Durban — Former president Kgalema Motlanthe has called for a “collective fight” against the rampant corruption and raging crime besetting the country during the 130th anniversary of the historic Natal Indian Congress (NIC), formed in 1894.
The NIC, a key partner of the ANC during the Struggle against colonialism and later apartheid, was once led by Mahatma Gandhi.
“We have to work together to fight against the corruption besetting our country. We have to work together to revive our country and rid it of bad elements such as corruption and crime. The time has come for us to revive our country. We must fight collectively to rid our country of the challenges it is facing,” said Motlanthe.
The event was held at Sastri College in Durban on Sunday.
Motlanthe once led the country as a caretaker president from 2008 to 2009 while his former ally-turned-enemy, erstwhile president Jacob Zuma, now leader of uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), was still dealing with the legal battles that continue to haunt him to this day.
At the height of the repressive apartheid laws in 1961, the NIC, then called the South African Indian Congress and the Coloured People’s Congress, the Congress of the Democrats, the SACP and the ANC, formed the military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe.
Reflecting on this historical moment, Motlanthe said: “The NIC and many other organisations under the Congress Alliance played a vital role in shaping our country to become what it is today. As we commemorate the birth of such a gigantic organisation, we must always strive to save our country from collapsing at the hands of corrupt and self-serving individuals,” he warned.
“There are millions of people who rely on grants, and this should change. The unemployment rate is at 33%. This has to change if we want to build our country and move forward.
“We need to stabilise our country and attract foreign investment so that more jobs are created,” said Motlanthe.
Motlanthe contested Zuma for the position of president during the ANC’s elective conference held in Mangaung (Free State) in 2012, but failed to dislodge Zuma, who was vying for a second term as ANC president after he won the watershed Polokwane elective conference in 2007.
After failing to win the top seat, Motlanthe was relegated to the political wilderness.
However, he continues to enjoy state benefits, including security and a salary, after his brief stint as state president.
Among those present were ANC veteran politician Mac Maharaj and former KZN premier Sbu Ndebele.
Maharaj said: “It is not possible to tell the story of South Africa’s Struggle without including the significance of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) and the Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC). Any history that does not include their role will remain fatally flawed.
“The Indians came from the cane fields and coal mines, while Africans disposed of their land, replaced Indian labour on white-owned farms and the coal mines.
“In the midst of the Passive Resistance Campaign, two Indian leaders (Dr Yusuf Dadoo and Dr Monty Naicker and Dr Alfred Xuma) signed the Dadoo-Xuma-Naicker Pact in 1947.
“The pact marked the beginning of an enduring relationship between the Indian Congresses and the ANC.”
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