Gandhi in South Africa

After completing his higher education, Mohandas karamchand Gandhi went to South Africa in 1893 after been offered by a Muslim Indian businessman from Pretoria, South Africa to practice law. Initially he had planned for one year stay but this got exceeded to over 20 years and finally at age of 46 he returned back to Indian in 1915.
During this time in S.A., Gandhi learned lot, which later helped him extensively in Indian Freedom Movement. It was in S.A. only that he first came up with his unique idea of “SATYAGRAH”. It was a completely new and unique method of contemporary time to fight English government. South Africa provided him as a low difficulty game where he practiced his masterstroke of Satyagrah and get mastery over it; this is one of the reasons of his success in his most of the movement in Indian National movement. The divine character & thoughts of Satyagrah, non-violence, simplicity, etc. got embedded in him at South African soil, which later resulted in attainment of honor of “MAHATMA” (great soul) by the most renowned poet of that time Ravinder Nath tagore in 1915.

⇒ Early times in South Africa –

During his journey to city he was thrown out of a train at Pietermaritzburg after refusing to move out from the first-class compartment, Gandhi raise voice against this discrimination and got permission somehow. Later he suffered from much such discrimination during the Journey and afterwards in several hotels and footpath too. He was kicked by a police officer on walking on footpath as it was restricted for blacks. In an incident at Durban court, the magistrate asked Gandhi to take off his Turban, which Gandhi refused to do. These entire events sum up to transform Gandhi. He noticed that Indians were divided among themselves also on base of religion, caste and economy. In 1894 he helped in the foundation of Natal Indian Congress.

⇒ Boer War and Gandhi

In 1900, During Boer War, Gandhi along with his 1100 trained and medically certified mates volunteered as Stretcher bearers to Natal Indian Ambulance corps. This corps acts as auxiliaries at Battle of Colenso to white volunteer Ambulance corps. Here main aim of Gandhi was to tell English people that Indians are also capable of all kind of adventure and English people should better think positively about them. Later Gandhi received the Boer war medal for his works along with his 37 other mates
In 1906 Britishers get in to war with Zulu kingdom in Natal. Here also Gandhi & 20 Indian got permission to volunteer as stretcher bearer corps to treat wounded British Soldiers. He served there for 2 months only and gets to know a very important thing that it’s impossible to challenge overwhelming Military power of Britain, so here is the point that ideas of non-violence and Satyagrah came to his mind.

⇒ Satyagrah or non-violence protest

In South Africa Indian were discriminated on every ground by English govt. as they do in Indian and each of their colonies. In 1906 Mr. Gandhi opposed the bill that compelled Indian for a citizen registration. This was the first time when Gandhi along with his followers first do practical Satyagrah or non-violence protest at Johannesburg on 11th Aug 1906. The long struggle continues for nearly seven years and during this span thousands of Indian were jailed and beaten up and even shot for striking, not registering, burning reg. card, or protesting. Though government was strong enough to suppress the situation so Gandhi does not get great success here but later Jan Christian Smut a South African leader negotiated with Gandhi.
In 1910, “Tolstoy farm community” was formed near Johannesburg to aid his policy of peaceful resistance and learn basics of Satyagrah.
Finally in 1915 he returned back to India to lay his prints as one of the most significant freedom fighter of Indian national movement.
In 1994 when blacks in South Africa got right to vote, Gandhi was declared as a national hero.

⇒ Important Dates of Gandhi in South Africa (1893-1914)

1893 – Gandhi went to South Africa
1893 – Thrown out of train in Pietermaritzburg
1894 – Drafted 1st petition sent by the Indian to South Africa legislature
1894 – Helped in Formation of Natal Indian Congress
1896 – Returned to India for 6 month to take his wife and children to South Africa along with him
1899 - 1900 - Organized Indian Ambulance Corps for British in Boer War
1901 - 2002 – Returned to India and attend Indian National Congress session of Calcutta, and open a law office in Bomba
1902 – On call from south African Indians, he return back to S.A.
1904 – Established Indian Opinion – weekly paper
1906 – Organized Indian Ambulance Corps for Zulu rebellion
1906 – 1st Satyagrah at Johannesburg opposing ordinance by Transvaal govt.
1909 – Wrote “hind swaraj” on way back from England
1910 – establishment of “Tolstoy Farm”
1913 – Great March of 2000 Indian miners from Newcastle across Transvaal border in Natal Follwed by 3rd Satyagraha begun
1913 - Arrested three times in four days (at Palmford, Standerton, and Teakworth)
1931 – Released unconditionally
1914 – forteen days fast for moral lapse of members of phoenix settlement
1914 – Satyagrah campaign suspended after passing of Indian Relief Act
1914 – left South Africa