October 3, 2003
By Tshepiso Mogotsi
MAHATMA GANDHI returned to Johannesburg yesterday, in the form of a 2,5m bronze statute. The statue was unveiled in Gandhi Square by Mayor Amos Masondo during a dignified ceremony yesterday.
Referring to the strange twists of history, Masondo spoke of Jan Smut's response to Gandhi leaving South Africa in 1913 - the politician who became synonymous with the formation of the League of Nations expressed the hope that Gandhi would never return to the shores of South Africa.
The larger-than-life statue, by sculptor Tinka Christopher, was officially unveiled on Gandhi's birthday. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in the town of Porbandar, India, 134 years ago.
The statue depicts Gandhi, not as the world remembers him in his later years, but as the young lawyer working in Johannesburg.
Dignitaries from the Johannesburg City Council, the Indian High Commission and the Gandhi Centenary Council attended yesterday's ceremony.
"Today we join in paying a special tribute to a man that has been acknowledged worldwide," Masondo said, adding that Gandhi's politics and personality were shaped by his engagements in the conflicts he experienced during his 21-year stay in South Africa.
Whatever service Gandhi had been able to render to India originated from South Africa, Masondo pointed out. He quoted Gandhi as saying that it was "after I went to South Africa that I became what I am now".
A message from Nelson Mandela was also read out: "Gandhi's political technique and elements of the non-violent philosophy, developed during his stay in Johannesburg, became an enduring legacy for the continuing struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa."
The history of South Africa at the turn of the 19th century featured prominently as speaker after speaker recalled the good that Gandhi had done against the ugly events of the time.
The Indian High Commissioner, His Excellency S Mukherjee, recalled the injustices Gandhi had faced, such as being forcibly removed from a train because of his race. "I believe it was that incident that actually launched Gandhi."
"India gave South Africa a lawyer and, in return, South Africa gave India a mahatma, a great soul," Commissioner Mukherjee said.
Chairperson of the Gandhi Centenary Council, Kirtie Manon, said the unveiling of the statue was timeous as the organisation had recently secured funding from the Gauteng Tourism Authority to erect the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Museum at Tolstoy Farm, a property to the south-west of Johannesburg where he and his followers lived as a community in the early 1900s.
In his message, Mandela also commended the City on its decision to commemorate Gandhi as "a fine example of how communities across the country are uniting to help recover and celebrate history".
This time Gandhi will not be allowed to leave Johannesburg. The statue has been fitted with an electronic alarm to make sure it remains in Gandhi Square.
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