, SA DEI A'D SOUTl: AFHIC -- ---.---

by Z.K.~atthews. [i'fS1 5!> 1

1.1 muet lIlliau at the outset exprees my inalltiude to the Indla eague of

• merica for hating .1nTited me to .,artlcl~te ln thls meetlng held to

com emorate the blrthday of prowa ly the greatest man prod~ced the non-whl

w.,I~ .1thln the last century. I regard thls lnvl&atlon not merely as a personal

honour,~ut as a recogn1t10n of the pnact1cal 1nterest whlch ika Mahatma Gandhi

took in the welfare of the inhabitants of the Clnderella of the Contlnents-­

Afr1ca. In that last refuge of co.tnialism wheBe mi llionc of dependent peeples

are slowly but ourely beg1nning to raise awkward questions about their status

and their fundamental freedoms, the name of Gandhi is h~ld in the hig est regard

2.It is traditional among all poo..!lcs , not least among the Arric n eo 1e to who

I ~elong for all forms of greatness but especially gre tneEs in human ~ersonal­

i ty to be ap •. roact1ed With a due sense of awe ane!. reverence. On an occasion such

as this it would be unworthy of1J!lemory of the great man to whom we have met

to pay bunble tribute if we were to indu ge ln tawdry sensationallsm and cheap

propaganda for thls or that cause ln which e ha yen to e interested. Ratner is

it an pccasion when putting a~ide the d1~tracting affalrs of the trou,led

world 1n which .e 11ve,we can exper1ence,however momentarily,the sense of \oIJ"-,,,,,,", c..",.c.\ i'wo'",,", l<~ .. ,,,,,,,

elation and u.liftment~that Buch a 11fe wan lived xa. in our midst. e can

remind ourselYes , ith the !,oet,that the lives of all gllaat men remlnd ue t hat

we cab make our lives sublime.

2.Gandhl belonged not to Indla alone. He was ln every serose of t~e ~ord t.at

rare and much des1red type of indiTidual--a world c1tizen 1n whose actdevements

every ~tion and every race can justly take a ~ride . In hi deal1ngE with

people he looked beyond the accidente of b1rth,race,culture and stat10n 1n

life and saw and respected their common humanity. Er ually at home Withrinces

and untoucha le,~tb r1cb and oor,with Dlack and wh1te,he pract ,:ed ae well as

preached the brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of Gon. What for so many

of us i8 an art~~le of faith to wh1ch we giYe ut lip oerv1ce he made the

basis of action and dally ehaY1our.

3.The a s£oc1ation of the country--South Afr1 oa--with t te name of Candhi in the

to ic for thle evening 18 no miotake. It 1 com~on knowledg~ t .. t for a number

of years Gandhi made b1s home in Soutb Africa,at hoen1x, Natal. Close to hie

bome lived one of our greatest A-frican leaders in ~outh AfrIca, John ~. Du e .01 ... 0 ........ " -n..(.(~,I."SI .. ~'!J

who recelved his college.1n this country and __ terw~r~s returned to h1s homeland l-

to become the founder of one of the e~t ~no~ ~ruc tI~nal 1n-tltutions for

the AfrIcan people--Ohlange Institute--and tle first Presi~ent-General of tIe

Afr1can lIational Congress when it waEl estaJl1 'hed 1n 1912. Duoe add G ndh1

had uch ln co on ln t .. rob lema whloh oonfrontod t t under rlYileged rou a to whl0 t 7 bel od. o.

1 t, 1r I~k

.boure tor on, ut

l1a1 Gandhl,the aon ot t.o at &,etl11 tv a 1n out -loa. e honour.rt guest at the annual conferenoe of the trloan. tlcn 1 0 ~r a ln MeOeD er,1951 n t at 80d7 to k the hlstorl0 de01610n to em k u on the clYil

1aobed1enoe of sh10 wo v. he rd 0 m~c. 1 recent .,ka. 3 a u at he to k I) t 1n the dell eration. 1ich led u to t t 1180810n, ut on tbe 1nYit tlon

of t e ct) t renoe h 1 tar addre .. a" t at .. at lerlng on tile 1 ;pUo tiona of the mo entous decllon taken tit da1< In fact 1n order to att XI t:at conferenoe he

ecam tt~ firat detler or ·u Ju.t 1 w.-, eoause t~e 0 ire, 'tat , a roYince 1 hI iana are not all0 _d to enter lt out ~anl1al an.ouno d ,.toreband tlAt he would att n tie ~ nferenoe wit the n o_G~ar1 per.lt, and I n e re c ad '0 fOLt t he d a ratl 7 btld • set a.lde tor' _ e ,! ttl the

and attar .- II lal did not t. t .te 1. x r D hia doullt. a t.o

t.e el'll11 t .

