165 years of legacy: Indian community reflects on indentured labour heritage

AS SOUTH Africa commemorates the 165th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured Indians in 1860, community leaders reflect on their ancestors' legacy of resilience, educational values, and contributions to the nation's economy and freedom struggle.

- NADIA KHAN [e-mail]

From sugar cane fields to positions of leadership, their journey represents a remarkable story of perseverance and achievement despite historical challenges

Ravi Pillay, a former MEC in KwaZulu-Natal, said the indentured Indians were "quite visionary and exemplary".

"Their emphasis on values - largely emanating from their religious and cultural belief system - is very important. They demonstrated by action and sacrifice the importance of education and a proper work ethic.

"They were brave enough to engage in the struggle against injustice, and for political and economic rights. Of course like all communities we had our fair share of scoundrels too."

He said the Dadoo-Xuma-Naicker Pact of 1947 positioned the Indian community on the right side of history.

"Their contributions to the freedom Struggle, the Codesa negotiations, and the building of a democratic constitutional state have been remarkable. We also applaud the many members of the community who have achieved phenomenal success in almost every sphere of endeavour, from commercial to medical, legal, educational, information technology, academia, telecommunications and increasingly artificial intelligence," he said.

"However, serious challenges remain and will continue for some time to come. While the literacy rate in the community has long reached 100%, the general unemployment rate is approximately 32%.

"In the Indian community, it is approximately 12%. The overwhelming majority remains working class, and a significant percentage remain poor and reliant on social grants," he added.

"The July 2021 unrest, in particular, has given us many lessons. While we have laid strong foundations post-1994, we have not yet completed enduring walls and roof for a sustainable, flourishing democratic society.