Natal Indian Congress : 130th Foundation Year
22nd August 2024 marked the 130th foundation year of Natal Indian Congress (NIC) which was established in August 1894, based on a proposal by Mahatma Gandhi on 22nd May 1894.
- It was was formed to fight discrimination faced by Indians in South Africa.
- The Natal Indian Congress (NIC) was the first Indian Congress established, founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1894 to fight against discrimination faced by Indian in Natal (province of South Africa).
- From the 1920s, the NIC operated under the South African Indian Congress (SAIC).
- The organisation underwent a shift towards more radical leadership in the 1930s-1940s with the emergence of Dr. G.M. Naicker, who became its leader in 1945.
- The NIC’s increased militancy led to the imprisonment of several leaders by the 1950s and 1960s.
- Despite not being officially banned, repression and harassment led the NIC to halt activities until its revival in 1971 with a focus on civic work.
- In the mid-1980s, the NIC was key in forming the United Democratic Front (UDF).
- The UDF’s goal was to establish a “non-racial, united South Africa.
