Ela Gandhi | |
|---|---|
 Gandhi at Phoenix Settlement, South Africa, 2018 | |
| MP forKwaZulu-Natal | |
| In office 1994–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Multi-member district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1940-07-01)1 July 1940 (age 85) |
| Party | African National Congress |
| Spouse | |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Arun Manilal Gandhi (brother) Mahatma Gandhi (grandfather) Kasturba Gandhi (grandmother) |
| Alma mater | University of Natal |
| Occupation | Politician, activist |
Ela Gandhi (born 1 July 1940), is a South African peace activist and former politician.[1] She served as aMember of Parliament inSouth Africa from 1994 to 2004, where she aligned with theAfrican National Congress (ANC) party representing the Phoenix area ofInanda in theKwaZulu-Natal province. Her parliamentary committee assignments included the Welfare, and Public Enterprises committees as well as thead hoc committee on Surrogate Motherhood. She was an alternate member of the Justice Committee and served on Theme Committee 5 on Judiciary and Legal Systems. She is the granddaughter ofMahatma Gandhi.
Ela Gandhi was born inDurban, South Africa. Her fatherManilal Gandhi was editor of theIndian Opinion and ran thePhoenix Settlement; it had been founded by her grandfatherMahatma Gandhi and it was where she grew up.[2][3] She received her B.A. degree at the formerNatal University and later received a B.A. insocial science with honors from UNISA.[4] Following graduation, she worked as a social worker with the Verulam Child and Family Welfare Society for 15 years and the Durban Indian Child and Family Welfare Society for five years.[5]
She marriedMewa Ramgobin and had five children. One son was shot dead in a home invasion in 1993 and their daughter Ashish Lata Ramgobin was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 2021.[6][2]
Gandhi served as an executive member of theNatal Organisation of Women from its inception until 1991. Her political affiliations include theNatal Indian Congress, which she served as vice president, theUnited Democratic Front, Descom Crisis Network, and Inanda Support Committee.[7] Duringapartheid, Gandhi was banned in 1975 from political activism and subjected tohouse arrest for a total of nine years.[2] She was among the members of the United Democratic Front who met withNelson Mandela prior to his release fromPollsmoor Prison on February 11, 1990. Prior to the 1994 elections, Gandhi was a member of theTransitional Executive Council.[7]
After serving in parliament, Gandhi developed a 24-hour program againstdomestic violence, founded the Gandhi Development Trust, serves as a member of the Religious Affairs Committee, and oversees a monthly newspaper. She also chairs the Mahatma Gandhi Salt March Committee and the Mahatma Gandhi Development Trust.[8]
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In 2002, Gandhi received theCommunity of Christ International Peace Award.[2] Five years later, she was awarded conferred thePadma Bhushan by theGovernment of India.[9] In 2014, she was also honoured as a veteran of theUmkhonto we Sizwe.[10] TheEmbassy of India Student Hub, Washington, D.C., invited Ela Gandhi to speak to over 15,000 graduating students in the Class of 2020 during a virtual graduation ceremony.[11]
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