“In my view, my grandfather would be very disturbed by the violence and the destruction of property. He would have pleaded with the perpetrators to stop and throw away their weapons and talk about their issues rather than engage in such rash behaviour.”
These are the words of world icon Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter, Ela, as racial tension between Blacks and Indians continue to rise in Phoenix. Speaking exclusively to the Phoenix Tabloid, Ela called on different races help towards building nationhood and mutual relationship. She said when people are living in poverty and hunger they become victims of exploiters. “Just as with slavery and the indenture system, so too, many of the people who were brought into the malls and shops to take away goods were there because of their needs. This does not mean that stealing and looting must be encouraged, but it means that we need to have compassion.
“At the same time those who tried to protect their homes and property because of the lack of protection from the government, also need to be understood. But there is no justification for those who committed arson by burning, vandalising, and tramping on each other, and those who used excessive force and killed people. These acts of aggression must be brought to the courts and justice must prevail. Both arsonists and those who wilfully killed people must be prosecuted.” She said the Phoenix Settlement was not affected in the recent unrest. In 1904, Gandhiji purchased 100 Inanda and called it the Phoenix Settlement. It was where he developed the philosophy of Satyagraha and expressed his vision for a community based on self-reliance. Ela was born at the settlement. She gave insight into how the different communities interacted and lived alongside each other when she was living there. “There were no fences and we shared resources such as borehole water, the river which ran through the settlement property. We all enjoyed its beauty and bounty. No one was afraid and we all could walk anywhere without fear,” said Ela.
Ela said their neighbours were the Dube’s Ohlange Institute with hundreds of people living there and students studying at the institute and educators living on the premises of the school. “Our family doctor was Dr Gumede who was a neighbour and his family still live in Inanda. The Mhlongo, Luthuli, Moerane, Makhatini and Cibane families lived in the neighbourhood. They were all our friends. We used to travel together by bus. We attended the Natal University, as it was referred to then. We grew together even though because of the country’s laws, we could not attend the same schools.” Ela said that this was not the experience of every area in the country. “The Group Areas Act of 1948 began to separate the communities and remove and re-settle communities like pawns on a chess board. People’s livelihoods and friendships suffered as a result of the uprooting. Children did not grow together and experience similar experiences whether in schools or in the leisure times as people of Inanda experienced. Inequality grew. Racism was taught in schools through a concerted effort to teach children the features of different races of South Africa and emphasised the differences. Our history was distorted.”
Ela recalled that to counter the government’s push to separate the races and sew divisions, the political organisations in the 40s formed a pact called the three doctors’ pact. “This alliance resulted in all of us trying to overcome the apartheid government’s ploy to keep the races apart. We developed a strong unity through working together. We had leaders such as Dr M Naicker, Y Dadoo and Chief A Luthuli and many others who worked together and impressed on the community the oneness of humanity. Our destinies are tied and we need to unite to change the situation in our country. These were the strong messages which were heeded by the people.” She said Gandhi Development Trust has programmes that help to build social cohesion and a strong spirit of togetherness, love, understanding and compassion among all.
‘My grandfather would be very disturbed by the violence and the destruction of property…’
