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New Contree, No. 45 (September 1999)

185

NATAL'S INDIANS, THE EMPIRE AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR,

1899-1902

Goolam Vayed

(Department of History, University of Durban-Westville)

Summary

Most early scholars of the South African War focussed almost entirely on the struggle

between Afrikaner nationalism and British imperialism in which the role of Blacks was seen

as irrelevant.

By focussing on Indians, a little-studied group, this micro-study will

contribute to the ongoing process of providing a more complete picture of the war years.

It seeks to address why Indians, who were subject to oppression by English-speaking

whites, volunteered on the side of Britain, the active and non-combatant roles they played

in the war, the losses they suffered and the impact of the Indian role to the overall

situation.

Indians were clearly divided along class lines and these divisions were

perpetuated during the war in terms of the manner in which Indians were recruited, their

role in the war and their treatment at the conclusion of the war. Indians supported the

British because India was part of the British empire and they felt that this would give them

added leverage in their dealings with the British imperial authorities. The undisguised

hostility of the Boer Republics towards them also influenced their decision. Under

Gandhi's prodding, Indians contributed financially and also formed an ambulance bearer

corps, which served between December 1899 and March 1900 under extremely difficult

conditions. A grossly understudied area is the plight of Indian refugees from areas of

Indian concentration such as Johannesburg, Pretoria, Newcastle, Ladysmith, Dundee,

Colenso and Kimberley. Most refugees sought refuge with friends and family in Natal even

though the Natal Government tried to prevent them coming. The invading Boers had no

clear policy on what to do with Indians in Northern Natal. In most cases they arrested

Indians for several weeks but then released them. Boers also used Indians as cooks and

cleaners. Indian traders suffered heavy losses as their shops were looted by the invading

Boers as well as by British soldiers and ordinary Indian, white and African civilians. The

DTC failed to assist the 4 000 Indian refugees in Durban. Durban's Indians had to feed,

clothe and support Indian refugees. While Gandhi and the NIC chose to be loyal instead

of exploiting the space created by the war to challenge the Government, their loyalty went

unrewarded. The Governments of Natal and Transvaal imposed further anti-Indian

legislation and the position of Indians deteriorated in the post-war years as the foundation

was laid for a modern South Africa based on white racial supremacy. Indians became part

of a South Africa whose destiny was shaped by the war. The shapers of this new South

Africa were Boer leaders like Botha and Smuts who remembered all too well that Indians

had sided with the British.

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G.

Vayed

Introduction

Until recently there was a virtual exclusion of Black peoples from histories of the South

African War which began on 11 October 1899 when the South African Republic and the

Orange Free State declared war on Great Britain. The traditional historiography has

focussed primarily on the actions and sufferings of the white protagonists, both Boer and

British.1 This is not surprising given that the focus by early scholars was almost entirely

on the struggle between Afrikaner nationalism and British imperialism in which the role of

Blacks was seen as irrelevant. The war, however, impacted heavily on all South Africans.

By focussing on Indians, a little-studied group, this micro-study will contribute to the

process of providing a more complete picture of the war years. As far as Indians are

concerned a number of questions are raised. Why did Indians, who were subject to

oppression by English-speaking whites, volunteer on the side of Britain? In what active

and nOlI-combatant roles did Indians participate in the war? How were they affected in the

theatres of war? What losses did they suffer? Where did Indian refugees flee to and who

provided for them? What was the impact of the Indian role to the overall situation?

Arrival and settlement of Indians

Indians arrived in South Africa in two streams. Between 1860 and 1911, 152 641 workers

arrived in Natal as indentured immigrants. From the mid-1870s entrepreneurs from

Gujarat on the west coast of India began arriving in Natal.

2

_{A third social group comprised}

an educated elite that gradually emerged as a result of the early opportunities provided

by mission schools. This small elite included lawyers, teachers, civil servants and

accountants.

3

_{This class division, very lucidly explored in Swan's seminal work, was}

perpetuated during the war in the manner in which Natal's Indians were recruited, their role

in the war and their treatment at the conclusion of the war. There were approximately

65000 Indians in Natal at the outbreak of war. In search of economic opportunities,

Indians had expanded beyond Natal's borders to other parts of South Africa and by the late

1

A few studies make cursory reference to Indians. These include P. Warwick, Black people and the

South African War 1899-1902

(1983) and I. Gleason, The unknown force. Black, Indian and Coloured

Soldiers through two World Wars

(Rivonia, 1994). Two studies focus directly on Indians. The

Collected Worl<s of Mahatma Gandhi,

I II, 1898-1903, (The Publication Division, Ministry of Information

and Broadcasting, Govemment of India) includes Gandhi's reports to newspapers on the activities of

the Bearer Corps as well as letters to Govemment officials. P. Tichmann, "'We are sons ofthe Empire

after all'; The Indian Ambulance Corps during the South African War, 1899-1902", in Soldiers of the

Queen,

87 (1998), pp. 10-15 is a short report on the ambulance corps; The Killie Campbell collections

also contain valuable information but requires careful search. See for example Lieutenant H.

