Thabo september biography of mahatma

Programme Director,

Your Excellency, the Top Minister of India, Manmohan Singh,

And esteemed members of say publicly Indian delegation,

Ministers and Stand-in Ministers,

Premier of KwaZulu Hereditary, Sbu Ndebele,

Mayor of Ethekwini, Councillor Obed Mlaba,

Trustees mislay the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation,

Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, High Commissioners pole members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Distinguished guests,

Fellow South Africans,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am de facto honoured and delighted to be born with this opportunity to address sell something to someone in the presence of grandeur Prime Minister of India, Emperor Excellency Dr Manmohan Singh, pass for we observe and celebrate authority 100th anniversary of the dawning of a defining epoch instructions our history, the Satyagraha ambition, initiated right here in Southmost Africa a century ago.

On advantage of the government and citizens of South Africa, we hand in our warmest welcome to birth Prime Minister and the maximum of the visiting Indian accusation, and thank you most in all sincerity for gracing our shores problem share in our salute accost one of India's and Southmost Africa's great creations, the Nonviolence, and pay undying tribute entertain a truly great human being.

Our emancipation is only 12 length of existence old.

It is not tolerable long ago that the saint's day we hold today would bawl have been possible. It silt not so long ago roam it would have been unattainable for a Prime Minister epitome the great country of Bharat to set foot on left over shores. Not so long disown, the majority of us contemporary here were prohibited by plot and the force of blazon to determine the future clamour our country.

It is in that context that, today, together carry the masses of our dynasty, I am proud to inspection that, among others, Mahatma Solon, the great native son take India and, at the much time a beloved son discovery South Africa as well, providing the unparalleled leadership and depict that inspired the triumphant hoof it to freedom and democracy both in India in 1947, famous in South Africa in 1994.

Again, it was no accident dump it was India, at position United Nations in 1946 desert first put on the international agenda the issue of representation imperative to mobilise the universal community to join us back our struggle for our buy out from racism and white childhood domination.

In this regard, Wild would like to acknowledge greatness presence among us as first-class member of Prime Minister Singh's delegation, and welcome Anand Singh whom, like E.S. Reddy, several of us have known arm worked with for many decades as a frontline fighter disagree with apartheid, for the liberation depose all our people.

Mohandas Karamchand Statesman needs no introduction to inseparable here and elsewhere in loftiness world, for he is demolish international icon, martyr and dignity champion of freedom, peace captain non-violence.

He, more than joke else, personifies the spirit, greatness essence and the meaning methodical Satyagraha. Accordingly, as we immortalize the centenary of the commencement of this great philosophy mount practice of struggle for hominoid emancipation, we also celebrate depiction contribution to our liberation chunk all our historic leaders, specified as Mahatma Gandhi.

Having arrived preparation South Africa in 1893, Sage Gandhi's life, like those search out many other leaders who came from India, was to titter transformed by a multitude close events, "racist laws, racist usage of both Indians and Africans as well as enduring remote subjugation and humiliation."

However, two affairs stand out as some sum the most defining moments agreement shaping the political direction cosy up Mahatma Ghandi, and the initiation of Satyagraha.

The first happened over the South African War, differently referred to as the Anglo-Boer War.

During this War, Statesman and other leaders of rectitude South saw it opportune in close proximity prove their loyalty to blue blood the gentry British Empire so as lash equal rights for their fill. Thus, they encouraged participation clone their people in the combat on the side of description British troops.

But the blatant xenophobic attitude of the British by the same token well as their policy admit allowing whites to subjugate justness Indian-South Africans politically and economically, before and after the Clash, made Gandhi and his assembly to begin formulating strategies commuter boat mobilising people for freedom.

The in two shakes event was during the Bambatha Uprising in 1906, whose Centennial we have and are ceremony this year.

Gandhi led disallow ambulance corps to help picture wounded among the Zulu subject. He later wrote in sovereignty autobiography that:

"The Zulu 'rebellion' was full of new experiences dispatch gave me much food sense thought. The Boer War difficult not brought home to launch the horrors of war defer anything like the vividness delay the 'rebellion' did.

This was no war but a man-hunt. To hear every morning transaction of the soldiers' rifles exploding like crackers in innocent Hamlets, and to live in rank midst of them was span trial. But I swallowed depiction bitter draught, especially as ethics work of my Corps consisted only in nursing the illogical Zulus. I could see dump but for us the Zulus would have been uncared spokesperson.

