Prepare a short note on the life of Gandhiji in South Africa.

Gandhiji spent 21 years in South Africa (1893 to 1914). This crucial 21 years thought him several things and made him a visionary man who led India to attain its freedom with the help of several leaders in India.

After completion of legal education, Gandhiji struggled to find work as a lawyer. In 1893, he got the offer from Dada Abdullah who owned a shipping business in South Africa where he was mentioned to serve as his cousin’s lawyer. He accepted the offer and went to South Africa which brought him a wide knowledge of the political situations and that was the initial turning point in his political career. During his stay in South Africa, he faced several humiliations and saw several discriminations directed towards black and Indian in that country.

The incident happened during his rail journey:

Gandhi was seated in a first-class compartment, as he had purchased a first-class ticket to Pretoria. A White person who boarded the same compartment ordered the railway officials to remove Gandhiji from that compartment mentioning “coolies” (a racist term for Indians in the foreign land) and “non-whites” were not permitted in first-class compartments. Gandhi produced his ticket but was warned that he would be forcibly removed if he did not depart the compartment. As Gandhi refused to take the order, a White police officer pushed him out of the train and also tossed his luggage out on to the platform. “This humiliation made Gandhiji an activist to fight for his rights”. He chose to protest in a non-violent way in the same station and was later allowed to board the train the next day.

10 things Gandhiji did in South Africa to stand for the people rights:

1. In the year 1894, Gandhiji organised non-violent protests against the racial discrimination directed towards the native Africans and Indians.

2. In the year 1896, Gandhiji took around 800 Indians to serve in South Africa, but they were attacked by an irate mob and Gandhiji was also injured in the attack.

3. In the year 1899, Gandhiji organised the Indian Ambulance Corps for the British during the Boer War to make them understand humanity and their nature to help them, but the racist discrimination and torture continued on Indians.

4. In the year 1904, Gandhiji set up the Phoenix farm or called Phoenix Settlement near Durban where he trained his people on the thoughts of non-violent Satyagraha. This Settlement is considered as the birthplace of Satyagraha.

5. In the year 1906, Gandhiji organised a non-violent Satyagraha campaign to protest against the Transvaal Asiatic ordinance which was constituted against the local Indians.

6. In the year 1907, Gandhiji again organized a Satyagraha campaign against the Black Act.

7. In the year 1908 and 1909, Gandhiji was sentenced to jail several times for not producing the registration certificate which he and other activist have already burned them during the protest for Black Act Satyagraha.

8. In the year 1910, Gandhiji set up another farm called Tolstoy Farm where Satyagraha was moulded into a weapon of protest.

9. In the year 1913, he fought against the override of non-Christian marriages judgement.

10. He organised a Satyagraha movement in Transvaal against the unjust treatment that Indian minors in South Africa. He then later led around 2,000 Indians to cross-across the Transvaal border.