In contrast to free Hindu immigration in
Uganda, Hindus first appeared in South Africa,
Zimbabwe, and MAURITIUS as indentured servants
for the British Empire. It was the same inden-
tured servant scheme that took other Indian
populations to Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
Hindus arrived at the South African port of Natal
in 1860 to work on plantations. The laborer
population increased over the following decades
with the construction of continental railroads.
Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu are
among the Indian states from which the first
Hindus emigrated. During the early decades,
Hindus preserved a broad array of rituals and
customs even through they shared temple space
across various sects. The temples became eclec-
tic places of worship and helped to solidify a
cultural identity for Hindus living far away from
their Indian homes.
Most laborers remained in Africa after their
contracts of servitude ended and established per-
manent settlements. An Indian merchant class
soon formed around the developing communi-
ties. Revenues accumulated for the construction
and maintenance of the first temples, built on
plantations or at the outskirts of towns. Large
temples built as early as the 1880s still stand in
Durban at the Umgeni Road Temple Complex.
The Umbilo Shree Ambalavanaar Alayam Temple
of Durban, built in 1875, is recorded as the first
proper Hindu temple built on the continent.
After it was destroyed in 1905 by the flooding
of the Umbilo River, the temple was revitalized
in 1946 and was dedicated as a national monu-
ment in 1980. The Umbilo Temple continues
to operate as a favored place of Hindu worship,
celebrating the annual fire walking ceremony
each spring.
In 1913 laws were passed in South Africa
to curb immigration. Nevertheless, before strict
apartheid appeared, South Asians were relatively
free to travel and to own land. In response to the
policies of apartheid, MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND
GANDHI, during his 21-year residency in South
Africa, first developed his method of social
action and nonviolent protest. In 1947 the South
African government passed the Group Areas Act,
which enforced strict segregation of all people of
color. Previously, South Asians and indigenous
Africans had worked together and shared tra-
ditions through free intercommunication. The
Group Areas Act precluded the possibilities of
free communication and forced South Asians and
Africans to leave desirable locations and settle
in segregated townships in more undesirable
areas. Hindu congregations were scattered across
the country, isolated from each other and cut
off from India. Temples and community centers
were created in these highly segregated commu-
nities. Between 1968 and 1973 the government
of South Africa established a policy of conver-
sion to Christianity for the Hindu population,
which left Hindu communities cut off from their
traditions and unable to socialize youth into the
Hindu heritage.
The ARYA SAMAJ movement fought the South
African policies of apartheid. The movement,
begun in India in 1875, entered South Africa in
1906 and Kenya and Tanzania later on. As a social
service and educational organization, the Arya
Samaj served poor Hindus, but it also affirmed
the Vedic tradition and established schools. The
movement effectively dissuaded Hindus from
converting to Christianity, despite the presence
of influential Christian missions. In Tanzania
the Hindu Mandal, established in 1910, offered
welfare programs, youth activities, and medical
services.
Other Hindus from diverse backgrounds
joined to retain their tradition in the face of sig-
nificant challenges to its existence. With the end
of apartheid in the early 1990s, Hindus were again
able to travel and have contact with India.
A number of active Hindu missions coun-
tered the growing influence of Christian mis-
sionaries. One exemplary mission was begun
by Swami Shankarananda. The swami arrived
in South Africa in 1907 and helped organizeAfrica, Hinduism in 11 J