From Indenture to Independence: Subry Govender's Relentless Battle for Truth

At 79, veteran struggle journalist Marimuthu Subramoney, known as 'Subry Govender', stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who fought apartheid's propaganda machine with nothing but truth and determination. His new autobiography 'Coolie Journalist' reveals the brutal reality faced by journalists of colour who dared to expose the regime's crimes.

Roots in Colonial Exploitation

Govender's story begins with the colonial machinery that brought his great-grandparents from Tamil Nadu to Natal in the 1880s as indentured labourers. Working at Blackburn Sugar Estate near Mount Edgecombe, they endured the systematic exploitation that would define generations of Indian South Africans under white supremacy.

Born in 1946 in Cato Manor, Govender witnessed firsthand the community solidarity that sustained oppressed communities. "We were not neighbours. We were a family," he recalls of his childhood in Ottawa, where Hindu, Muslim and Christian families celebrated each other's festivals despite the regime's attempts to divide them.

Early Awakening to Injustice

At just 16, while working as a cane weeder during school holidays, Govender confronted a white supervisor abusing Indian women workers. "I asked him why he could not speak to them decently," Govender remembers. When told to leave if he didn't like it, he walked out with his friends. This moment crystallized his understanding of racial oppression and his determination to fight it.

Journalism as Resistance

After completing matric at Verulam High School in 1965, financial constraints prevented university studies. Working as an insurance clerk, Govender began freelancing for Daily News and Golden City POST, covering sport and community news. His firing came after writing about discriminatory motor insurance rates, a pattern that would define his career.

Joining Daily News full-time in 1973, Govender became a marked man. Writing on non-racial sport, politics, and apartheid's impact, he drew the security police's wrath. They tapped his phones, raided his home and office, and detained him for six days after covering school boycotts.

International Voice Against Apartheid

As foreign correspondent for BBC, Radio Deutsche Welle, Radio Netherlands, Radio France Internationale, and Press Trust of India, Govender became the regime's nightmare. His reports exposed apartheid's brutality to global audiences, earning him surveillance and a three-year banning order in 1980.

"They did not like that I was working as a foreign correspondent. I was 'painting a bad picture' of the government," he explains. The regime denied him a passport for 10 years, blocking scholarships to Edinburgh University and job offers abroad.

Building Black Media Power

Govender helped establish the Union of Black Journalists after the 1976 Soweto Uprising, though it was banned within a year. He also founded Press Trust of South Africa, an independent news agency, and worked to establish Ukusa, a Black newspaper project that triggered his banning order.

During house arrest, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and international relations, using education as another form of resistance.

Covering Liberation

From 1983 to 1994, Govender served as official South African correspondent for international media, covering Mandela's release, presidency, and death. As SABC's senior political correspondent from 1994 to 2010, he witnessed the transition he had fought to achieve.

Legacy of Truth

Now retired after decades with Radio Deutsche Welle, Govender's autobiography serves as both memoir and manifesto. "We ensured that we highlighted what was happening in the country; the harsh reality of what people faced," he reflects.

His message to today's journalists is uncompromising: "Without freedom of speech and freedom of the media, democracy would not survive." As South Africa faces new challenges to media freedom, Govender's story reminds us that journalism is not just a profession but a weapon in the ongoing struggle for justice.

Married to Thyna for 52 years with three children and seven grandchildren, Govender continues working on a book compiling interviews with freedom fighters, ensuring their stories survive for future generations.