The Natal Indian Congress (NIC) was formed in 1894 by Mahatma Gandhi to fight mainly against the discrimination meted out to Indian traders in Natal. However, Gandhi soon began organising on a much broader scale and launched his satyagraha campaign.

In the late 1930s, Dr Naicker took over the leadership of the NIC from the more conservative Indians and similarly in the Transvaal, Dr Yusuf Dadoo, took over the leadership of the Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC). They then forged an alliance with leaders from the African National Congress (ANC), leading to the "Dadoo-Xuma-Naicker Pact" in 1946. Thereafter, many joint activities between the South African Indian Congress and African National Congress were organised, the most notable being the campaign for the "Defiance of Unjust Laws" in 1952.

The NIC, TIC and the Cape Indian Congress went on to form the South African Indian Congress (SAIC).

During this period, many NIC activists were also active members of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) and the Communist Party of South Africa.

During the swoop on Congress activists after the Congress of the People in 1955, several of the NIC leadership were jailed and then charged for treason in what became known as the 1956 Treason Trial.

After the incidents of Sharpeville and the banning of the ANC, some NIC members were actively involved in the formation of Umkhonto We Sizwe, the armed wing of the ANC; many fled the country and others were banned, house arrested and jailed. Although the NIC was not banned, this harassment on its leadership and the repressive conditions at that time, led to a halt in the activities of the NIC.

It was only in 1971 that the NIC was revived. One of the main thrust of the activities of the NIC was to concentrate on bread-and-butter issues, i.e. on civic work. This gave rise to a number of civic organisations springing up in and around Durban and Pietermartizburg. The most notable one being the Durban Housing Action Committee.

The NIC drew on many of its activists from the ranks of students, especially those attending the University of Durban-Westville. The school and university boycotts of 1980/81 threw up a new generation of NIC activists, many of whom today hold leading positions in the democratic government and the community.

In the 1980s the NIC embarked on several campaigns. The most striking of these campaigns was the Anti-SAIC campaign of 1981 and the anti-tricameral campaign in 1984 against the House of Delegates.

The NIC was also a founding member of the United Democratic Front (UDF), and remained an affiliate until the disbandment of the UDF. And as such, the NIC participated in the UDF campaigns, such as the Million Signature campaign. Prominent UDF leaders, including NIC leaders, were tried for treason in the "Pietermaritzburg treason trial" during 1984/5.

After the ANC was unbanned in 1990, the NIC together with the TIC had various meetings with the ANC to strategise on the role of the two Indian Congresses. To date, both the NIC and TIC have not decided to disband.

CCLS - Centre for Community and Labour Studies

DHAC - Durban Housing Action Committee

NIC - Natal Indian Congress

SACTU - South African Congress of Trade Unions

SAIC - South African Indian Congress

TIC - Transvaal Indian Congress

UDF - United Democratic Front