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India to help reopen Gandhi school in S Africa

Fakir Hassen in Durban

India has pledged substantial funding to reopen a historic school at the Phoenix Settlement in South Africa that was started by Mahatma Gandhi during his stay there at the turn of the last century.

During a visit to the settlement, Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah said India would contribute the funding to restore the Kasturba Gandhi School at the settlement.

The school, named after Gandhi's wife, was first opened in 1954, but was razed in 1985 during apartheid-inspired violence.

"India remains committed to the restoration of Gandhian sites in South Africa," Abdullah said. "Gandhi's politics was born in South Africa, and essentially at the Phoenix Settlement. I am very happy to see the progress at the settlement after its destruction by the immoral practice of apartheid."

"It is also a good omen that this coincides with the World Conference on Racism," he added.

Abdullah is leader of the Indian delegation to the conference, which started on Friday and continues till the end of this week. Delegates from many countries attending the racism conference recognised the significant work done by the Phoenix Settlement Trust over the years in contributing to a non-racial society in South Africa.

Mahatma Gandhi established the Phoenix Settlement on 100 acres of rural land in 1904. It was here that Gandhi launched his satyagraha initiative of passive resistance against the racist government in South Africa.

In 1913 he formed the trust to oversee the property.

The chairman of the Phoenix Settlement Trust, Mewa Ramgobind, welcomed the gesture by the Indian government.

"The trust feels very gratified that India will contribute towards the resurrection of the Kasturba Gandhi School," Ramgobind said.

"We have already restored the clinic, printing press and Sarvodaya, Gandhi's original home, and now the school will follow with work commencing later this month," he added.

Ramgobind said Sarvodaya would now become the Religions for Social Justice Institute, as a forum where people of all religious groupings could meet to share ideas in the fight for social justice, as was the original ideal of Gandhi.

Neither Ramgobind nor the Indian representatives would say exactly how much would be made available by India, but Ramgobind said the total cost of re-establishing the school could run to between Rand 1.5 million and 2 million.

He said negotiations were also under way with the South African government and other funding agencies.

Ramgobind said the provincial department of education had agreed to staff the school in 2002-03 and that it would be open to all in the region, subject to the usual national policies of the education ministry.

Although the school had initially accepted students of all races, it was forced by apartheid legislation to accept only pupils of Indian origin later. The 14 classrooms at the Kasturba Gandhi School would also be used in the evenings for classes for adults.

South African Minister for Public Enterprises Jeff Radebe, who was also at the settlement during the visit by Abdullah, said the link between South Africa and India had to be seen in the context of Gandhi having given birth to his ideals at the Phoenix Settlement.

"The Phoenix Settlement had to be destroyed by the apartheid regime because it was a historical culture bed for non-racialism. Many of our leaders today passed through its portals," Radebe said. He also commended India for having taken the lead in launching the anti-apartheid struggle at the United Nations in 1946.

Indo-Asian News Service

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