27 October 2022

Indian Consul General in Johannesburg Anju Ranjan’s foremost responsibility is to ensure the well-being of Indian nationals in South Africa. She arrived in the country in October 2019 to take up her post. Her appointment followed the State visit of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to India where he was chief guest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at India’s Independence Day celebrations in January 2019.

As luck would have it Ranjan arrived in South Africa when the first cases of Covid-19, the corona virus were being detected. As the epidemic grew into a global pandemic the challenges to contain the spread of the contagious virus and its mutating strains also grew. Governments around the world introduced unprecedented control measures which included many countries locking down, which resulted in many of their citizens being stranded in many parts of the world with no way to get back home. And overnight the fundamentals of diplomacy changed.

Ranjan recalls how the Consulate became a travel agent and donations facilitator among other things over that period. Two years later she recalls the exact details and unique circumstances of many of the stranded, among them a honeymoon couple, scientists who returned from Antarctica after a two year mission, many students, a tourist group from a remote Indian village. Together with her capable staff and the support of both the Indian and South African governments, Indian nationals in the Southern African region received the assistance they much needed.

South Africa and India share a special and historical bond that has been deemed unbreakable. India was the first country in the international community to sever ties with Apartheid South Africa imposing a diplomatic, cultural, commercial and sporting ban on South Africa and consistently lobbied for sanctions against apartheid South Africa at the United Nations and other international bodies.

Today the relations between the two countries are flourishing and they work together in multilateral organisations like BRICS, IBSA, IORA and the G20. This relation remains strong and unique as South Africa is home to one of the largest populations of people of Indian origin around the world. Ranjan emphasised that India and South Africa are like-minded friends due to their colonial history and India’s unwavering support for South Africa’s fight for freedom against apartheid.

South Africa’s freedom icon and first President Nelson Mandela is said to have once said, ‘You gave us Gandhi and we returned him to you a Mahatma’ of Mahatma Gandhi’s sojourn in South Africa. Subjected to racial humiliation by the imperialist British colonisers, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a young barrister, launched his Satyagraha movement in South Africa. Gandhi’s influence on South Africa is inspirational and to trace his steps here the High Commission and Consulate Generals organised a Gandhi Trail tour from Gauteng through KwaZulu-Natal visiting various landmarks of Gandhi ‘s life in South Africa.

Tolstoy Farm, situated in the South Western part of Johannesburg, was where Gandhi and his followers lived out his philosophy. The farm was named after the renowned Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy, considered the greatest writer of his time. His works include ‘War and Peace’, ‘Anna Karenina’, and ‘The Kingdom of God Is Within You’ which had a profound impact on Mahatma Gandhi due to the pacifist teachings which inspired Gandhi’s own movement of Satyagraha and Ahimsa. The land was donated by his Jewish friend Hermann Kallenbach, a farmer who admired a way of life of peaceful existence. The farm became a refuge for those who had lost their livelihood for participating in the passive resistance campaigns. The significance of this site as a heritage of humanity is being revived after years of neglect and vandalism. South African activist and Gandhian, Mohan Hira has personally donated to the project and with the involvement of the Indian High Commission and Indian Consulate, plans for buildings for a library, a museum, guest house and a boundary wall as well as 24 hour security are advancing. Consul General Ranjan has been working towards having the site declared a heritage site and make it a self-sustaining tourist attraction for Gandhi followers all around the world.

India is South Africa’s 5th largest trading partner with trade growing to a record high of USD17 billion and continues to grow in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Information technology, pharmaceuticals, human resources, manufacturing, automotive and infrastructure are among the sectors covered by the more than 150 Indian companies operating in South Africa.

The recovery of the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors is key to stable and sustainable cooperation and relations. As interactions between the two countries grow, economic and commercial feasibility studies for a direct flight are being undertaken.

Ranjan hosted her last Diwali (festival of lights) celebration at India House, her Johannesburg residence, and bids farewell to South Africa, the “Rainbow Nation” which Nelson Mandela said “Indians contributed to beautifully”. The extraordinary and unique bond between South Africa and India are on an upward trajectory and can never be taken for granted.

By K Bhana and A Pemjee