahmed Kathrada, on the occasion of Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s meeting with Mr Nelson Mandela, 22 August 2007

It’s a honour and privilege for us to have Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Minister Anand Sharma at the Nelson Mandela Foundation this morning. Minister Sharma has been an anti-apartheid activist since his student days; and, with his history as our long- standing friend, it is fitting that we have this opportunity to welcome him at this auspicious gathering.

Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s visit to South Africa is of special significance. Her presence here offers us the opportunity to recall with sadness and appreciation, and at the same time to salute the memory of two prominent Indian leaders who were great friends of our struggle for freedom and non-racial democracy. Both of them – Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s husband, Rajiv, and her mother-in-law, Mrs Indira Gandhi, were cruelly assassinated for their political beliefs.

Through the initiative of her late husband, Rajiv, the Indian National Congress donated millions of rands to cover the cost of Shell House, the first headquarters of the unbanned ANC.

And Mrs Indira Gandhi. Beginning with her student years, and throughout her life, she gave her unwavering support to the ANC and to the struggle of the oppressed people for a non-racial democracy. The ANC office in New Delhi not only received her unstinting support, but the Indian National Congress Government extended diplomatic status to our office. 

For this and other reasons we are delighted to welcome Mrs Sonia Gandhi as President of the Indian National Congress.

The relationship between India and South Africa goes back several hundred years. From the beginning of Dutch colonisation in the 1650s, there were Indian slaves. In 1860 we had indentured labourers from India who worked and lived in conditions of semi-slavery. Then, in the 19th Century, we had the so-called “passenger Indians”, who came over to this country.

These three strands of immigrants make up the South African Indian community, of well over a million.

And while we are dealing with the long relationship between our two countries, it may be useful to add that the mother of Simon van der Stel, the second Dutch Governor of the Cape, was Monica of Bengal – a fact which made poor old Simon a Coloured; a fact that some white historians and politicians are not happy to acknowledge.

Time does not allow us trace the long history of the relation between our two countries; therefore we will fast track into the 20th Century, and recall that as early as 1946, India became the first country in the world to impose trade, economic, cultural and economic sanctions against South Africa. And also in 1946, India succeeded in placing South African racism on the agenda of the United Nations.

And when in 1960 Congress leaders – Oliver Tambo, Dr Yusuf Dadoo, Moses Kotane, Molvi Cachalia and many others – left the country without passports, it was India which was again the first country to provide travel documents to them.

In 1997, President Mandela was the chief guest of honour at the 50th Anniversary of the Republic of India.

In January of this year, India celebrated a “Hundred years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha”, which of course had its roots in South Africa. 

The historic conference in New Delhi in January to mark this anniversary was attended by delegates from about 90 countries. And significantly, it opened with a video message from President Mandela, which was received with acclamation.

Finally, I believe at the suggestion of Mrs Sonia Gandhi, South Africa was once again honoured by being asked to present the Final Declaration of Conference to the delegates, which was unanimously accepted. Thank you, Mrs Gandhi, for your visit. We can look forward with confidence to the relations between India and South growing from strength to strength.