Today, 11 September, is globally marked by the tragic events of 9/11 — but in Johannesburg, it commemorates a far different landmark: the birth of satyagraha, or non-violent civil resistance. On this day in 1906, more than 3,000 Indians gathered at the Empire Theatre — once a glittering hub of entertainment at Commissioner and Ferreira Streets — to protest a discriminatory ordinance requiring fingerprint registration for Asians.

Among the speakers was a young Mohandas Gandhi. Rejecting the term “passive resistance,” he urged the crowd to embrace satyagraha, meaning “truth-force” or “soul-force.” He called on them to “suffer rather than submit,” sparking one of the world’s first organised non-violence campaigns. The theatre, which had survived war and even a fire, would ironically burn down the very next day — seen by many as a symbolic omen of the law’s eventual defeat.

Johannesburg may have changed dramatically, but on the corner of Commissioner and Ferreira Streets, the seeds of global justice were first sown.

Listen to storyteller Al Prodgers’ report for HOT 1027 News below:

Little-known facts about Gandhi in South Africa

• Gandhi spent 21 years in South Africa, shaping his philosophy of civil disobedience here.

• He founded two communal settlements — Phoenix Settlement (Durban, 1904) and Tolstoy Farm (near Johannesburg, 1910) — which promoted self-sufficiency and equality.

• He lived from 1908–1909 in a modest home in Orchards, Johannesburg, now known as the Satyagraha House, designed by his friend Hermann Kallenbach.

That same home is now the Gandhi Museum Johannesburg (Satyagraha House) — a beautifully preserved heritage site where visitors can walk through the rooms where Gandhi lived, view personal artefacts, and even stay overnight. It serves as both a museum and guesthouse, offering a quiet space to reflect on the origins of his peaceful resistance movement.

One of the rooms of Satyagraha House. All photos: Satyagrahahouse.com