Introduction

From the book: A Documentary History of Indian South Africans edited by Surendra Bhana and Bridglal Pachai

The new and competitive presence of Indians in the country created panic among white South Africans. Afrikaners and British alike were afraid of being outdone and outnumbered, and of South Africa becoming an offshoot of Asia. These sentiments were increasingly translated into legislation that seriously restricted the civil liberties of the Indians.

The documents in this section reflect the determination with which Indians responded to the curtailment of their rights and privileges. The anti-Indian moves were countered individually, collectively, and institutionally. For the first time in South Africa, the Indian voice was mobilised, articulated, and heard. Individuals like M. K. Gandhi and Abdul Karrim Hajee Adam emerged as spokesmen; lesser known individuals like P. S. Aiyar and C. M. Pillay also spoke their minds, sometimes to agree with moderate leadership, at other times to challenge it.

Organisations such as the Natal Indian Congress, the British Indian Association, the Natal Indian Patriotic Union, and the Transvaal Indian Political Association were founded and began to function. A durable and energetic mouthpiece appeared in the form of the newspaper, Indian Opinion. The African Chronicle strongly reflected the interests of the indentured and colonial-born Indian. Together they resisted inroads, pleaded for redress, countered prejudices, and planned strategies to defend as well as extend Indian rights.