Robben Island: 17 December 2006  

 As we gather on this most iconoclastic of islands, we are moved by the huge debt of gratitude we owe to the great Mahatma Gandhi. The whole of humanity owes so much to the inspirational life of one of the undisputed towering figures of the twentieth century. He belongs to the dazzling twentieth century class of the likes of Martin Luther King Junior, Albert Luthuli, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Alphaeus Zulu and Mother Theresa who upheld the inalienable principle of human dignity and equality.

It is a great privilege to pay this tribute as we celebrate Satyagraha and celebrate Gandhi's life and imperishable example. His life gave content to the famous teaching of a Man from Galilee, Jesus Christ, who said in the Beatitudes (Matthew Chapter 5 Verse 9) "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall see God".

With gentle persuasiveness and humility he taught us about the soul force: Satyagraha. It is probably, I believe, the influence of this philosophy which guided the founding fathers of the African National Congress to establish Africa's oldest liberation movement upon the ideals of non-violence and passive resistance. We were inspired by his example when he led the non-violent struggle and founded the Natal Indian Congress.

These principles of non-violence and passive resistance are, of course, embedded in the Judeo-Christian ethic and most of the major faiths.  The complementary African principle of ubuntu is likewise rooted in the belief that we should ascribe to others the same value with which we would like to be ascribed to ourselves.

Although the intransigence of the apartheid regime compelled some of our liberation movements to pursue the armed struggle - which was a point of departure from the strategy of non-violence - there were some in the ranks of our liberation movements that staunchly maintained that South Africa's problems would be resolved through non-violent means.

And it did come came to pass that the negotiation process won the day.  Humanity prevailed. This vindicated the Mahatma's commitment to non-violence and passive resistance.

I remember so vividly the post-war days of the 1946 campaign of passive resistance in Durban, which was a product of Satyagraha. The Defiance Campaign, which was espoused by the African National Congress, was an effort to bring the oppressive regime to the conference table.

I have never wavered from the belief that "jaw, jaw, jaw" is far better than "war, war, war" to quote that 20th century British Lion, Sir Winston Churchill.

It was one of the privileges of life to know the son of the Mahatma, Mr Manilal Gandhi and his wife. I met him during the Defiance Campaign in Durban when he was released from jail after serving his sentence. Later in life I met the granddaughter of the Mahatma, Ella Gandhi and her then husband Mr Mewa Ramgobin. It was during this time that I had the privilege of delivering the Ghandi Memorial Lecture at the Phoenix settlement where the Mahatma had lived.

I have cherished my close association with stalwarts of the liberation struggle in my province of KwaZulu-Natal such as the Ramgobins, Professor Fatima Meer and her husband Ismail Meer and such heavyweights in the liberation struggle as Dr Monty Naicker, Debh Singh and several others.

This is why one feels privileged to take advantage of these few minutes to pay tribute to this great man. His message is of such relevance that he will always be a man of our time. This is particularly true of the need for the moral regeneration of our society.

When we speak of moral regeneration today, Satyagraha informs us that the spiritual, moral and cultural regeneration of society are interconnected. They are one and the same. Regeneration can only be achieved by a synthesis of spiritual, moral and cultural values. Like the roots of the mighty oak tree, a nation must be nourished by its spiritual, moral and cultural roots, otherwise it will wither.

In 2002, the Institute of Global Ethics conducted a fascinating study which bears this out. They found that there was a striking congruity in what constituted moral values across the globe, irrespective of creed, colour, class, sex or national identity. They included respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and compassion. They are the fruits of ubuntu.

A healthy society is one in which these qualities are evident. Alas, South Africa, I believe, is in the midst of a spiritual and moral crisis. The appalling levels of woman and child rape, murder and violence suggest that our society is becoming unstuck at the seams. It is unacceptable to merely view this as a manifestation of the injustices of apartheid. Rather it is a moral decay within our society.

As one newspaper editorial put it so eloquently last year "the weak defence that apartheid rulers were no different simply does not hold, given that the politics of liberation demand of necessity a different and higher moral code". This reminded me of Gandhi's eloquent definition of "Swaraj" (self-rule) after India's liberation.

Gandhi stated "My Swaraj is to keep intact the genius of our civilisation. The very essence of our civilisation is that we give permanent place to morality in all our efforts, public or private."
Gandhi was emphatic that "there should be truth in thought, truth in speech, and truth in action".

So in all we do, let us act upon the dictum that it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.