Editing Gopal Krishna Gokhale (section)

== Campaigning against Indenture ==
Gokhale was a prominent opponent to the use of [[Indian indenture system|Indian indentured labour]] in Africa and the British empire more broadly. In 1908, [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]] and finance minister J.C. Smuts agreed that compulsory registration would be withdrawn and Indians should be offered the opportunity to register themselves. However, J.C. Smuts broke his promise. [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]] requested people to burn their registrations.  

Gokhale used this situation to promote his cause against indentured labour. Gokhale proclaimed several key arguments during his campaign. Firstly, the contract was not fair, due to the unequal nature of its construction. Furthermore, the Indentured labour were inadequately protected by the Magistrates and Protectors due to their suspected hostility towards the plantation workers. Gokhale also aimed to highlight the sufferings endured by indentured slaves. Gokhale witnessed a mounting number of suicides which resulted from the system, "innocent people preferring death with their own hands to life under it", "were a ghastly feature of indenture". Gokhale also raised an issue surrounding the expected number of women being forced into indenture. With every 100 men, 40 women must be also assigned. He argued that good-hearted women were reluctant to participate in the system. Thus, the colony was forcing undeserving immoral women to participate to meet this criterion. Finally, the system in itself was regarding to the people of Indian from the national point of view.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last=Verma |first=Radhey Shyam |date=2009 |title=Gopal Krishna Gokhale and His Contribution to Struggle of People of Indian Origin in South Africa |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44147733 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=70 |pages=860–868 |issn=2249-1937 |access-date=9 February 2024 |archive-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329131607/https://www.jstor.org/stable/44147733 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1910, Gokhale successfully brought an end to indentured migration in [[Natal (province)|Natal]]. He did this by presenting a resolution in the [[Imperial Legislative Council]] discussing the issue.  In 1910 Gokhale moved a Resolution for the Prohibition of Indentured Labour altogether in 1912. Although this resolution did not succeed<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Abolition of Indentured Labour Migration {{!}} Coolitude |url=https://www.coolitude.shca.ed.ac.uk/abolition-indentured-labour-migration#:~:text=In%201910,%20indentured%20migration%20to,Prohibition%20of%20Indentured%20Labour%20altogether. |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=www.coolitude.shca.ed.ac.uk |archive-date=29 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929003904/http://www.coolitude.shca.ed.ac.uk/abolition-indentured-labour-migration#:~:text=In%201910,%20indentured%20migration%20to,Prohibition%20of%20Indentured%20Labour%20altogether. |url-status=live }}</ref> Gokhale's preaching and actions had a significant influence on the eventual end to indentured labour in 1920. In addition to his oppositionist activism, Gokhale had also drawn the attention of British sympathisers within India. In 1904, missionary and activist [[Charles Freer Andrews|Charles Andrews]] was shocked by the racism he found in British India. Therefore, Andrews sought a friendship with Gokhale, as he was a social reformer and nationalist. Through his connection to Gokhale, Andrews became aware of the maltreatment and exploitation suffered by Indian indentured labours across the [[British Empire]]. In 1914, Gokhale convinced Andrews to travel to South Africa to witness these issues first-hand. It was during this time in Africa when Andrews built friendship with [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-01 |title=Charles Freer Andrews {{!}} Indian independence, social reformer, educator {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Freer-Andrews |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=4 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204181151/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Freer-Andrews |url-status=live }}</ref>