By Sohaila Kapur

The long walk to freedom is over. But Fatima Meer is not tired yet. Fatima Meer is one of South Africa’s best-known social activists. Having inherited her radical politics from Mahatma Gandhi himself before he returned to India, she has resisted racism in South Africa, in the same way that Gandhiji did—through passive resistance. She was the only woman awardee at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas recently held in Delhi to honour the achievements of members of the Indian diaspora abroad.

The Struggle
It began early in life. The racial segregation practised by the minority, white regime humiliated her. “There were separate ‘non European’ seats marked out in public places for Indians and Blacks,” she says, “and I felt the need to protest.” So, while still in high school, her campaign against racism began, with several others. It was during their third campaign, in 1946, that the Africans too were spurred into activity, leading to the fourth passive resistance, under the aegis of Nelson Mandela’s ANC party.

Citizen’s Forum
That’s Meer’s own NGO, which works within the Indian and African communities, attempting to help poverty-stricken South African townships, combating problems of alcoholism, and wife and child abuse in both communities. “The problems among the Indian community, however, are not so severe,” says Meer as she explains that the Indian family is far more integrated than the African family.

“This is because most South African families are migrant farm labourers, and the men are away from their families, leaving the women and children to fend for themselves. This rips the family apart and in many cases, the children take to crime.” Besides, she adds, several Indian women’s organisations in SA help their compatriots to be more politically and socially aware.

Not Just A Social Activist
Meer has co-authored ‘the first authorised biography’ of Nelson Mandela, called ‘Higher Than Hope’, with Mandela’s estranged wife, Winnie, who was part of his life for many years. The book was written when they were in jail together during the passive resistance of 1976. “In fact, it was written even before Mandela published his autobiography, ‘Long Walk To Freedom’,” she says. Meer has also written the first script of Shyam Benegal’s feature on Mahatma Gandhi, which was based on her own book, ‘The Apprenticeship of A Mahatma.’

The Story Today
Five years ago, Meer underwent bypass surgery and just about five months ago, she suffered a stroke, which has left her confined to a wheel chair. But that has not deterred this determined grandmother of five. She still works hard at her social service activities and pursues her fulltime job as a lecturer in sociology at the University of Natal in Durban. A fruitful journey, indeed!