This day in history: 158-years-ago the 1st Indians arrived in South Africa
Friday, 16 November, marked the 158th anniversary of the day the first Indians arrived in South Africa.
PAY ATTENTION: Click "See first" under the "Following" tab to see Briefly news on your News Feed!
On 16 November 1860, the Truro travelled from Madras to South Africa, where the first 342 indentured Indian laborers stepped foot in Port Natal.
On Friday, Laudium Sun Page shared the historic day on Facebook.
The post added: "The second group of 342 arrived in Durban on board Belvedere from Calcutta 10 days later. These were no luxury ships and they were kept in the hold, and men and women kept separate. Today we salute our forefathers who took a bold step , leaving behind their homes, family and friends to seek a better future. Little did they know what they would create. How many of us would take that same step today."
PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app
READ ALSO: Woman describes heartbreaking moment she found a baby at her doorstep
According to Census 2011, Indians, along with Asians, make up 2.5% of South Africa's population today- which is roughly 1 286 930 million people.
Briefly.co.za decided to take a look at some of the reactions the historic event gathered on social media.
Waris Ali commented: "They came to put lines on the road nd railway tracks but over stayed nd now they own almost half of the country victory."
Shahid Abbas Cheema added: "Reality is its slavery but with chocolate coated and still a lot are called colored and discrimination still present in different form."
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News
