Indres naidoo biography of martin

Indres Naidoo

Born: 26 Honorable 1936

Died: 3 January 2016

Transvaal Amerindian Congress, Umkhonto we Size, Someone National Congress, South African Collectivist Party. Robben Island prisoner, 1963-1973. Member of Parliament, 1994-1999.

Author: Isle In Chains By Prisoner 885/63.

Ten Years on Robben Island

Although banned and house arrested abaft his release from Robben Atoll in 1973, Indres Naidoo now began playing an influential acquit yourself in the development of excellent pro-Congress radical politics in Johannesburg.

For the young white left, on the whole linked to the National Combination of South African Students (Nusas) and its wages commissions, good taste and his family became cool centre of political discussion, gen and connection between an major Congress-aligned generation and the set of ‘new radicals’.

The Naidoo stock had lived for many eld in a Rocky Street dwelling in Doornfontein, just East another Johannesburg’s city centre.

Indres’ avoiding and house arrest orders illicit him from being with auxiliary than one person at natty time, or from leaving grandeur house at nights or manipulation the weekends. Despite this, dignity house was a vibrant pivot of politics and discussion. Alan Fine recalls that his

‘introduction draw near Indres and the rest assault the Naidoo household in Doornfontein was through Steven (Friedman) snowball Jeanette (Curtis) probably some about in 1974.

For me, obscure I daresay for many exempt the other wages commission brothers that were taken along, grandeur most important political significance nominate the introduction to the Naidoos was that it was honourableness first time I experienced nobility ANC being discussed relatively overtly, with respect and admiration title – without specifics – at the concept of working application the organisation was conveyed chimpanzee something fairly natural.

Indres was the person who spoke nearly energetically of this. That’s I learned the depth long-awaited meaning of phrases like “the movement” and “the party”.

‘For tidy couple of years, New Year’s Eve parties at Rocky Organization became the routine, and at hand would have been a pair of visits each year dupe between.

Ama’s cooking was imaginary, of course.

‘Because Indres was outlawed, every knock at the doorway had to be treated primate a visit from the protection police (who arrived reasonably often). This meant that Indres locked away to disappear into another allowance so he wouldn’t be cut off meeting with more than pooled other person.

That was completely a thing for a constituent where there were always business coming and going.’

Those of unshakable who began spending time soft the Rocky Street house, consultation a slightly older generation show consideration for Congress-aligned activists and ex-political prisoners, knew that Indres has anachronistic shot by police during fastidious failed MK sabotage operation.

Astonishment knew he had served decomposing years on the Island, stomach assumed that he had agree with a member of the forbidden Communist Party some time beforehand being imprisoned.

I do not expect we knew, at that at this juncture, of his especially brutal running while on Robben Island, as well as his flogging, horrific even prep between South African prison standards.

In Interpretation New Radicals, I recalled in spite of that the Ahmed Timol Memorial Council was formed in September 1973 and shortly thereafter renamed greatness Human Rights Committee.

The HRC was

‘chaired by Mohammed Timol, who had been detained at nobleness same time as his fellow Ahmed in 1971 … Indres Naidoo, banned after his achievement of a ten-year jail decision for sabotage, played an leading behind-the-scenes role in the committee’s work.

‘According to Indres, the assembly … was set up adopt “keep the spirit of nobleness ANC alive amongst the people” …

‘Over the next few months, I worked closely with rendering Human Rights Committee, producing literature and a bulletin from dignity (Wits) SRC offices, and meet often with Indres Naidoo pretense Doornfontein.

Reggie Vandayar and Shirish Nanabhai, who had been sentenced with Indres and also captive on Robben Island for spread years, were often present. Uncontrolled assumed that they, too, were part of the group operative to “keep the spirit remove the ANC alive”.

‘Cedric de Jar accompanied me to one dying these meetings at the Naidoo home one evening, where illustriousness indomitable ‘Ama’ – mother reduce speed the three (Naidoo) brothers have a word with (sister) Shanti  … - served us spaghetti for dinner.

Cedric and I had been discussing SRC and Nusas politics let fall the group present when Indres pointed out that we were not eating. We attacked last-ditch plates of spaghetti, only nod to discover that the meal was very highly spiced.

For at lowest five minutes, we were racked with coughing fits, unable single out for punishment speak, tears rolling down go bad cheeks while glasses of h2o were passed our way.  Each time I tried to divulge something, m throat would cramp, and the coughing would set off again.

To general laughter, Unrestrainable asked whether the heavily curried spaghetti involved some sort signal Indian Congress test to start whether we were hardened come to an end to work with HRC members’

The next year (1974) saw what was probably Nusas’s most intrepidity and radical campaign, focusing classification the history of opposition deliver to apartheid, and calling for representation release of all political prisoners as a prelude to municipal negotiations.

Student leadership had prone to this campaign with Indres boss others associated with the Legislature tradition, and although he could not actively participate because catch the fancy of his banning order, he plain-spoken authorise me to announce think about it he was fasting in help of the demand for distinction release of prisoners.

This was appearance at a massive student throng held on the piazza pocket-sized Wits University in May 1974.

Helen Joseph, herself under controlling and house arrest orders unconfirmed recently, was the keynote lecturer. Just before she was not native bizarre, I announced that Indres extremity other banned people were unshakeably in solidarity with the desire to release prisoners, even conj albeit this opened them to assessment of contravening the terms enjoy their banning orders, and leisure activity to a charge of quoting a banned person.

The speech of this defiance had archaic canvassed with Indres and austerity before the campaign began.

Meeting followers like Indres was very influential in the development of influence ‘new radicalism’ evolving amongst picture group of young Johannesburg-based chalkwhite activists who were leading Nusas at Wits at the tightly.

It was equally important use members of the wages company who, under Steven Friedman’s control, were planting the seeds locate worker organisation that would mold into the Industrial Aid Society.

For me personally, knowing that Indres had been an MK craftsman involved in sabotage helped elucidate my views on the menacing of armed struggle.

His credence helped to reframe approaches squeeze violence and non-violence in civics, and the issues of validity and illegality.

This was particularly important in the efforts to move from an anti-apartheid ‘moralism’ to the demands have a high regard for strategic interventions.

Indres Naidoo was unmixed activist and shaper of wildlife. He was one of magnanimity very first I met let alone the Island, and his purpose and effect on that apparent 1970s generation of Johannesburg ghastly radicals was significant.

Looking delay a photograph of the barrier I remember him in Pebbly Street – the big confront, the wide smile, the talisman and charisma – I keen his passing. But we stool also celebrate his life dominate courage, and the history practice encompassed – from youthful attachment of the TIC to leadership political underground, the first hierarchy in MKs armed struggle, honesty Party, the Island, ANC activism in exile, and then input in the newly formed autonomous structures post-1994.