Foundation marks 160 years since the arrival of Indian indentured labourers
The ship SS Truro docked in Durban and more than 300 men, women and children stepped onto African soil
Commemorating the 160th anniversary of the arrival of indentured Indians to South Africa, the Zululand community met at the Zululand Yacht Club on Monday for a special event hosted by the Sivananda World Peace Foundation, in partnership with other non-profit organisations.
The event served as a symbol of unity, promoting social cohesion and inclusivity of all communities and ethnic backgrounds to remember the significance of the arrival of the first indentured Indian labourers on 16 November, 1860.
The ship SS Truro docked in Durban and more than 300 men, women and children stepped onto African soil to forever make South Africa their home. Sivananda World Peace Foundation founder, Professor Ishwar Ramlutchman, paid tribute to the 1860 indentured Indians and the descendants of the pioneering people who made it possible for everyone to enjoy a good life in the heart of the African east coast seaboard.
‘The poignant history of the 1860 Indian indentured labourers who worked collectively and under trying human conditions to survive every hour, turning the lush green sugar cane fields into the gold of sterling and pounds for the colonial sugar farming barons, is well documented.
‘This year also marks 106 years since the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa,’ said Ramlutchman.
‘The peace apostle spent 21 years in Phoenix next to John Dube’s neighborhood, where both these great leaders plotted and planned the democracy that all of us enjoy today.
‘KwaZulu-Natal, like the rest of South Africa, is a mix of various cultures.
‘Through social cohesion, unity in diversity will become the rainbow nation of South Africa.
‘Acknowledging the role of the presence of our fellow Indian brothers and sisters in this country strengthens the existing bond between us.
‘Today is one of those occasions in the life of KwaZulu-Natal which places this province and the country firmly on the road to lasting peace and unity.
‘Peace becomes a non-negotiable in the life of a country when its people realise that we all have the capacity to contribute to the building of a better country.
‘Peace becomes a necessity when we all realise that without peace, our country cannot grow and prosper.’
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