In 1960, Centenary of Indians in South Africa (1860 – 1960), a commemorative journal that documented and celebrated the first hundred years of Indians in South Africa was published. The journal comprised 224 pages and took almost three years to compile. It was edited by Leila Pather, who, together with her husband Ronnie, would later go on to found the 1860 Settler Magazine. It is unclear whether any editions of the original journal still exist, but in this post I share some pages and images from an old copy. Some images may be unclear but are nonetheless legible.
The journal contains several messages of congratulations and well wishes to the Indian community from prominent local dignitaries, politicians and the State President at the time C.R. Swart. He was the first State President of the newly formed Republic of South Africa, which had just left the Commonwealth and gained independence.
The history of how the first Indian indentured labourers came to South Africa is also discussed extensively. They fulfilled a need for a cheap, reliable and permanent labour force on the sugar plantations of Natal. This scheme of indenture was already proving to be an agricultural success for the British in Mauritius.
The Natal Mercury featured this historic event in an article titled “The Coolies (sic) Here”, describing the disembarkation of the first Indians from the ship the SS Truro in November 1860.
The harsh living conditions and discrimination suffered by the early Indians immigrants, both indentured labourers, and passenger Indians, is documented here. Several articles describe the working conditions of the Indians who did not just work on sugar cane fields, but on railways, coal mines, and coffee and wattle plantations. The struggle for legislative rights and recognition was aided by Mohandas Gandhi, who became the first secretary of the Natal Indian Congress, which was formed in 1894.
The progress and integration of the Indian community is described in many articles, while the advertisements indicate the state of Indian owned businesses. These advertisements reveal the aspirations of the growing Indian middle class. They were eager to seek educational and career opportunities and improve their lifestyles.
This journal contains some interesting and sometimes little known facts about the experiences of our forebears, who came to South Africa, as indentured labourers and have since became an integral part of the population despite being a minority group. The contributions of South African Indians to the economic, social, political and academic, well being of our country, belie our humble beginnings.
The journal can be viewed in its entirety at the link below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/142f7Ao8uLTmIBmzW2IzUcnw9QTQu2VVn/view?usp=gmail
Curating Culture 
I am interested in including my mother Zainab Reddy as a notable Indian artist in South Africa in the late 1950s/early 1960s. She exhibited widely and has a painting called Maja, The Human Race, in the National Gallery collection.
If anyone can signpost me to a contact, I would be very appreciative.
Amrita
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wow!! 25CENTENARY OF INDIANS IN SOUTH AFRICA
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