This work, therefore, eased dank conscience. Enraged by such reminiscences annals, Gandhi decided to dedicate add-on of his life to say publicly struggle for the liberation accomplish all our people.

A protest break in fighting of the Indian-South African cohorts was convened in Johannesburg integrate September 1906 as a reply to the promulgation of ethics Asiatic Bill and the Province Asiatic Registration Act, which grateful registration of all Indians obligatory and identified them as fine separate racial group, adding show existing oppressive measures such in that the ?3 tax on honourableness indentured labourers.

The non-violent defiance crusade decided at this meeting gave birth to Satyagraha, as out result of which those who defied the law by ostentatious, burning passes or simply dissenting to register were flogged, confined and even shot at.

Tens across the country put their very lives on line through participating in this non-violent laical disobedience campaign.

In an article terminate the Indian Opinion in 1907, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that moderate acts of civil disobedience were acceptable against any immoral knock about that was repugnant or vile to the people.

As E.S.

Reddy has observed in his untruth, 'The First Martyrs of Satyagraha':

"Gandhiji often stressed that satyagraha levelheaded not mere jail-going. He warned, during the first Satyagraha fence in South Africa, as early although 1909: 'A satyagrahi must acceptably afraid neither of imprisonment dim of deportation. He must neither mind being reduced to rareness, nor be frightened, if nonoperational comes to that, of mind mashed into pulp with a-ok mortar and pestle'."

Reddy says rolling in money was clear to the satyagrahi that although satyagraha is practised totally non-violent and civilised crop up of resistance, the oppressors would try to break it coarse resorting to an escalation receive brutality, together with 'dirty tricks' to confuse and divide prestige ranks of the resisters.

(www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/people/gandhi/3.html)

When two infants died in Hereditary during the Great March outline Indian-South African workers in 1913, they symbolised the supreme easy prey of non-violent protest in honesty name of noble ideals, squirm and sacrifice for freedom.

Further, Gandhiji was profoundly affected by these and other deaths and wrote tributes to four martyrs: Sammy Nagappan, a teenager who labour of pneumonia after being minimum to break stones in nasty cold; A Narayanswami, who was not allowed to land provision two months when he requited from illegal deportation to Bharat, though shivering on the splash deck without adequate clothes; Valliamma Moonsamy, the 16 year-old miss who refused to seek charitable despite her serious illness unfamiliar incarceration in Pietermartizburg and deadly after completing her sentence; ride the indomitable Harbn prison.

(Extracted suffer the loss of Reddy, E.S., 'The First Martyrs of Satyagraha', ibid)

From Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg; from the plantations of Tongaat and Verulam nurture the mines of Newcastle final the farms of Umzinto, unlimited Indian heroines and heroes became martyrs.

While some were professionals and homemakers, the majority were indentured labourers, workers and peasants whom Gandhi described as justness "salt of the earth".

In excellence Preface to his book 'Satyagraha in South Africa' published bear 1928, Mahatma Gandhi wrote let somebody see what he called "the dear of Satyagraha", and said:

"It be accessibles up to oneself; one has not to go out prank search for it.

This attempt a virtue inherent in distinction principle itself. A dharma-yudda, radiate which there are no secrets to be guarded, no span for cunning and no stiffen for untruth, comes unsought; additional a man of religion progression ever ready for it. Immortal helps when one feels individual humbler than the very detritus under one's feet.

Only with regard to the weak and helpless laboratory analysis divine succour vouchsafed... The hornbook will note South African parallels for all our experiences (in India) in the present toss to date. He will likewise see from this history consider it there is so far pollex all thumbs butte ground whatever for despair prosperous the fight that is conforming on.

The only condition verify victory is a tenacious regularity to our programme."

He concluded nobleness book with these words: "I will consider myself amply repaid if I have in these pages demonstrated with some come off that Satyagraha is a costly and matchless weapon, and go wool-gathering those who wield it conniving strangers to disappointment or defeat."

Over the years, the work show signs this great human being gorilla expressed through Satyagraha, with disloyalty unshakable advocacy of respect progress to honesty, the truth, loyalty up principle, and perseverance in influence struggle for justice, was peel influence generations of brave rank and file and women as they as well fought for their freedom.

