Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born into a Hindu Modh family in Porbandar, India. In 1893 he accepted a year-long contract from an Indian law firm work in Natal, South Africa. His time in South Africa was a turning point in his career and changed him dramatically. Gandhi extended his original period of stay in South Africa to assist Indians in opposing a bill to deny them the right to vote. He became the political leader and pioneer of the Passive Resistance movement (satyagraha) against the South African government and was also the co-founder of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC). On his return to India, he became the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement and used satyagraha - resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence - which led India to Indian independence and has inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. During his later years Gandhi became known as mahÁƒÂ„ÂtmÁƒÂ„ meaning 'Great Soul'. In 2004 Ghandi was voted amongst the top ten Great South Africans from a list of 2000 people.
2 October 1869
M K Gandhi, pioneer of the SA Passive Resistance movement and leader who led India to Independence, is born
- Updated
- 2 Oct 2025
Gandhi at Lahore Railway Station on his way to Kashmir | Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi
How we know this
- 01Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek : feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar. Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.
- 02Gandhi, a pictorial biography [online], available at: mkgandhi.org [accessed 24 September 2009]
Last updated · 2 Oct 2025
South African History Online. (2011, March 16). M K Gandhi, pioneer of the SA Passive Resistance movement and leader who led India to Independence, is born. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011034
South African History Online (2011) 'M K Gandhi, pioneer of the SA Passive Resistance movement and leader who led India to Independence, is born', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011034 (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
South African History Online, M K Gandhi, pioneer of the SA Passive Resistance movement and leader who led India to Independence, is born [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011034, (accessed 8 October 2026).
"M K Gandhi, pioneer of the SA Passive Resistance movement and leader who led India to Independence, is born." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011034. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
South African History Online. "M K Gandhi, pioneer of the SA Passive Resistance movement and leader who led India to Independence, is born." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011034.
Also on 2 October
- 1901Ignatius Royston Dunnachie (Roy) Campbell, SA satirical poet, is born in Durban.
- 1910SA author Hymne Weiss is born
- 1934A national congress, under auspices of the Dutch Reformed Church, meets to discuss the ‘poor White problem’
- 1947Humphrey Khoza, former chief executive officer of Uthingo Management (Pty) Ltd and director of several other companies, is born in Germiston
- 1971The Natal Indian Congress is formally revived
- 1990Nic Cruse, who worked for PC Plus, which was started by people within the Mass Democratic Movement is assassinated.
- 1991Pik Botha visits Beijing to strengthen relations with China
- 1995Barney Pityana is elected Chairman of Human Rights Commission
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