India-South Africa India-South Africa 2019 | Page 28

and Guinea-Bissau. The Government of India
has steadfastly opposed the continuation
of colonial rule in Angola and other parts
of Africa and has consistently espoused
the cause of the people of the countries in
the UN and at other international forums.
India is an active member of the UN Special
Committee of 24 on Colonialism which has
done commendable work in bringing to the
notice of the world the atrocities committed
by the Portuguese and other colonialists on
the indigenous people in southern countries.
In Dar-es-Salaam on April 16, 1970, Mr.
Dinesh Singh, Foreign Minister of India,
once again focused the attention of the
world on the denial of freedom and dignity
to the indigenous peoples of South Africa,
Namibia, Zimbabwe and the territories under
Portuguese domination and emphasized that
it is “absolutely essential for us to consider
what active help we can give” to these people
struggling for their liberation.
As for the material assistance to the
people belonging to these colonies, the
Government’s eff orts have been primarily
directed towards enabling them to equip
themselves with necessary education and
expertise so that they can carry forward the
political awakening of the masses in their
countries. In [a] letter to Balvantray Mehta
on 7 November 1952, Nehru wrote: ‘We have
received information from South Africa that
while the movement there is spreading, they
are terribly short of money and this is causing
them grave anxiety. They are in urgent need
of any sum that we can send. –Whatever
you can send, I suggest that you might send
very soon’ (Letter to Balvantray. 1952).
Towards this end, India has been providing
education and training facilities to a number
of people from these territories. For example,
24 Angolan students received training in
nursing and other technical fi elds in India.
India has also been assisting in a modest way
the FRELIMO in running its Mozambique
Institute at Dar-es-Salaam. In addition,
India has sent by way of gifts a number of
consignments of medicines and clothing to
various liberation movements.
During 1969-70, six proposals for the
supply of clothing, medicines, medical
28 • India-South Africa • 2019
equipment, food stuffs, supplies for
schoolchildren, etc., to the Zimbabwe
African Peoples Organisation, the African
National Congress, the Patrido Africano
da Independecia da Guine e Cabo Verde,
the National Liberation Front of Angola,
and the Movimen to Popular de Liberation
de I’Angola were approved. Besides, the
Government of India assisted the African
National Congress of South Africa to
establish their Asian Mission in New Delhi in
November 1967. Since then, India has been
helping the ANC in various ways to fulfi l its
mission in South Africa.
The Indian Council for Africa has also
provided material assistance to the ZAPU
and the FRELIMO. The Council is helping
some of the movements by giving fi nancial
assistance to students from their territories.
It has also published some interesting reports
on the freedom struggles in Africa.
India had spent more than one and a
quarter million rupees so far to assist these
movements. The large demand on our
resources at home puts a severe limitation on
our capability to assist them. However, the
will to support our toiling brethren in Africa
continues unmitigated. As Jawaharlal Nehru
said, “It must be understood quite clearly that
no doctrine based on racial inequality or racial
suppression can be tolerated for long. There
will be no peace in the world if one race tries
to dominate over another or one country over
another”. It is, therefore, our fervent hope that
the day is not far [away] when the oppressed
people of these countries will join the comity
of free nations as sovereign and equal
partners. (Surendra Pal Singh. 1970: 4-8).
Friend on Toes after 1970
Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Minister
of External Affairs, visited Tanzania in
July 1977 and visited the capitals of six
other African states such as Zaire, Ghana,
Liberia, Senegal, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
At the sixth non-aligned summit held in
Havana in September 1979, India was
represented by S N Mishra, Minister
of External Aff airs in the Charan Singh
government. India presented a fi ve-point
charter at the conference namely: