re-enactment of Mahatma Gandhi at the Pietermaritzburg Station
24 September 2006
Mr Mewa Ramgobin, Chairperson of Phoenix Settlement Trust,
Mr Disuth Dasirudh,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I feel greatly honoured to address this important occasion in remembrance of
the great Mahatma Gandhi's ordeal here at the Pietermaritzburg Station. A
hundred and thirteen years ago, in 1893, the history of the globe was to change
forever because this great man showed the world that humility can be turned
into the biggest strength possible.
As we celebrate Satyagraha '100', which also forms part of National Heritage
Day in the Republic, it is clear beyond doubt that South Africa, India and
indeed the globe are duty bound to give honour and pay homage to one of the
greatest man to have graced this earth.
Heritage Day represents an opportunity to the many cultures, languages,
traditions and divergence of inheritances that make up our national identity.
There is no country around the world that has 11 official languages. It is a
uniquely South African feature. It is a feature that sets us apart from the
rest of the world, a unique feature that says we have realised and accepted but
more importantly are practising that all of humanity is equal, regardless of
race, gender, creed or social status.
On that extremely cold winter's morning in June 1893, this humble man knew
he was never going to be the same again. A seed of humble strength, of
determination, a seed of absolute resolve had been planted in him.
When Gandhi refused to remove himself to the van compartment of the train
here in Pietermaritzburg, which was racially demarcated and meant for use by
"people of colour", he planted a seed in the late Rosa Park, a seed in the late
Steven Bantu Biko, a seed in the late Martin Luther King Junior, a seed in
President Nelson Mandela, a seed in his Excellency, the Prime Minister Dr
Manmohan Singh, the list does not end. Gandhi's protest at the time might have
seemed like a small step for man but it became a giant leap for humankind.
Twelve years into our democracy the African National Congress (ANC) led
government has ensured that all racially discriminative pieces of legislation
belonging to the apartheid order are removed from our statutes.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to borrow from the words of President Mandela
on the occasion of the Conferral of the Freedom of Pietermaritzburg on Mahatma
Ghandi on 25 April 1997 and I quote:
"This station once one of the world's most notorious symbols of
discrimination, intolerance and oppression, today proclaims a message of
dignity restored. Gandhi's magnificent example of personal sacrifice and
dedication in the face of oppression was one of his many legacies to our
country and to the world. He showed that it was necessary to brave imprisonment
if truth and justice were to triumph over evil. The values of tolerance, mutual
respect and unity for which he stood and acted had a profound influence on our
liberation movement."
Heritage Day is a celebration which demonstrates the extraordinary richness
of the South African social fabric. All of us have a heritage, a place from
where we come, ancestors, past history. But here in our fledging democracy we
are creating a new heritage and re-contextualising the legacy of the past, a
heritage in which we can all find meaning and expression and share together as
South Africans.
The Satyagraha, 'a call to action on the basis of love and truth' was born
throughout the world as a result of that incident here at Pietermaritzburg,
where Gandhi took a resolve of non-violent resistance. The struggle for the
dignity and self-respect of people of Indian origin in South Africa, most of
who were indentured labourers became inevitable.
The events of that fateful day have become one of the inspirational moments
in motivating our people to fight against injustice and prejudice from a
transport system perspective. The public transport sector in South Africa has
changed significantly and the use of rail services is no longer drawn along
racial lines, but open to all. Government is hard at work to improve security
in the rail sector and rail infrastructure to ensure the safety of commuters.
We must, therefore, acknowledge the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the long journey
to freedom not only for our country but for the down trodden of this world.
Gandhi became aware of racism and of the grave inequalities to which people
are subjected on the grounds of colour and consequently was to embark on a
journey that would take him far beyond Pretoria. That fateful train journey,
initially aborted, from Durban to Pretoria was to be symbolic of the manner in
which Gandhi would cause other transgressions in his endeavours to reach all
his countrymen and women. Upon his permanent return to India in early 1915
Gandhi would use trains to travel the length and breadth of India and he always
travelled by third class, humble heroism.
The story of Gandhi's travail at Pietermaritzburg Railway Station has now
acquired another life.
In contrast to that shameful day of Gandhi's ordeal, Pietermaritzburg and
South Africa as a whole is sending a message of hope, affirming the noble
values espoused by Gandhi. His action adds force to the national drive to
reconciliation, redress and reconstruction.
Mahatma Gandhi influenced permanently the methods of struggle and
mobilisation for social change through non-violent resistance. South Africans
of all nationalities have to continue working towards a common goal and purpose
for us to keep the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi alive.
I am deeply honoured and humbled today to speak on the occasion of honouring
a man declared by India as the "Father of the Nation". It is not by mistake
therefore that Gandhi was nominated five times between 1937 and 1948 for the
Nobel Peace Prize. His influence reverberates globally.
The historic passive resistance march in 1956 to the Union Buildings by
South African women of all races against pass laws, non-violent marches in
Memphis led by Martin Luther King Junior and other Afro-American political
activists, the peaceful mass protests that led to the massacre of innocent
lives in Sharpeville in 1960 all bear traces of the influence this great man
had.
Let us today celebrate a Heritage Day that reminds us of our common purpose
as South Africans who are diverse but unified. Let us renew "the call to action
on the basis of love and truth" by recommitting to improving the quality of the
lives of all our people in South Africa.
As our people were the agents of their own liberation, defying oppression
and deprivation, they are now critical to the programme of reconstruction and
development, both as beneficiary and driving force. Government and people can
together build a better life on the foundations that the nation has laid since
the beginning of democracy.
When national government, provincial governments, municipalities and
communities form a partnership in the spirit of nation building when each
sector of society joins hands with the police to fight crime and violence, when
the private sector and organised labour work together to promote growth and job
opportunities we all reap the benefits of the unity espoused by Gandhi.
The significance of the 100th anniversary celebration of Satyagraha in South
Africa will be further strengthened by an official state visit in the person of
the Indian Prime Minister, his Excellency Dr Manmohan Singh, to our republic in
October. President Thabo Mbeki and his Excellency will also together celebrate
and mark this anniversary, an indication of the relationship between India and
South Africa. India has played a significant role in the liberation of South
Africa.
India was the first country in the world that imposed economic sanctions
against apartheid South Africa at the United Nations (UN) in 1946. It was the
leading country in the world that had apartheid declared a crime against
humanity.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to conclude by stressing that our heritage is
all around us. It is a part of 'who we are'. Knowing our heritage helps us to
understand the events of the past. We should respect and value those things
that have been left behind by all South Africans. Our heritage is not just old
buildings and stone monuments. It is the stories, dances, songs, folk and other
music, rock paintings and sacred places of all our cultures. It even includes
shipwrecks and historical treasures.
South Africa and Africa come from a history whose past was written and
thoroughly distorted by colonialism. I therefore wish to express my personal
gratitude and congratulations to the Phoenix Settlement Trust for doing their
part in keeping the legacy and the fires burning. The responsibility to record
our history and heritage correctly lies with no one else but ourselves.
And today as we unveil this remembrance, let us all join together in
saying:
'Long may the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi live'!
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Transport
24 September 2006
Source: Department of Transport (http://www.transport.gov.za/)
