INDIA will help maintain sites related to Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa, the Indian envoy said in Johannesburg on Monday (2) as the world marked the 154th birth anniversary of the peace icon.
On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, high commissioner Prabhat Kumar paid floral homage to the bust of Gandhi at the Constitutional Court premises, which was once a prison where Gandhi and his followers served sentences during their resistance to discriminatory laws.
Gandhi served four terms of imprisonment between 1908 and 1913 in Johannesburg, including his first sentence in South Africa.
The bust was unveiled in 2012 by then Indian president Pratibha Patil when she paid a visit to South Africa.
“In all my postings abroad, I have always garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and now in South Africa, where I am doing so for the first time, it is very special, because Gandhiji was here for 21 years,” Kumar said.
Kumar visited permanent exhibitions at the venue dedicated to the lives of both Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who served 27 years as a political prisoner of the apartheid government before becoming South Africa’s first democraticallyelected president in May 1994.
The diplomat said he looked forward to attending the installation of a seven-foot statue of Gandhi at Tolstoy Farm, the oncethriving commune established by Gandhi about 30 km south of Johannesburg during his tenure as a lawyer in the city.
After falling into complete disrepair due to vandalism, only the foundation of Gandhi’s original zinc and wood home was left, surrounded by tall grass, until interventions by Gandhian activist Mohan Hira and the Mahatma Gandhi Remembrance Organisation (MGRO).
With support largely from the Indian government, Tolstoy Farm has now been restored to some extent with a fruit orchard, a peace garden with flowers and shrubs, and a library.
Hira arranged for an artisan from India to sculpt the latest statue of Gandhi before moving it to Tolstoy Farm.
Kumar pledged further support for Tolstoy Farm.
“The support from India will continue...all the places connected with Mahatma Gandhi (in South Africa) will receive attention from the government of India,” the diplomat said.
Standing next to a wall-sized image of the two leaders together, prepared for the exhibition although they had never met, Kumar reflected on the special relationship between Gandhi and the African National Congress (ANC) led by Mandela. “Gandhiji was here and the ANC got a lot of inspiration from Gandhiji and thereafter Nelson Mandela also always admired Gandhi and said a lot about him, so this exhibition is an inspiration for all of us, Indians and South Africans,” he said.
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)