out rocurin, • onter noe,

o r renoe etler tie

non-811ite •• _ eola117 the Afrioans, 'ar r 7 f rape oeful,non-Yiolent 8111Y4 re 1st oe »&1&D,but re en~ J,n ~ 1 thr.e mont 6 tt r tta 0 eno ent,be t a 8 l~,"I 1 911 zed at tenon-Violent 8 1rlt and tie dl 01 11ne the frlcana in the pres n1. tr . -le e 8bo ln • 110 one I1a4 dr &UIIt t t t 8y could

ke p 0 oal ,0001 and oo~l ected . .It er's a~irlt a eme to~. tOhl a~r and &ult11n th N. Toat 1a a 1, l1f1cant trlDute to the lncilsenuu15 1n It!1l1te ot the oou try in Whloh Gandhl flr t on hl_ s ura 1n the 011tic 1 attle. It wa. ln • ,out trlca t he 1aarnt 80 e of the leaeona ~ ieh xas •• stood him ln euch

eferred hls aotlYtlea to t va ter II e of Indla good ateAd when he later tr where h bro t ,0 a eu ,s!ul deno~ t one of t te t 0 1 tic dramaa of all t1m •

hat are a e of the lell80n8 whlch 0 n hl 1e rnt,a ... ted an dlr ctly or indlrectly to hle toll ow re d to ot era durl

outb Atrlca'l

trl to paea on hie _rlef aoJourn ln

irat, he lovnt that the har crust of i erlalim ,wlth all the 1 justice. and the humlliation whlch 1 t lnY&rlaltly 1 pUes for tr.o e Who are u ject to 1 t) oou It not lle p netrated lly ' Aweot realona lene a' . A. _,ter ln tile t 0 mediation, the otracted ne otiatione whlc lie ha trora tl to tl _ wl th t.le

o era-that- e,notaDly w1th Oen ral lit hl- that tho e enetlt fro kee~lng ot rEI ln aubJeotlon 111 not lr. alna,hoWeY rot ln d,without ~ bltt r l,an t t ap e Ie to them to r1 t 1r ot .luet10 and

~ u on th 1 t.uatlcn Id poe 1re rut. secondly, dloc ver t,at t e tr 1. tor fr eople of t e world.. one whloh could not 0

fro t tile au Jec~

hrial.e ona &\:01,

.1.

a9 spears anI une. ot only 0 c ~ th4 u jeot peo lea ot eo~ri e are 8

a rule 8Y te tlcally de rlv d of .rer1 well. on of offence or der a. ut alro oaute the ie ues involved in t~t 8tr~9 Ie are ora l an irltual i use

w 10h can ot be cettled y the ar' i ent or armco • B t at it wa only to e extent 1. 1. tie non-vllt B ~ucaee ert In oln th lr fi t on a B lrltual,.8 ain8t a pure! materl liatic oa Is t at 1. 1e1 cult: ho to .uet.1 t ir effort. Thlrrtl ,h le nt and later taug 1. a presaef ~eo le. that non-Violence le not an e"9Y r~rm of etruggle. It re ulrea a degree of 8elf-~1 01 11ne an 8e f­oontrol aurjlAe.lng t at reQulred of the !I!lan wi.9 fit; te behind t.e oldd of '0' ern armour. The only sbield of th non-Violent re leter 18 ~oral ¥rln01 I' coupled Wit per ona conviotion._ ahleld 10 1e Im¥erY1ou. to modern In.tr nte ot coeruion ut 1e not eufflcent to ~rotect the bo y fro In and au. .rlng. Flna~ Y, "~"d 1 leunt and t ug t that the BtrU&lle for 1'1 It ~a1n .1 ot .uat . If': C n 8 ca.rrled on '1Ft'!; ou~ 1 tternec • or . 1<.)1. t at if on's enemy le In trou Ie on S.IOU d he coa e of ir on hl 1 gol t 1. al • Ie a plied In the oer or y ralBin a In lan amoul nee cor. e wh1c ~8 of mate 1al aeelst 0 to t.e x1t~8h £uroes.and 0 1n t e famoue tulu rising ot 190

lhe antl-w itelsm 1m~ rlall3a. of that they must not o'p,ilressors.

w. icn 1 so re 11y lov L ed ~_lnsL tho so .no tlC t agalnet /0.0/'0;1

co~r8e~~uln8t him. ut h oonstantly remlnd d hi followere aU' .. ny fe.llnes of 11 -Will or hatre alnllt thelr

