This section contains documents issued by or related to the South African Indian Congress, one of the five components of the Congress Alliance as it existed before the banning of the ANC in 1960. The South African Indian Congress (SAIC) was formed in 1924 - in view of the upsurge of anti-Asiatic agitation in the European community and moves to enact legislation to segregate the Indians - to look after the interests of the Indian community. Under conservative leadership for many years, the SAIC depended on petitions and deputations to the authorities and appeals for help to the Government of India (then under British control). In the 1940s, the leadership was challenged by radicals who advocated militant non-violent resistance to racist laws, and cooperation with the African majority. They were elected to the leadership of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) in 1945 and the Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC) in 1946. The NIC under the leadership of Dr G M Naicker, and the TIC under
the leadership of Dr Yusuf M Dadoo, jointly led a passive resistance
campaign from 1946 to 1948 in which nearly 2,000 men and women went
to prison in protest against a law restricting Indian land ownership.
On March 9, 1947, In September 1948, the militants were elected to the leadership of SAIC with Dr. Naicker as President. The ANC and SAIC jointly launched the Defiance Campaign of 1952. The SAIC was a member of the Congress Alliance which was formed soon after. While SAIC was not banned, as the ANC was in 1960, its leaders were placed under restriction so that it could not function legally. Members of the SAIC worked under the leadership of the ANC and participated in the Umkhonto we Sizwe. |
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Documents
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South
African Indian Congress