Hurst,"The funny side of some old Natal wars", Broadcast at SABC, 11 May 1940, KCM Dawes

Collection, File B, No. 16.

S. Bhana and J. Brain, Setting down roots. Indian migrants in South Africa, 1860-1911

(Johannesburg,1990), p. 23.

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Natal's Indians and

SA War

187

1890s there were at least 15000 Indians in the Transvaal,4 700 to 1 000 Indians at the

Kimberley diamond fields by 1880,5 Port Elizabeth and East London each had a few

hundred Indians at the outbreak of war,6 while there were around 2000 Indians in Cape

Town.'

By 1899 Indians faced discrimination at the hands of the English settlers and the Boers.

Directly and indirectly they were made to feel like an unwanted people. The English settler

legislature in Natal passed a spate of anti-Indian laws in the 1890s; in the Cape there was

a growing sentiment for exclusion. After Natal achieved self-government in 1893, the

government passed legislation to force Indians to re-indenture or return to India upon

completing their indenture and to legally subordinate non-indentured Indians so that whites

would feel secure against the "Asiatic Menace.

"S

During this period Indian politics was

dominated by merchants who tried to obtain equality with whites on the basis of Queen

Victoria's 1858 Proclamation which asserted the equality of all British subjects. In 1894

merchants formed the NIC to protect their trade, franchise and residence rights. Each of

the NIC's six presidents between 1894 and 1913 was a prominent merchant.

9

_{The attitude}

of the governments of the Boer republics was one of undisguised hostility towards Indians;

indeed the Orange Free State barred them totally. In the pre-war years British imperial

authorities seemed like friends when they defended the rights of Indians. Thanks to British

intervention, Law 3 of 1885 allowed only residential segregation instead of total

segregation for the Indians in the Transvaal.

1o

When, therefore, war broke out, Indians

supported the British. Besides, since India was also part of the British empire, Indians felt

that this would give them some leverage in their dealings with the British imperial

authorities. More than anybody else Gandhi articulated this position.

4

Bhana and Brain, Roots, p. 78.

5

Bhana and Brain, Roots, p. 99.

6

Bhana, Roots, pp. 112 and 116.

7

Bhana, Roots, p. 123.

8

Swanson, "AsiatiC Menace", p. 421.

9

Swan, Gandhi, p. 51. For a comprehensive discussion of the NIC see S. Bhana, Gandhi's legacy.

The Natal Indian Congress, 1894-1994 (Pietermaritzburg, 1997).

10

For details see Bhana and Brain, Roots; B. Pillay, British Indians in the Transvaal: Trade, race

relations and Imperial policy in the Republican and Colonial Transvaal (London 1977), and B. Pachai,

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188

G.

Vayed

Declaration of loyalty

The Indian elite in Natal responded dutifully to the British cause because they saw

themselves as part of the British empire. Gandhi felt that because Indians were "British

subjects, and as such demanded rights, they ought to forget their domestic differences,

and ... render some service.

,,11

On 17 October 1899 about 100 Indians attended a meeting

in Durban where they "unreservedly and unconditionally" offered their services to the

Imperial authorities "without pay." Gandhi informed the Colonial Secretary that Indians

displayed "extreme eagerness to serve our Sovereign" and that they would be suited for

field hospitals. For Gandhi the offer proved that Indians were "ready to do duty for their

Sovereign on the battlefield. The offer is meant to be an earnest of the Indian loyalty."'2

It is paradoxical that Gandhi's offer was made at the very time that the Durban Relief

Committee was canvassing local hotelkeepers "to employ white men in preference to

coolies."'3

This offer was made by the educated and trader elite and had nothing to do with the vast

majority of indentured and free Indians. The thirty-three Indian volunteers represented

twenty-five percent of the adult Indian males in Durban with a "tolerably good English

education." On 18 and 19 October Dr Prince examined twenty-five of the volunteers and

passed twenty-three.

'4

_{M. H. Nazar and}

_{J. Horne did not pass the initial examination.}

Nazar subsequently passed his examination and served as a volunteer.

'5

The other

volunteers were mostly young Indians who became important political, sporting and

11

Times

of

India,

9 December 1899, in

Col/ected WorKs

of

Gandhi,

p. 120.

12

Natal Archives, Pietermaril2burg (hereafter NA), Colonial Secretary's Office (CSO), vol. 1632,

8047/1899,

Gandhi to Colonial Secretary, 19 October 1899.

