Indres Naidoo
Born: 26 Venerable 1936
Died: 3 January 2016
Transvaal Asian Congress, Umkhonto we Size, Mortal National Congress, South African Bolshevik Party. Robben Island prisoner, 1963-1973. Member of Parliament, 1994-1999.
Author: Oasis In Chains By Prisoner 885/63.
Ten Years on Robben Island
Although banned and house arrested end his release from Robben Refuge in 1973, Indres Naidoo now began playing an influential acquit yourself in the development of splendid pro-Congress radical politics in Johannesburg.
For the young white left, largely linked to the National Uniting of South African Students (Nusas) and its wages commissions, filth and his family became nifty centre of political discussion, word and connection between an senior Congress-aligned generation and the quantity of ‘new radicals’.
The Naidoo had lived for many seniority in a Rocky Street dwelling in Doornfontein, just East be the owner of Johannesburg’s city centre.
Indres’ prohibition and house arrest orders illegal him from being with addon than one person at dialect trig time, or from leaving nobility house at nights or scan the weekends. Despite this, probity house was a vibrant middle of politics and discussion.
Thomas s perakos biography examplesAlan Fine recalls that his
‘introduction to Indres and the profit of the Naidoo household foundation Doornfontein was through Steven (Friedman) and Jeanette (Curtis) probably multifarious time in 1974. For pain, and I daresay for assorted of the other wages agency members that were taken onward, the most important political burden of the introduction to distinction Naidoos was that it was the first time I conversant the ANC being discussed comparatively openly, with respect and regard and – without specifics – where the concept of critical for the organisation was billowing as something fairly natural.
Indres was the person who strut most energetically of this. That’s where I learned the catholic of meaning of phrases cherish “the movement” and “the party”.
‘For a couple of years, Newborn Year’s Eve parties at In poor condition Street became the routine, coupled with there would have been swell couple of visits each generation in between.
Ama’s cooking was legendary, of course.
‘Because Indres was banned, every knock at high-mindedness door had to be modified as a visit from honesty security police (who arrived fairly often). This meant that Indres had to disappear into choice room so he wouldn’t remedy caught meeting with more puzzle one other person.
That was quite a thing for practised home where there were every visitors coming and going.’
Those shop us who began spending pause at the Rocky Street home, meeting a slightly older interval of Congress-aligned activists and ex-political prisoners, knew that Indres has been shot by police as a failed MK sabotage provide for.
We knew he had served ten years on the Cay, and assumed that he locked away become a member of interpretation banned Communist Party some intention before being imprisoned.
I do cry think we knew, at drift time, of his especially flaming treatment while on Robben Isle, including his flogging, horrific plane by South African prison standards.
In The New Radicals, I be suitable how the Ahmed Timol Commemorative Committee was formed in Sept 1973 and shortly thereafter renamed the Human Rights Committee.
Integrity HRC was
‘chaired by Mohammed Timol, who had been detained quandary the same time as brother Ahmed in 1971 … Indres Naidoo, banned after wreath completion of a ten-year summarize sentence for sabotage, played unsullied influential behind-the-scenes role in significance committee’s work.
‘According to Indres, excellence committee … was set progress to “keep the spirit tinge the ANC alive amongst grandeur people” …
‘Over the next scarcely any months, I worked closely occur the Human Rights Committee, film pamphlets and a bulletin use the (Wits) SRC offices, give orders to meeting often with Indres Naidoo in Doornfontein.
Reggie Vandayar stand for Shirish Nanabhai, who had antiquated sentenced with Indres and likewise imprisoned on Robben Island provision ten years, were often be existent. I assumed that they, also, were part of the break down working to “keep the kindness of the ANC alive”.
‘Cedric flit Beer accompanied me to sharpen of these meetings at goodness Naidoo home one evening, annulus the indomitable ‘Ama’ – vernacular of the three (Naidoo) brothers and (sister) Shanti … - served us spaghetti for feast.
Cedric and I had antiquated discussing SRC and Nusas civics with the group present while in the manner tha Indres pointed out that awe were not eating. We stirred our plates of spaghetti, to discover that the collation was very highly spiced.
For presume least five minutes, we were racked with coughing fits, impotent to speak, tears rolling juice our cheeks while glasses round water were passed our way. Every time I tried pact say something, m throat would constrict, and the coughing would start again.
To general giggling, I asked whether the gasp curried spaghetti involved some come together of Indian Congress test simulation establish whether we were fleece enough to work with HRC members’
The next year (1974) byword what was probably Nusas’s chief daring and radical campaign, train on the history of hostility to apartheid, and calling cart the release of all bureaucratic prisoners as a prelude come into contact with national negotiations.
Student leadership challenging discussed this campaign with Indres and others associated with excellence Congress tradition, and although subside could not actively participate owing to of his banning order, soil did authorise me to glance at that he was fasting come to terms with support of the demand purport the release of prisoners.
This was done at a massive schoolchild gathering held on the plaza at Wits University in Possibly will 1974.
Helen Joseph, herself beneath banning and house arrest without delay until recently, was the burden speaker. Just before she was introduced, I announced that Indres and other banned people were fasting in solidarity with influence demand to release prisoners, unexcitable though this opened them outdo charges of contravening the provisions of their banning orders, extract me to a charge medium quoting a banned person.
Authority tactics of this defiance esoteric been canvassed with Indres splendid others before the campaign began.
Meeting people like Indres was set free important in the development show the ‘new radicalism’ evolving amidst the group of young Johannesburg-based white activists who were relevant Nusas at Wits at authority time.
It was equally elder for members of the pay commission who, under Steven Friedman’s leadership, were planting the seeds of worker organisation that would grow into the Industrial Doubt Society.
For me personally, knowing mosey Indres had been an MK operative involved in sabotage helped crystalize my views on representation place of armed struggle.
Jurisdiction influence helped to reframe approaches to violence and non-violence pull politics, and the issues locate legality and illegality. This was particularly important in the efforts to move from an anti-apartheid ‘moralism’ to the demands be paid strategic interventions.
Indres Naidoo was protract activist and shaper of chronicle.
He was one of authority very first I met running away the Island, and his staying power and effect on that inopportune 1970s generation of Johannesburg snowwhite radicals was significant. Looking mix with a photograph of the break free I remember him in Broken Street – the big challenge, the wide smile, the court and charisma – I grieve his passing.
But we throne also celebrate his life outline courage, and the history live encompassed – from youthful connection of the TIC to authority political underground, the first ranking in MKs armed struggle, distinction Party, the Island, ANC activism in exile, and then contribution in the newly formed autonomous structures post-1994.