Most earlier studies of South African Indian politics have
often been based on the assunption that, regardless of class
cleavages, there existed e,nong Indians a fundanental unity
of interests. Although these writers often indicated
awareness of class divisions anong South African Indians,
class did not constitute the central focus of their historical
works. In other words class divisions were viewed as merely
one anong .U,e~ influential factors in the develo~ent
of South African Indian politics. An example of this is
Johnson's corrvnent on the lack of significant involvement of
South African Indians in the Congress Alliance of the 194D's
and 1950's:
The task of organizing Natal Indians
was complicated by the fact that they
did not fonn a cohesive bloc. They were
divided along religious, Linguistic and
economic lines (i.e. class or occupa~tional
lines) 1 2
Johnson also describes the strong linkages between particular
economic (class) interests and religious affll.iation anong
South African Indians, but with out analysing the manner
in which homogeneous class interests were reinforced or
maintained by religious ~ffil,~-\:.i<w,s. ~
'Most Indians were Hindus, descendents of
the first immigrants brought to South
Africa as indentured workers ••• (They were)
followed by primarily Moslem merchants •••
Both Hindus and Moslems maintained their
own religious and charitable organisations
and relations between the two groups often
reflected the Moslem - Hindu differences
found on the Indian Sub-Continent.'