13

Natal Mercury,

31 October 1899.

14

The following twenty-five volunteers, with profeSSion and age, were inspected: M.K. Gandhi,

Advocate, 29; H.L. Paul, Interpreter, 37; A.H. Peters, Interpreter, 30; R.K. Khan, Advocate. 26;

Parsee Dhanyisha, Merchant, 27; C. Cooper, Bookkeeper, 22; J. Godfrey, Attorney's Clerk, 18; J.D.

Home, Clerk, 18; M.H. Nazar, Gentleman, Fellow of the Imperial Institute, and Member of the East

Indian Association, no age; R. Bughwan, Photographer, 24; P. Peter, Printer, 19; N. Dhunde,

Bookkeeper, 18; V. Lawrence, Attorney's Clerk, 26; L. Gabriel. Photographer, 27; G.D. Harry,

Attorney's Clerk. 21; R. Govindu, no profession listed, 21; S. Shadrack, Clerk, 37; Ramtahan,

Compositor, 20; P.K. Naidoo, Merchant, 23; A. Singh, Clerk, 21; S.N. Richards, Clerk, 24; M.J.

Lutchmanpanday, Attorney's Clerk, 26; J. Royeppen, Attorney's Clerk, 24; J. Christopher, Attorney's

Clerk, 30; C. Steams, 40.

15

CSO 1632,

8047/1899,

Gandhi to Colonial Secretary, 19 October 1899. Nazar was heavily

influential in Indian politics in Natal. He was an agent acting on behalf of business firms, secretary

of the NIC and

first

editor of

Indian Opinion.

He died prematurely in 1906. See S. Bhana and J. Hunt,

Gandhi's editor. The letters

of M.H.

Nazar, 1902-1903

(New Delhi, 1989).

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N

Natal's Indians and

SA

War

189

community leaders over the next three to four decades. 16 Gandhi himself noted that the

"plucky youths are clerks, and well brought up, and by no means inured to a hard life."17

Two whites joined the Corps, Canon Booth and Herbert Kitchin.18

While Muslim

merchants did not serve on the battlefield they provided financially for the maintenance of

the dependents of volunteers. 19 Bernard Gabriel typified the new educated class. He

worked as a clerk for Mr Brokensha in Dundee who paid him £8 per month. While there,

he was 'coached' for the civil service examination by W.D. Turnbull, a solicitor. After

passing his examination he began studying for his law degree at Cambridge University.

Towards the end of October he was captured by the Boers in Dundee and sent to prison

in Pretoria by train on 3 November 1899. He was released after a few weeks and served

with the corps. Thereafter he moved to Durban where he remained until his return to

Dundee on 30 July 1900. In 1902 he went to Cambridge and completed his law degree

in 1905. Turnbull described Gabriel as "a well educated Indian who dressed as well as

any European... he rather fancied himself in dress and I should think that his suits would

not cost less than £5.5 each; he was in fact a swell. He used to wear rings, none of which

were worth less than £2." In 1899 Gabriel owned five tailor-made suits, a silk coat and

vest, twenty pyjamas, and a set of three-gold buttons with gold chains attached. Gabriel

also owned a camera, had a collection of rare stamps, owned a pair of swinging clubs, and

numerous articles of jewellery.20

The Government thanked Gandhi for the offer but advised that their services were not

required; however, "should the occasion arise, the Government will be glad to avail itself

of these services. "21 Gandhi informed the Colonial Secretary that "all of us regret that our

16

Bernard Gabriel, son of indentured immigrants, studied at Cambridge University and was the

first

colonial-born barrister; Joseph Royeppen completed a law degree at Cambridge University; R.K.

Khan was the secretary of the NIC and a major benefactor of the Indian community. Lawrence,

Christopher and the others were instrumental in fonming organisations like the Natal Indian Patriotic

Union (1908), the Colonial Born Indian Association (1911) and South African Indian Committee (1911)

in oppOSition to the merchant dominated NIC.

17

Times

of

India,

9 December 1899, in

Collected Works of Gandhi,

p. 120.

18

NA, Public Works Department (PWD) 2179, 2458/1900, Chief Engineer's List of Indian Ambulance

Corps Leaders, June 1900. It is unclear how Kitchin became part of the Corps. The Chief Engineer

merely noted that he was a "European electrician but identified himself with the Indians," In

subsequent years Kitchin joined Gandhi in the Phoenix community and was editor of

Indian Opinion

for a brief period in 1906. Booth, a medical practitioner trained in Durham, arrived in Natal in 1876.

He took charge of the Indian mission in Natal, built the SI. Aidan's Church in Cross Street in 1883 and

a clinic and dispensary in 1898.

19

Times of India,

9 December 1899, in

Collected Works of Gandhi,

p. 120.

20

NA, PAR, CSO 2916, 9 December 1901, Evidence of B. Gabriel and Affidavit of W.D. Turnbull

before the Invasion Losses Enquiry Commission.