Monty ... meets Gandhi ... meets Mandela: The Dilemma of non-violent resisters in South Africa, 1940-1960

Résumé 0

This article focuses on key moments in the life of Doctor G.M. "Monty" Naicker (1911-1978), an Edinburgh-educated medical doctor and contemporary of Yusuf Dadoo, who displaced moderate elements in Indian politics in South Africa when he became president of the Natal Indian Congress 1946. Having taken control of Indian politics, Monty adopted Mohandas K. Gandhi's principles of passive resistance in protesting the segregationist land legislation from 1946-1948. Through the 1950s he remained committed to non-violent resistance as he worked with the African National Congress (ANC) to forge non-racial resistance against segregation and apartheid, which was predicated on and backed up by the use of state-sponsored violence. His ideas were relevant in the early joint campaigns of the Congresses Alliance, but by 1960 he had to face the fact that the Alliance was contemplating a turn to violence in the face of state intransigence and increasing brutality. While many of his comrades chose to go the way of armed struggle, Monty remained committed to non-violent resistance. This article examines the dilemma facing activists such as Monty Naicker by examining two key moments in his political life, the Passive Resistance Campaign of 1946-1948 and debates around the ANC's turn to armed struggle in 1960.