inspiring murder of indians in s. africa

[Guest guest]

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/aug/30spec.htmThe Rediff Special/ Ajith

BridgrajInspiring the murders of IndiansSouth African politicians are at pains

to de-link a heinous crime wave against the country's Indian community from a

controversial Zulu song titled AmaNdiya (meaning Indians), but there is a

growing sentiment in the community that a spate of recent murders of Indians

has been sparked off by the song. In the past few months, two female pensioners

were brutally murdered in separate incidents while an Indian businesswoman was

gunned down at point-blank range in the full view of her two young children.

Matters came to a head on August 24, when four Indians were hijacked after a

soccer match at the sprawling former Indian belt of Chatsworth, south of

Durban, which is home to some 250,000 of the country's one million descendants

from India. The hijacked men had their throats slit before being dumped

alongside a deserted road. One of the victims survived the ordeal by playing

dead until his attackers drove off in the hijacked vehicle. Earlier this year,

internationally acclaimed playwright and songwriter Mbongeni Ngema created a

stir with the release of AmaNdiya in his album Jive Madlokovu. The song accuses

the Indians of being worse oppressors than the erstwhile racist regime. AmaNdiya

opens with the line 'Oh brothers, oh my fellow brothers, we need strong and

brave men to confront Indians.' Ngema has steadfastly maintained that the song

was meant to stimulate discussion around Indian-African relations and to

promote reconciliation between the two groups. urban resident Ramesh Jethalal

moved the high court to restrain Ngema and his music company from selling the

album, since the song incited racial hatred. The case has been adjourned to

November 4. Veteran Indian politician Amichand Rajbansi, leader of the Minority

Front in KwaZulu-Natal, conceded that there was widespread suspicion among

Indians that the cold-blooded killing of the three Chatsworth men was motivated

by Ngema's song. "This is what Indians are saying on the street and what was

widely stated at the crematorium where these men were laid to rest," said

Rajbansi. "There is widespread anger in the community." Even though Rajbansi

described the song's opening line as "provocative," he was loath to link this

-- and the other incidents -- to the song. "Africans are also being killed by

the criminal elements in our society, so we should refrain from attaching a

racial tag to these incidents," he said. But he disclosed that unconfirmed

reports claimed the sole survivor of the Chatsworth hijacking incident had said

the assailants mentioned AmaNdiya as they attacked him and his friends. "I will

be speaking to the survivor soon to establish if this is indeed the case,"

Rajbansi said, calling for tougher legislation and greater enforcement to stamp

out such incidents. The Inkatha Freedom Party's agriculture minister in KwaZulu

Natal, Narend Singh, stated he did not believe "the song had anything to do

with the attacks on Indians.People of all races are being attacked and

killed," remarked Singh, while slamming President Thabo Mbeki's government for

granting amnesty to "hardened criminals.This exacerbates the rate of crime

and sends a wrong signal to criminals who believe they can act with impunity."

Mtholephi Mthimkulu, provincial spokesperson of the African National Congress

in KZN, too dismissed talk that Indians were being targeted as a consequence of

Ngema's song. "We cannot rule out the possibility that family feuds may have

been at the centre of some of these killings." KZN police are tight-lipped

about their investigations, saying that public statements could hamper their

investigations. But Ron Reddy, a community figure in Chatsworth, remains

convinced that the upsurge in attacks against Indians was "definitely linked to

the song. From being isolated incidents, attacks against Indians are becoming

common-place following the release of the song." It was not unusual to hear

comments from blacks on the streets of Chatsworth accusing Indians of living a

life in South Africa that was "too comfortable for too long," he said. While

crime was rampant in South Africa, the nature of attacks against Indians since

the release of the song had become "extremely violent and brutal," agreed

Durban lecturer Shakti Maharaj. "It would appear that these have now become

crimes of revenge and deep-seated hatred. The way in which the victims were

mercilessly killed suggests that the perpetrators aredetermined to terrorize

the Indian community in South Africa." "Apartheid has left a legacy of

illiteracy in South Africa. The vast majority don't understand what Ngema

claims was his intention in writing the song. As a result, they may interpret

the song literally and see it as a license to attack Indians," she said. She

stated that the tragedy of Indian South Africans is that while earlier under

apartheid they were regarded as "not white enough," now they are "not black

enough" for the new South Africa. "We've always been the filling in the

sandwich that everyone wants to take a bite of," she added. Ajith Bridgraj is

based in Durban, South Africa Friends the problem with Indians is that are

afraid to speak up their mind, are not united and do not take to violence or

strategic thinking easily. cheers and om sanjeev

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the enemy camp, SET THE AGENDA, be proactiveIn an argument, no emotions, be

detached, get yr facts right, then attack with the precision of a missile