Ela Gandhi (born 1 July 1940), is a South African peace activist and former politician. She served as a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
from 1994 to 2004, where she aligned with the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
(ANC) party representing the Phoenix area of
Inanda in the
KwaZulu-Natal province. Her parliamentary committee assignments included the Welfare, and Public Enterprises committees as well as the ''ad hoc'' committee on Surrogate Motherhood. She was an alternate member of the Justice Committee and served on Theme Committee 5 on Judiciary and Legal Systems. She is the granddaughter of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
.
Early life
Ela Gandhi was born on 1 July 1940 in
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, to
Manilal Gandhi
Manilal Mohandas Gandhi (28 October 1892 – 5 April 1956) was the second son of Mohandas Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi.
Biography
Manilal was born in Rajkot, British India, the second of four sons of Mohandas Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. He had ...
and Sushila Mashruwala. Her father was an editor of the
Indian Opinion
The ''Indian Opinion'' was a newspaper established by Indian lawyer and future anti-colonial activist M. K. Gandhi (later known as the Mahatma). The publication was an important tool for the political movement led by Gandhi and the Natal Indian ...
. Ela grew up in an
ashram of the
Phoenix Settlement
Inanda or eNanda ( isiZulu: ''pleasant place'', also possibly, ''level-topped hill'') is a township in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa that is situated 30 km north-west of the Durban CBD; it forms part of eThekwini, the Greater Durban Metropolita ...
. She received her B.A. degree at the former
Natal University
The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...
and later received a B.A. in
social science
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...
with honors from UNISA. Following graduation, she worked as a social worker with the Verulam Child and Family Welfare Society for 15 years and the Durban Indian Child and Family Welfare Society for five years.
Gandhi served as an executive member of the
Natal Organisation of Women from its inception until 1991. Her political affiliations include the
Natal Indian Congress
The Natal Indian Congress (NIC) was an organisation that aimed to fight discrimination against Indians in South Africa.
The Natal Indian Congress was proposed by Mahatma Gandhi on 22 May 1894. established on 22 August 1894.
Gandhi was the H ...
, which she served as vice president, the
United Democratic Front, Descom Crisis Network, and Inanda Support Committee. During
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, Gandhi was banned in 1975 from political activism and subjected to
house arrest for a total of nine years. She worked underground for an end to the practice. One of her sons was killed during the struggle against apartheid. She was among the members of the United Democratic Front who met with
Nelson Mandela prior to his release from
Pollsmoor Prison
Pollsmoor Prison, officially known as Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison, is located in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai in South Africa. Pollsmoor is a maximum security penal facility that continues to hold some of South Africa's most dangerous c ...
on February 11, 1990. Prior to the 1994 elections, Gandhi was a member of the
Transitional Executive Council
The Transitional Executive Council (TEC) was a multiparty body in South Africa that was established by law to facilitate the transition to democracy, in the lead-up to the country's first non-racial election in April 1994.
As part of the multi ...
.
Post parliament
After serving in parliament, Gandhi developed a 24-hour program against
domestic violence, founded the Gandhi Development Trust, serves as a member of the Religious Affairs Committee, and oversees a monthly newspaper. She also chairs the Mahatma Gandhi Salt March Committee and the Mahatma Gandhi Development Trust. Ela Gandhi served as the Chancellor of Durban University of Technology for several years.
Awards and recognitions
Ela Gandhi's contribution to politics and society is widely recognised -
* In 2002, she received the
Community of Christ International Peace Award
The Community of Christ International Peace Award was established to honor and bring attention to the work of peacemaking and peacemakers in the world. It has been bestowed on an individual each year since 1993 (except 1996 and 2015).
Overview
T ...
.
* In 2007, she was conferred the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
award from the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
.
* In 2013, she was awarded the
Shanti Doot International Award - the honour for overseas Indians conferred by the World Peace Movement India.
* In 2014, she was awarded the
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Honour/Award) is the highest Indian award for Non-resident Indian and Overseas Citizen of India or an organisation or institution established and run by Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Orig ...
- the highest honour for overseas Indians conferred by the President of India.
* In 2014, she was also honoured as a veteran of the
Umkhonto we Sizwe.
The
Embassy of India Student Hub, Washington, D.C., invited Ela Gandhi to speak to over 15,000 graduating students in the Class of 2020 during a virtual graduation ceremony.
See also
*
List of people subject to banning orders under apartheid
__NOTOC__
This list of people subject to banning orders under apartheid lists a selection of people subject to a "banning order" by the apartheid-era South African government. Banning was a repressive and extrajudicial measure used by the South ...
References
External links
Interview of Ela GandhiSeptember 25, 2001
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Ela
1940 births
Living people
People from Durban
Anti-apartheid activists
South African people of Indian descent
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in public affairs
Ela
Gandhians
African National Congress politicians
Members of the National Assembly of South Africa
Natal Indian Congress politicians
South African people of Gujarati descent
uMkhonto we Sizwe personnel
Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa
Recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman