Memons in South Africa

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Memons in South Africa form a prosperous subgroup in that country's Indian community, and are largely descended from traders who immigrated to that country early in the twentieth century. Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi (who came from the same part of Gujarat as the Memons) was retained by a Memon businessman in South Africa to look after his legal affairs in Durban. It was in South Africa that Gandhi launched his political activities.

Memons played a major role in the promotion of Islam in South Africa, and there have been some rivalries, for the management of local Mosques, between Memons and Surtees, Gujarati speaking Sunni Muslims, mostly due to two different 'Maslak' (path) Deobandi and Barelvi, although these are far less prominent now, than they were in the past..

Although the Memoni language is not widely spoken by younger Memons in South Africa, South African Memons continue to maintain a strong (although slowly eroding) Memon identity. Already, few younger Memons are even aware of the which different towns that their ancestors came from. Although the early Memons practiced Endogamy (marrying within their social group), intermarriage between different Memon groups and other Sunni Muslims is now widely accepted.

Memon organisations in South Africa include the Memon Association of South Africa (formerly the Memon Association of the Transvaal), and the Natal Memon Jamaat [1].