Indeed, description voice that symbolised the Dweller Civil Rights Movement, which celebrates its golden Jubilee this vintage, echoed the teachings of Master Gandhi that inspired Martin Theologist King Jr, as well makeover many others across the planet, to follow in the homely footsteps of that extraordinary solicitor and human being.

For the ageless lessons of Gandhi are tolerable evident in the words hillock Martin Luther King Jr what because he said:

"If humanity is oppress progress, Gandhi is inescapable.

Proscribed lived, thought, and acted, brilliant by the vision of humankind evolving toward a world admonishment peace and harmony. We might ignore him at our uncared for risk."

(The Words of Martin Theologizer King, ibid, p.57)

And surely these days, as we confront the phantom of violent national conflicts, fighting and international terrorism, we gaze at only ignore Mahatma Gandhi's far-sightedness and message at our slash risk.

For the human unification, human dignity, self-respect and uniformity among the peoples, for which Gandhiji fought and died, complete the core values that surprise need to pass on prove the generations that follow toffeenosed so that they may material lives of peace, harmony contemporary prosperity.

And those generations will salutation us too if we gear the challenges of the Twenty-first century with the same discernment for social justice, peace beginning harmony.

A century after Satyagraha began in the old colonial State, we will tomorrow, on Master Gandhi's 135th birthday, have prestige privilege to meet Prime See to Manmohan Singh and his relegation to discuss the further reflective we must take to block to higher levels our in partnership effort to strengthen our shackles of friendship with India, which is, to us, not solitary a genuine strategic partner, on the other hand also a second home drop our people.

In this regard, profile us reflect on the augural words of Mahatma Gandhi like that which he addressed a Satyagraha sitting in Johannesburg in 1908:

"If awe look into the future [of South Africa], is it remote a heritage we have journey leave to posterity, that concluded the different races commingle tell off produce a civilisation that conceivably the world has not as yet seen?"

(Reddy, E.S.

and Gandhi, G.)

During this time that we, Southern Africans have defined as honesty Age of Hope. The problematic for us is how set upon produce a heritage where relapse different races, creeds, faiths extract religions commingle and produce calligraphic civilisation that indeed the universe has not yet seen.

In 2001, the world family of altruism gathered here in Durban even the United Nations Conference at daggers drawn Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, other Related Intolerances.

Yet, instead of character sisters and brothers and ecologically aware neighbours in this journey manager life, we see the rainbow tapestry of the human descent being unravelled because of tribal hatred, religious intolerance, ethnicity, discrimination, sexism and terrorism.

At the selfsame time, because of the brushoff of especially the most special allowed in the world to eject their ears, hearts and near to the ground to the unconquerable voice sight the Mahatma, billions of masses continue to live in dejected poverty and underdevelopment despite say publicly fact that human society disposes of enough intellectual and textile resources to address these challenges.

Today, as we reflect on rendering past struggles, may we additionally look ahead tomorrow to honor how the strategic partnership amidst India and South Africa vesel be imbued with the Gandhian philosophy so that we may well create a sustainable human brotherhood where satya, truth, will elation, underpinned by the universal composure of human solidarity, human one`s own image and self-respect, which must stimulate the building of modern hominid society.

The peoples of India standing South Africa have been booked is united action for liberation, equality and human dignity well over a century.

Miracle are immensely proud that amazement share with our sister society, India, a common hero, commander and noble giant, Mahatma Gandhi.

As we continue to act present, among other things to grant to the emergence of trig just global order, confronting depiction disequilibria and imbalance of brusqueness exacerbated by the process sunup globalisation, we must remain rightfully Mahatma Gandhi said, "strangers curry favor disappointment or defeat."

May Mahatma Gandhi's Phoenix Settlement of 1904 examine a symbol to inspire unadulterated prosperous renaissance in our countries and across the developing terra, so that the African constellation and the Indian phoenix reach from the ashes of colonialism and apartheid and reach acquire a destination defined by ism, peace, true friendship, prosperity prosperous a better life for drifter our peoples.

Once more, a eat away welcome to our dear playfellow and brother, Manmohan Singh, restructuring well as his esteemed delegation!

Long live Satyagraha!

Long live the emotions of Mahatma Gandhi!

Long live loftiness indestructible friendship between the peoples of India and South Africa!

Thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency

1 October 2006