Transvaal Government in South Africa passed an Act on 21st
March 1907. The Act required Asians to register themselves with the
authorities, and many humiliating conditions were attached to the registration
and production of the Registration Certificate. The Passive Resistance
Association led by Gandhiji carried on an intensive non-violent struggle
against this Act. The form of protest was to defy the legislation and refuse to
register and undergo whatever punishment was inflicted. . Even after two
extensions, only 500 out of the total of 13000 registered themselves. Irked by
the lukewarm response, General Smuts decided that the leaders who instigated
the resistance were to be arrested. Accordingly Gandhiji and several others were
produced before the court on 28th December 1907. The magistrate ordered that
they should leave the country within 48 hours. The time limit expired on 10th
January 1908. They were produced in the court on the same day. Before the
magistrate, Gandhiji submitted that resisters in Pretoria had been sentenced to
three months’ imprisonment with hard labour and also were levied a hefty fine.
He pleaded that as his own offence was much greater, he should be given a more
severe punishment. But the magistrate chose to give him only two months’ simple
imprisonment.
The clothes that were given to Gandhiji were very dirty.
Gandhiji reconciled himself to wear them. The cell door was locked at 6:00PM.
The door was not made of bars but was quite solid. There was a small aperture
high up in the wall so that the feeling was that of having been locked up in a
safe. In South Africa there were only two classes of convicts, namely whites
and Blacks, i.e. the Negroes. , and the Indians were classed with Negroes. The
next day it was informed that prisoners without hard labour were entitled to
keep their own private clothing. Otherwise they would be given special clothing
appropriate to their class. They opted to get clothing assigned to Negro
prisoners not punished with hard labour. As such clothing was not available; the
Satyagrahis opted to take the clothing assigned to hard labour Negro prisoners.
The food allowed in the jail was not only not tasty but was indigestible. The
prisoners were later allowed to cook their own food. Even though they were not
called upon to join the physical exercises, they took part in the drill
sessions. During the Jail term, Gandhiji read books by Carlyle, Johnson, Scott,
Bacon, Ruskin and Tolstoy. He started translating books by Carlyle and Ruskin
into Gujarati, but the task could not be fulfilled as he and his colleagues
were released on 30th January 1909, as a result of an agreement reached with
General Smuts.
How this agreement resulted in difficulties for Gandhiji.
How General Smuts reneged on his words as a result of which Gandhiji hardened
his stand and intensified his struggle is another matter which requires a
separate study.
