Nobel Peace Prize winner Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has a connection to India, but it is not the kind one might expect.
The South African human rights lawyer’s Indian roots go back generations, to a time when thousands of people were taken from the subcontinent to work on sugar plantations under .
Her grandparents were among those who made the journey, linking her family history to a labour system that shaped the lives of Indians overseas.
Known as girmit, a term derived from the English word “agreement”, the Indian indentured labour system was a form of contracted overseas employment that expanded during British colonial rule.
After was abolished across most of the British Empire in 1833, plantation owners sought alternative sources of labour. In Natal, present-day , the growing sugar industry turned to India to meet its demand for workers.
The expanding sugar industry in Natal needed workers to cultivate and harvest . Colonial authorities turned to India, where poverty and economic hardship made overseas recruitment possible.
The first ship carrying Indian indentured workers to arrived in November 1860. Over the following five decades, more than 150,000 Indians travelled to the colony under the system. Historical research published in Pacific Historical Review puts the total at 152,641 between 1860 and 1911.
Workers generally entered contracts lasting three to five years, although the terms changed over time. They were assigned to employers and expected to carry out demanding work, often for low wages.
The contractual arrangement did not guarantee humane treatment. Historical accounts document harsh working conditions, inadequate accommodation and abuses by employers. Workers could also face legal penalties for breaches of their contracts, including offences relating to absence from work.
Their ability to leave was restricted, and the authorities used laws and to enforce labour obligations. The system therefore created a workforce that was formally contracted but often vulnerable to exploitation.
At the end of their contracts, workers had different options, depending on the rules in force at the time. These included signing another contract, remaining in South Africa or returning to under the applicable repatriation arrangements.
For many, returning home was not straightforward. , the cost and practical difficulties of travel, and changing contractual provisions influenced their decisions. Many stayed and established families, helping shape South Africa’s Indian-origin population.
The government eventually prohibited further indentured migration to Natal in 1911, amid mounting evidence of ill-treatment.
Pillay’s family history reflects the lasting consequences of indentured migration and the struggles faced by generations of Indians who settled in South Africa under colonial rule.
Her own career took a markedly different path, leading her to become a prominent international jurist and a leading voice on human rights.
In 2026, Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her contribution to international justice and human rights, bringing global attention to a life shaped by the pursuit of and dignity.
