Gangathura Mohambry Naicker (30 September 1910 – 12 January 1978) was a

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and a South African anti-

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 ...

activist of Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

descent.

Early life

His father was a trader, exporting

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s. He studied 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 ...

at ''Marine College'' and then at the age of 17 went to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

to finish

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, and he then studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

Anti-Apartheid Activism

Naicker was a leading member of

South African Indian Congress The South African Indian Congress (SAIC) was an organisation founded in 1921 in Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal), South Africa. The congress is famous for its strong participation by Mahatma Gandhi and other prominent South African Indian figures during ...

(SAIC) and 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 ...

. In 1946 he and

Yusuf Dadoo Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo (5 September 1909 – 19 September 1983) was a South African Communist and an anti-apartheid activist. During his life, he was chair of both the South African Indian Congress and the South African Communist Party ...

led passive resistance campaigns among Indian South Africans to protest the Asiatic Land Tenure and the Indian Representation Act. Along with Yusuf Dadoo of the

Transvaal Indian Congress The South African Indian Congress (SAIC) was an organisation founded in 1921 in Natal Province, Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal), South Africa. The congress is famous for its strong participation by Mahatma Gandhi and other prominent South African India ...

he visited

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, where he received support for the endeavours of the South African Indians from

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- ...

and other Indian leaders in 1947. Naicker was an early advocate for a

multi-racial Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

united front against

. He worked to develop an alliance with the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC) in 1947, known as the Dadoo-Naicker-Xuma Pact, or the Three Doctors' Pact. Naicker was imprisoned numerous times for anti-apartheid activism. In 1948 he and Yusuf Dadoo were sentenced to six months hard labour under the Immigrant Regulation Act. He was jailed for a month after participating the

Defiance campaign The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conference. The demonstrations, ...

of 1952. During the 1950s Naicker was president of the SAIC for at least two terms, despite being forbidden to attend gatherings by the Apartheid government in 1953. Naicker was one of the accused in the

Treason Trial The Treason Trial was a trial in Johannesburg in which 156 people, including Nelson Mandela, were arrested in a raid and accused of treason in South Africa in 1956. The main trial lasted until 1961, when all of the defendants were found not gu ...

of 1956-1961 but the charges against him and several other co-defendants were dropped in 1958. Between 1956 and 1973 he was regularly banned, which limited his political activities.

Sources

External links

ANC biographyDon't support apartheid sport: Appeal by Chief A. J. Lutuli and Dr. G. M. Naicker 1962
* The African Activist Archive Project website has a 1956 photograph o
Mary-Louise Hooper and Monty Naicker at the Treason Trial
1910 births 1978 deaths South African people of Tamil descent African National Congress politicians People acquitted of treason South African prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of South Africa Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Activists from Durban South African politicians of Indian descent Members of the Order of Luthuli {{AntiApartheid-activist-stub Anti-apartheid activists People from eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality