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INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 0719

C O N F I D E N T I A L DURBAN 000066 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  11/12/2018 
TAGS: PGOV SF
SUBJECT: INDIAN PROFESSIONALS EXPRESS DISMAY WITH ANC 
 
REF: PRETORIA 2407 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: JILL DERDERIAN, CONSUL GENERAL. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
¶1. (C) Introduction and summary: At a small lunch hosted by 
long-time Consulate contact Mahmoud Rajab, Managing Director of 
New National Insurance Company, a cross-section of Indian (both 
Hindu and Muslim) professionals, some with ties to the old Natal 
Indian Congress of the apartheid era -- a doctor, two 
accountants, a lawyer, a financial regulator, and a retailer -- 
told CG of their frustrations with the African National 
Congress.  They echoed concerns about neglect and disappointment 
reported in reftel and voiced publicly in August 2008 by Fatima 
Meer, a long-time ANC activist.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Lawyer and scholar Hassim Seekat stated that he was not 
going to vote in the 2009 elections because he was so 
disenchanted with the ANC -- its leadership took Indian support 
for granted and did not show enough respect, he said.  His 
decision not to vote based on disappointment with the ANC 
mirrored public comments made by veteran ANC member Fatima Meer 
in August 2008.  Rajab reminded his guests that Indians only 
made up about two or three percent of the national population, 
to keep concerns in perspective.  Well-informed Indian CG Harsh 
Sringlal noted that the numbers of Indians in the national 
cabinet and in Parliament had in fact declined between 1994 and 
¶2008.  Although some national observers have speculated that 
Indians might join the new party formed by Lekota and Shilowa 
(reftel), none of the lunch participants appeared to be very 
interested in the party or thought it could truly challenge the 
ANC in the near-term -- although they noted it contributed to 
broader-based democracy in South Africa. 
 
¶3. (C) The group despaired over the October 30 funeral of ANC 
veteran Billy Nair, which was transformed into a massive ANC 
political rally.  According to Sringlal, who attended the 
funeral, the event was 95 percent ANC politics and 5 percent 
about Mr. Nair's life and contributions to the ANC and the 
anti-apartheid struggle.  Seekat noted with cynicism that the 
ANC did not do very much to recognize a contemporary of Nair, 
Yunus Mahomed, when he passed away in January 2008, and 
commented that his grave already was a mess and "not looked 
after by anyone." 
 
¶4. (C) All members of the group expressed disappointment with 
the ANC's failure to tap more Indians for leadership positions 
in government, given the skills and capabilities that many 
Indians had to offer and the country's need for strong leaders 
and managers.  They pointed to South African Revenue Service 
Commissioner Pravin Gordhan as an example of an extremely 
effective leader.  With admiration and respect, they noted that 
"he wrote his own speeches" and commented on how relentlessly he 
carried out his duties -- even handing out registration forms to 
small business owners when he was visiting shops in downtown 
Durban during the holiday season, and "going after" the medical 
profession, based on his past experience as a fundraiser for 
anti-apartheid activities, when Indian health professionals took 
off-the-books money "from their bottom drawers" to donate to the 
struggle. 
 
¶5. (C) The most upbeat voice in the small gathering came from 
the youngest of the group--the soft-spoken, highly accomplished, 
Dr. Cyrus Rustomjee, who heads the Financial Services Board and 
the Policy Board for Financial Services and Regulation. 
Rustomjee, who previously represented South Africa at the World 
Bank and IMF, said he continued to support the ANC and was not 
as despondent as the others.  He agreed that the ANC had not 
lived up to expectations in terms of service delivery, but noted 
that the party had faced many challenges as part of the 
longer-term transition from apartheid to democracy. 
Interestingly, Rustomjee will soon relocate to London to take up 
a Commonwealth position; he told CG that while he expects to 
come back to South Africa in the future, he was not sure his 
children would, given that he wanted the best for them in terms 
of education and opportunities.  This remark perhaps reveals a 
clearer insight into Rustomjee's attitudes. 
 
DERDERIAN