Interview with Apartheid activist-Mr Moosa Moolla

Ayesha: Tell us something about yourself- your childhood and how you got involved in politics and political resistance.
Mr Moolla: My name is Moosa, my childhood years were spent in Standerton Indian & Coloured School. My 1st admission into school was in 1943, I moved to Bree street Johannesburg and attended the Johannesburg Indian School I then moved to Springs Indian School & then again to Standerton Indian and Coloured School at STD3, I completed STD8 in Standerton & matriculated at Johannesburg Indian High School. I qualified with a teachers diploma at Johannesburg Indian High School & began teaching at Standerton Indian & Coloured School in 1959.Subsequently the school became Standwest Secondary School in the designated Indian area. I became an HOD then in 1985 I moved to Roshnee Secondary School as senior deputy principal, I retired in 1997 28 February. Upon retirement age 60. With a total number of 38 years of teaching.
I encounted political resistance to the government at the Johannesburg Indian High school where I became part of boycotts & defiance campaigns against the governments Apartheid laws. I was boarding at high profile activists such as: Dr Zainub Asvat, the late Yusuf Chachalia, his wife Amina Asvat & I was involved with the Youth Congress in Johannesburg with my colleague and namesake Moosa Molla of Bloemhof. I attended a number of meetings addressed by Dr. Yusuf Dadoo at the old Ghandi Hall & the famous Red Square in Fordsburg. I always felt very disturbed at the way our non-white people were treated in this country during that time. But also felt very insignificant because many elders used to dissuade us fro active political participation.
Ayesha: What was the most significant event which you can recall during your time as an Apartheid activist?
Mr Moolla: During one rally at the Red Square while we were there attending a meeting, the meeting was broken up by police, police dogs& security officials. Many of the members of the public were quite severely beaten up & were attended to at the residence of Dr Zainub Asvat, 1 block away from the Red Square. I felt very disturbed and fearful of the brutality of the police officers. Even when I took food and clothing to the Fort jail in Johannesburg to activists who were held in detention without trail. Moses Kotane and Walter Sisulu were in jail at that time. When I was going home from Johannesburg to Standerton by train I was fortunate to have the late Albert Lutuli in the same compartment as myself. Unfortunately he didn’t speak much politics with a STD9 pupil.
Ayesha: Did you ever have a run in with the law at that time?
Mr Moolla: Yes, I did, during a boycott in the Johannesburg Indian High School , stopped by the police as we were walking in Fordsburg & threatened to keep off the streets .In December 1962 I attended a UNESCO work camp in Lesotho, Leribe. There was a mixed group of students consisting of Blacks, Whites, Coloureds and 2 Indians, myself & friend Ebrahim Cassim, when I returned to Standerton where I thought I was questioned, quizzed & harassed by the security police. When I was living in Standerton the then declared white area there was constant persercussion by the members of the community development board insisting that I make arrangements that move to the Indian area. The saddest part in my life was when we had to move from the Standerton Indian & Coloured School to the school in the Indian area. & the departmental officials broke down a very beautiful school built by Indians themselves right in the centre of Standerton, next to the Vaal River.
Ayesha: What was your attitude like towards policies after those run-inns or bad experiences?
Mr Moolla: The policy of Apartheid was the most brutal, inhuman, abhorrent policy in the history of the world. We found it very difficult that people with a crustiant confidence, people with faith in god were prepared to introduce a terribly oppressive dehumanising policy of Apartheid. I feel the same about mass inhumanity to man applied everywhere else in the world, Inclusive of the Palestinians, inclusive of the treatment of the Germans to the Jews.
Ayesha: Do you still have contact with any of your fellow activists that may be in the government at the moment & do you keep in touch with them?
Mr Moolla: By virtue of being a contemporary I maintained a general social contend with the Pahad brothers in parliament, with Mr Cassim Saloojee,. Many of my fellow known activists are late. My age being 70.
Ayesha: Were you ever arrested or detained?
Mr Moolla: No, I wasn’t.
Ayesha: Were you an MK (Imkonto-we-sizwe) i.e a member of the Military wing of the ANC at the time? Describe your experiences.
Mr Moolla: As a result of my contact At the JIHS I received many documents & pamphlets for clandestine distribution, bearing in mind that this was a very risky thing to do, & taking to account that I was the sole supporter of my family & parents.
Ayesha: Do you feel the efforts of your struggle were in vain?
Mr Moolla: If ever I think that I made any kind of contribution in any way to the political direction of freedom and democracy then it has to be mentioned taht it was subtly in the classroom, in the lessons & as house master for 15 years in the Parkview Muslim Hostile. Out of the possibilities of what police officers could do to people I made a generally weak contribution by emphasising to my pupils by saying : “Educate yourselves & become so powerfully educated so that you can stand upto PW Botha & force him to respect you” that is the calibre of pupils I intended to create. In the Parkview Muslim Hostel , we use to sing “PARNA JANDA NA NIECHE JUKANA” a popular Indian Congress song. A sum of the pupils from Standerton Secondary School became members of parliament after 1994.
Ayesha: How did you feel about those in power at the time i.e what did you think of white supremacy?
Mr Moolla: I could never understand how supposedly great leaders and great thinkers lacked the humanity & the sensitivity to realise what an evil thing Apartheid was.
Ayesha: Did you ever hear or see a neck lacing?
Mr Moolla: I saw plenty of pictures on TV, in newspapers & I have to emphasise my abhorrence for any kind of abuse or violence.
Ayesha: How did you react to the many different laws?
Mr Moolla: If you wanted to travel from Transvaal to the Natal, you had to go to the police station & apply for a permit for 2 shelling and a six pence on entry to the police station or post office how do you think I felt when I was addressed “Ja! Coolie wat soek jy?”. I was horrible to see how my domestic worker would be jailed because she didn’t have a pass. It was worst to see how Africans with whom I lived could not go from one place to another. It was a crying shame to see how the blacks had to scamper home when the 9o’clock siren blew.
Ayesha: What message would you like to share with the people of South-Africa today?
Mr Moolla: In unity with an integrated society we will be able to build a great country. We need to respect the cultures of different people remembering that all cultures are non-negotiable. We must thrive for a non-racial, non-sexist, freedom of religion, association, movement, respect & dignity for all people in this country. The government must make every effort to create work for our people. Unemployment is a dangerous time bomb. A very big problem is gross negligence in service delivery.
Ayesha: Finally- Are you hopeful of South-Africa today?
Mr Moolla: There is great hope with the many challenges. If we commit ourselves to serve our people & serve the country with honesty & sincerity we can only win.