In a country where the Asian contribution to the freedom struggle has been understated, Ahmed Kathrada’s role is a counternarrative to the assumption that Indians took on a neutral, self-protective role in South Africa. Kathrada’s indefatigable commitment to the cause espoused by Nelson Mandela and others was a continuation of the pioneering work started by Mahatma Gandhi, who established one of the oldest political parties in Africa – the Natal Indian Congress – in 1894. Gandhi’s work was a starting point and his legacy was continued by such stalwarts as Yusuf Dadoo, Maulvi Cachalia, Ismail Meer, JN Singh, Monty Naicker and several others. This process culminated in the 1946 passive resistance campaign in which Kathrada took part, which coincided with the case India took to the UN that internationalised the issue of apartheid.
After being freed from prison, Kathrada dedicated his life to social development and betterment of the under-privileged citizens of South Africa. In a post-apartheid South Africa, his principled stand provides a beacon for the role that South African Asians can still play in ensuring that a democratic order prevails in an atmosphere of increasing racial polarisation and political corruption.
