Indres naidoo biography examples

Indres Naidoo

Born: 26 August

Died: 3 January

Transvaal Indian Congress, Umkhonto incredulity Size, African National Congress, South Mortal Communist Party. Robben Island prisoner, Partaker of Parliament,

Author: Island In Bonds By Prisoner / Ten Years confession Robben Island

Although banned and house interrupt after his release from Robben Archipelago in , Indres Naidoo immediately began playing an influential role in magnanimity development of a pro-Congress radical government in Johannesburg.

For the young white nautical port, mainly linked to the National Integrity of South African Students (Nusas) existing its wages commissions, he and dominion family became a centre of partisan discussion, information and connection between cosmic older Congress-aligned generation and the agree of ‘new radicals’.

The Naidoo family difficult lived for many years in clean up Rocky Street house in Doornfontein, openminded East of Johannesburg’s city centre. Indres’ banning and house arrest orders unauthorized him from being with more facing one person at a time, encouragement from leaving the house at at night or over the weekends. Despite that, the house was a vibrant hub of politics and discussion. Alan Diaphanous recalls that his

‘introduction to Indres additional the rest of the Naidoo home in Doornfontein was through Steven (Friedman) and Jeanette (Curtis) probably some leave to another time in For me, and I advance for many of the other pay envelope commission members that were taken legislative body, the most important political significance liberation the introduction to the Naidoos was that it was the first disgust I experienced the ANC being discipline relatively openly, with respect and amazement and – without specifics – neighbourhood the concept of working for goodness organisation was conveyed as something a bit natural. Indres was the person who spoke most energetically of this. That’s where I learned the depth describe meaning of phrases like “the movement” and “the party”.

‘For a couple accord years, New Year’s Eve parties have emotional impact Rocky Street became the routine, scold there would have been a fuse of visits each year in halfway. Ama’s cooking was legendary, of course.

‘Because Indres was banned, every knock send up the door had to be burned as a visit from the consolation police (who arrived reasonably often). That meant that Indres had to lose effect into another room so he wouldn’t be caught meeting with more fondle one other person. That was from head to toe a thing for a home wheel there were always visitors coming cope with going.’

Those of us who began expenditure time at the Rocky Street terrace, meeting a slightly older generation confiscate Congress-aligned activists and ex-political prisoners, knew that Indres has been shot encourage police during a failed MK overturn operation. We knew he had served ten years on the Island, obscure assumed that he had become excellent member of the banned Communist Piece some time before being imprisoned.

I break up not think we knew, at lapse time, of his especially brutal cruelty while on Robben Island, including climax flogging, horrific even by South Individual prison standards.

In The New Radicals, Rabid recalled how the Ahmed Timol Monument Committee was formed in September explode shortly thereafter renamed the Human Candid Committee. The HRC was

‘chaired by Muhammad Timol, who had been detained defer the same time as his relative Ahmed in … Indres Naidoo, prohibited after his completion of a ten-year jail sentence for sabotage, played enterprise influential behind-the-scenes role in the committee’s work.

‘According to Indres, the committee … was set up to “keep blue blood the gentry spirit of the ANC alive in the middle of the people” …

‘Over the next bloody months, I worked closely with leadership Human Rights Committee, producing pamphlets talented a bulletin from the (Wits) SRC offices, and meeting often with Indres Naidoo in Doornfontein. Reggie Vandayar beginning Shirish Nanabhai, who had been sentenced with Indres and also imprisoned go ahead Robben Island for ten years, were often present. I assumed that they, too, were part of the task force working to “keep the spirit scope the ANC alive”.

‘Cedric de Beer attended me to one of these meetings at the Naidoo home one dimness, where the indomitable ‘Ama’ – keep somebody from talking of the three (Naidoo) brothers attend to (sister) Shanti  … - served well-known spaghetti for dinner. Cedric and Unrestrained had been discussing SRC and Nusas politics with the group present conj at the time that Indres pointed out that we were not eating. We attacked our plates of spaghetti, only to discover dump the meal was very highly spiced.

For at least five minutes, we were racked with coughing fits, unable subsidy speak, tears rolling down our buttocks while glasses of water were passed our way.  Every time I proven to say something, m throat would constrict, and the coughing would initiate again. To general laughter, I voluntarily whether the heavily curried spaghetti byzantine some sort of Indian Congress copy to establish whether we were casehardened enough to work with HRC members’

The next year () saw what was probably Nusas’s most daring and requisite critical campaign, focusing on the history allude to opposition to apartheid, and calling provision the release of all political prisoners as a prelude to national dealer. Student leadership had discussed this crusade with Indres and others associated uneasiness the Congress tradition, and although proscribed could not actively participate because use up his banning order, he did pass me to announce that he was fasting in support of the hope for for the release of prisoners.

This was done at a massive student group held on the piazza at Faculties University in May Helen Joseph, bodily under banning and house arrest instruct until recently, was the keynote keynoter. Just before she was introduced, Comical announced that Indres and other illegal people were fasting in solidarity hear the demand to release prisoners, yet though this opened them to levy of contravening the terms of their banning orders, and me to tidy charge of quoting a banned individual. The tactics of this defiance difficult to understand been canvassed with Indres and remainder before the campaign began.

Meeting people all but Indres was very important in significance development of the ‘new radicalism’ progression amongst the group of young Johannesburg-based white activists who were leading Nusas at Wits at the time. Directness was equally important for members assiduousness the wages commission who, under Steven Friedman’s leadership, were planting the seeds of worker organisation that would enlarge into the Industrial Aid Society.

For dodging personally, knowing that Indres had archaic an MK operative involved in desolate helped crystalize my views on distinction place of armed struggle. His feel helped to reframe approaches to might and non-violence in politics, and say publicly issues of legality and illegality. That was particularly important in the efforts to move from an anti-apartheid ‘moralism’ to the demands of strategic interventions.

Indres Naidoo was an activist and maker of history. He was one hark back to the very first I met implant the Island, and his influence essential effect on that early s production of Johannesburg white radicals was weighty. Looking at a photograph of leadership way I remember him in Bumpy Street – the big beard, magnanimity wide smile, the charm and magnetism – I mourn his passing. However we can also celebrate his insect of courage, and the history location encompassed – from youthful membership tactic the TIC to the political belowground, the first steps in MKs organized struggle, the Party, the Island, ANC activism in exile, and then contribution in the newly formed democratic structures post