111 t eO.11e of outh Afrlc 1e rn nyt Ine fro G nCllll? It 115 rsgretAaltle, but I 'hint that it 1s f lx to s Y t t th rulers of outll Afrlca do not .p ear to have benefltted froo t f ct t t t tF. sroa t l if w tv in tlelr mldst. On t e con raxy. T ell' deter tn~tion to ~ur u a lOY of olittcal au jugatlon raclal dlsorlminatlon at t 1. no - ~ it lr gr tel' than ever. They take special prl e In wh 1. 115 'eecrl ed a the tr ttl 01 01iC1 or uouth trloe.. d th world at 1 e 1. ex cted to e.c ule ce 1n tile pere tuatlon of till slJllte on tile specloull rOIWd tl 1. otler n tlons h roour Imllar i!keletons 1n t ell' cu. 0 rda or t .at tn any eveut ( ue t10ns of dOllo tio

jurlndlctlon are involved. It 1 ut poor con alation to thoBO a are nled human 1'1 hta and flndamental freedoll to have to 0 sat! le lth t. e 1 a11stlc j ler, ot Internatlonal forums. Inju tlce c nlot e convert d lnto JUBtice ecaUDS It ha.~ene to e catrled on u.der th of 40 esttc jur1.dietio .e8 olal y when t 088 .u ject to It ar~ ~ !lle &11 &C 8 to the nor 1 c an.ela of workin for Its removal.

It ls thls tailure to 0.&&1n r dr 8 of tne1 1. Itl t. ~r1 Ta cea y t e

/(.

nomal Ii ocratlc m tnoc:'.s ••• 1 ch hae led to th

cam~al n In Soutll trlca. In thill CIUD of t eir natIonal organirat1on h vo non-vIolent cam. 1 n against t.le ~\lnjust laws

of the bout trlcan gov rnllent for ri 1~ Ileg

total diefranchloement,colour

freedom of movement and den1al of pro~orty ri

Is concerned. The dec1sion to

or llb htly. It W/;LS onl after (state) and national meetings

f1nally taken at the national

enoark u.\>on t.ll

the !!latter had

old Y non-1I"h1 00 1"e¥enoe it t

ecember,l95l follow.d y t at of the .outh

~ate. The Cam algn as actual 7 launched .n

present cIVil ~1 obp.~ienc8

Iteo b dor • e 1 er hi a n

•

t1un-W1~e ~eaoeful

1. leal Ian

t' '1 . t e on- 1 tell, t olr t,1rk Q~e r trict10n~ on

oclall7 aD far all land as not taken hastily

en d13culleed ill looal, rovincia

grOU~1l that t:1I1 declolon "as A:rlcan atlonal ConcresB 1n

ican Indian Con r Il at a later

o ~6,l95~. ~lnce th t date over 40(,0 volunte rs,lncludlng '8 of the to'p l1,!1t 10 I'!ers of the non- lto or ar.16&tloDS ~~vo \een arrested •• nu or ha~e een se t ce t tetms of

to i, month ,While .. 1 .r1~onment,wtlh hard III. our,var.ln fro some tULve be(n unised by meao~ of flo 1n.

on an enttrely voluntary ~asls. All vol ticl tl n 1 tb r:J ve ent ls I

l' r10d of train1n nd to obllerve the d1cCi.l,11!

In hleh t,ey are 1nstructed. one of those a

any r"e1Bta .C8 to tbe treatment they have an' Cam algn 18 carr1e as well cummed u 1 Dr

ot the Atrican atlonal ~oO£reEs( ~e)

are r8~ulred to und roll. ado ted for the campa1gn

cst.d,men and women,nnv8 offere

The v .1r1t 1n wh10h th8

jong 'e,Actine ree1dent

to an frlcsn audl~nce :-"In the conduct of our atr le,do n V. w yourselves to ~evelop r ce b tred

4""-1f you do , _ en bave ot t.l trio e s 1 ,to f1g t r co tred lch ls omethiog. do no~ d nire •

ttem~tD .ave of course 1t a co unl£t-inai1red

n mado to ~iDcr d1t t

or Iodlan-l 8 ire k~ve refused to be ~lverted fro tbeir

In any caRe,lf by Indian-tnspired Iv meant t 8 1r1t of audh1 , they have not 1n6 to e ell

wbioh 1 yearn1ng fur eace nd harmony

19ht catcb h1 11r1t and ec\llats bll1 e).:am1'le

is CUI", i nrc r ct rislng tl~. 1te, ut t. non-. Ites tleee diver 1 nar tactIcs.

frlca.nll have CIL ht the o ld that In a world

eo.18s, or of them

n ad~lret or the Ka.atma .... has recently reminded us t~ t "It 18 not 1thout s gn1f1cance t.e.t movent of rell1stance to this doctrine(of racial dhcria! tJatioD, .1ch can till £.0

res et , and even forglvene8n,to ar~o it ro~

1n a country whicb sus named atal arter tte ents, as in1tIated y Gandt1

tiVlty of jesus Christ" .

I