Who founded the Natal Indian Congress?
Mahatma Gandhi founded the Natal Indian Congress. He proposed the organisation on the 22nd of May 1894 and it was formally established on the 22nd of August 1894, with Gandhi serving as honorary secretary.
Questions about Natal Indian Congress
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was the Ghetto Act and how did the Natal Indian Congress respond to it?
The Ghetto Act was the popular name for the Asiatic Land Tenure and Indian Representation Act. The Natal Indian Congress spearheaded a campaign of passive resistance against it beginning on the 13th of June 1946, which lasted two years and resulted in nearly 2,000 related arrests.
What was the Doctors' Pact signed by the Natal Indian Congress?
The Doctors' Pact was a tripartite cooperation agreement signed in March 1947 by Monty Naicker of the NIC, Yusuf Dadoo of the Transvaal Indian Congress, and Alfred Xuma, president of the African National Congress. All three signatories were doctors, and the document pledged "the fullest co-operation between the African and Indian peoples".
When was the Natal Indian Congress revived after its 1960s dormancy?
The NIC was officially relaunched on the 2nd of October 1971 at a convention held at the Phoenix Settlement in Natal, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. Albert Luthuli's widow, Nokukhanya Bhengu, opened the convention.
What role did the Natal Indian Congress play in the United Democratic Front?
The NIC was a founding affiliate of the United Democratic Front when it was established in 1983. Three NIC members served on the inaugural UDF regional executive in Natal, and the NIC was central to the UDF's campaign to boycott the 1984 elections to the Tricameral Parliament.
How did the Natal Indian Congress end?
The NIC never formally disbanded. After many of its leaders, including Pravin Gordhan, Ela Gandhi, and Billy Nair, were elected to represent the ANC in the 1994 general election, the organisation faded from active existence. It had entered dormancy around the time of the first post-apartheid elections in 1994, a century after its founding.