In November 1991 The Leader newspaper celebrated its 50th anniversary.
This was no small feat for a newspaper that was launched single handedly by Dhanee Bramdaw on 30 November 1940. The Leader proved to be a popular newspaper and found its way into many Indian homes. The Leader was founded to promote and protect the interests of the Indian community. In its very first issue The Leader declared that "it hopes to interpret all those facets of community life and development that should prove of interest to all its readers. The Leader is an independent organ, owing no allegiance to any group or body, but its columns will be open to all bodies which place the welfare of the Indian community, in its entirety, foremost. The Leader may have its own viewpoint, but it will never deny
the use of its columns to expressions of divergent views, honesty expressed and within the law and directed toward the well-being of the community." [1] The Leader cannot be divorced from the social and political context within which it was born. The 1940s began with increasing anti-Indian agitation among the white population. In an attempt to appease its white electorate's fears over "Indian Penetration" the Smuts government passed the Pegging Act of 1943. Once the Pegging Act lapsed in 1946, the Asiatic Land Tenure and Indian Representation Act of 1946 was passed as a further means of restricting the movement of Indian people. The Indian population was becoming increasingly aware of their lot and was determined
{1] The Leader, 30th November 1940, p.2. Also see The LeaderGolden Jubilee SuoDlement_ 14th November 1991. o_3_1 to fight against the unjust laws that were being passed against them. Determined to improve their lot as a community, the Indian population's response to the Asiatic Land Tenure and Indian Representation Act was the launch of the Passive Resistance Campaign of 1946. The Passive Resistance Campaign served to highlight the grievances experienced by the Indian community in South Africa. It transformed the Indian Question in South Africa from a domestic problem to an international one.
It was against this background of growing anti-Indian agitation and political turmoil that The Leader was born. At this time two other Indian newspapers were already in circulation - the Indian Opinion and Indian Views. As a fledgling newspaper amid political oppression and strong competition there was little chance of survival for The Leader. Yet The Leader, from its humble beginnings, grew to be the oldest Indian newspaper in Durban today.
Over the years The Leader has been a source of news and information to the Indian community. Yet The Leader itself has not been the focus of any in-depth study.