150 Years of Indians in South Africa: The Superb Contribution
By Hazel Smith Marshall
In celebrating the superb, and often unique, contribution to South African life and development, made by citizens of Indian origin, their role in the blindness sector is no exception. In this article, the work of a number of organisations and individuals will be highlighted to illustrate this point, but this does not mean that the contribution of numerous others is of lesser value.
Council for the Blind, the contribution of this group of colleagues seems to be disproportionately larger than their number. This is in many ways due to their particular characteristics of dignity, grit, determination and selflessness. Throughout the history of Council its work has been carried out within the wider South African context where everyone has in some way or another had to contend with the all pervading South African curse of discrimination against persons of different origins. For a time this discrimination was “legalised” by the infamous Consolidated Circular 29 of 1966 of the then Department of Welfare and Pensions, which even in its derogatory and arrogant tone reflected the attitude of the politicians in charge of our country. An extract is quoted to indicate what Council and its individual members were up against.
“It is intended that non-white welfare organisations for the various racial groups should develop alongside of white organisations. In the course of time they will advance to a level of complete independence when they will be quite capable of managing their own affairs.”
Today we can only wonder about the private thoughts and feelings of our predecessors in the blindness service system, but what is on record is that the Council and others regarded it prudent to go along with these directives to secure state funding. Government officials were not slow in using the threat of the withdrawal of subsidies, even to schools, as an inducement to ensure compliance. Council's response was to form the Division for Indian Blind, the Division for Coloured Blind and the Committee for Blind Blacks. These elements of the wider structure were maintained for about 12 years, but it was fortunate that when they were at last abandoned in 1983, their knowledge, experience and expertise could be ploughed into the general work for the benefit of all blind South Africans.
In essence, the Indian Division consisted of the well-established Natal Indian Blind and Deaf Society (later renamed the KZN Blind and Deaf Society) with the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind and the Southern Light Social Club under its wings, and the fledgling Transvaal Indian Blind Association (renamed TIBA Services for the Blind). The division was governed by an elected board consisting of Mr. Cassim Bassa, a prominent Durban businessman and philanthropist, as Chairman; Mr. Essop Khan, Hon. Treasurer; Mr. Ganas Nayanah, Acting Secretary; together with Mr. Mayet and Mrs. Naidoo of Johannesburg. Council's Executive Committee and the Department of Indian Affairs were also represented.
On 29 June 1970 Mr. K. R. Sitaram joined Council as the full time Secretary of the Indian Division. Having been a high school teacher with a keen interest in welfare and having a dynamic and caring personality, it is not surprising that, for the next decade, he achieved much in the interest of blind people, especially in education - such as helping parents to get their blind children into special schools.
A remarkable achievement, which to this day has not been replicated widely, was that he persuaded the Department of Education to allow certain blind students to register at teacher training colleges and then to employ them in mainstream or special schools. It did not end there, because he also assisted other suitably qualified people to find positions as legal professionals, telephonists or factory workers after he had facilitated their tertiary or vocational training.
Travelling throughout the then Transvaal and Natal with Council's Bureau for the Prevention of Blindness, he arranged eye clinics in remote townships and villages and also arranged for the screening of the vision of learners in mainstream schools.
With little prospect of promotion in Council's service, he resigned in 1981, but after his retirement from another welfare organisation in 2000, he once again joined the blindness service system as a volunteer and is currently the much loved and well respected President of the KZN Blind and Deaf Society.
There are three more former employees of Council who merit a mention because of their rather unique contributions. Rukie Asmall succeeded K.R. Sitaram in the Indian Division in 1981 and became Council's National Social Work Consultant when that division was closed down. Prior to joining Council's staff, she had worked as a social worker for the National Council for the Deaf. Because her office was situated in the building of the Natal Blind and Deaf Society, she came to know many blind people there and she met many more when she acted as a voluntary support person at the first What We Can Do Now Conference in 1980. She still recalls how keen she was to join Council and how carefully she scanned the newspapers for the advertisement of K. R. Sitaram's position when she heard that he had resigned.
Deena Moodley was the brilliant self-taught computer boffin who trained students at Optima College from 2000 to 2006. He also designed the technology and training materials for call centre operators and, in 1998, conceptualised the Dolphin Pen together with Aubrey Webson and Chris Friend.
Another innovator, Niresh Singh, the first visually impaired South African to qualify as an O&M instructor, trained Optima students in long cane skills from 1985 to 2002.
Current visually impaired employees are also making their mark. The extremely competent, meticulous and hard-working National Executive Director is Jace Nair, who was appointed to this post in September 2009. Reshmika Dowling is the highly skilled support person at the Education Desk and Albert Peters is the knowledgeable Adaptive Technology Specialist in the Resource Centre. Both Jace and Albert were previously members of the National and Provincial Executive Committees where, in addition, they provided voluntary service in a number of specialist committees.
TIBA Services was formally established in 1977 and has operated since 2007 from its R2,8 million headquarters, TIBA Centre, in Lenasia. It provides rehabilitation services, extensive eye care services and a protective workshop. It also plays a large and important role in many other community projects.
Established in 1936, the KZN Blind and Deaf Society is one of the most active and progressive member organisations of Council. With an annual budget of close to R5 million and a staff complement of 62, supported by 37 volunteers, it serves approximately 1500 blind, deaf and deafblind clients per year in Ethekwini and into the far-flung rural areas right up to Richards Bay. Its activities include awareness raising, advocacy, education, employment, rehabilitation and recreation services.
Now situated in Mountain Rise, Pietermaritzburg, the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind was established by the KZN Blind and Deaf Society in Durban in 1954. It currently caters for about 200 learners from pre-primary to Grade 12. It is one of the few schools for blind learners that teach mathematics to braille users and it has the enviable record of attaining a 100% matric pass rate for the past decade. Principal Desmond Frank has led the school with distinction for 13 years after commencing his teaching career there in 1977. He has served on the National and Provincial Executive Committees of Council for 20 years and his international involvement includes two terms as Chair of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment.
Many ex-students of the Arthur Blaxall School have made their mark in South Africa, the most prominent being Judge Zak Yacoob, a judge of the Constitutional Court. As a political activist he did much to promote the establishment of democracy in our country, taking many personal risks. He has the distinction of advising on virtually every aspect of South Africa's democratisation, including legislation, negotiations and national, provincial and local government elections.
Over the years Judge Yacoob has served in a number of positions in the governance of Council, in particular as Chairperson for four terms from 2001 to 2009. Apart from his very hard, hands-on work for Council, he was the Chairperson of the committee which drafted Council's new constitution. Despite his outstanding success in his professional and public life, Judge Zak Yacoob maintains an interest in all blind people and demonstrates great compassion for the plight of the majority. Although he has stepped down from the national governance structures of Council, he still serves as Chairperson of the Board of the South African Library for the Blind, one of the founder members of Council.
His immediate predecessor as Chairperson of Council, from 1996 to 2001, was the flamboyant Durban lawyer and businessman, Arvind Kissoon Singh who had previously chaired the Board of the KZN Blind and Deaf Society. As a matter of interest, he in turn had succeeded his father who had chaired the Society for many years. One of his most appreciated characteristics was his unshakeable faith in the abilities and potential of blind people.
Another successful ex-student of the Arthur Blaxall School among the younger generation is Dr. Praveena Sukraj-Ely, a legal practitioner, and the first South African blind woman to obtain a Ph. D. She currently serves as the Deputy Chairperson of Council.
Being in the fortunate position to count on the skill, generosity and work ethic of men and women such as these, Council cannot but prosper in the years that lie ahead.
