Next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in the country, and the 1860 Legacy Foundation, comprising cultural and religious leaders, has been mandated to network with organisations in the province to produce a calendar of events for next year's celebrations.

Krish Gokool, president of the 1860 Heritage Foundation, an organisation that archives and documents Indian history, said his organisation met Tongaat Hulett three months ago and intended meeting the board to acquire land for the monument.

"We are working on a proposal to send to Tongaat Hulett about suitable land between Sibaya and Gateway overlooking the Indian ocean," said Gokool.

The chairman of the 1860 Legacy Foundation, Ashwin Trikamjee, was unaware of the meeting between the sugar manufacturer and the foundation, but said Tongaat Hulett was one of the companies that would be approached for help with 150th anniversary celebrations.

"Tongaat Hulett would be one of the first companies we would approach because of the historical significance of the sugar industry so far as the indentured labourers are concerned," said Trikamjee.

"If one goes back in history, the sugarcane farmers benefited most when our forefathers came here."

Tongaat Hulett communications manager Michelle Jean-Louis confirmed the meeting with Gokool, who is also a member of the legacy foundation.

"We look forward to receiving further details on plans to celebrate 150 years since Indians arrived in South Africa," said Jean-Louis.

Gokool said that the monument would contain 33 chambers documenting Indian history with life-size wax figures. The chambers would also reflect Zulu history, including battles fought with the British.

"In wax form, we will show the arrival of Indians coming off the ship wearing dhotis, and then we will show them working on the sugar cane fields and mills and the other lot working in the coal mines. There will also be two chambers for Gandhi, one on the platform at Pietermaritzburg station and another on the passive resistance march.

"It will cover a whole spectrum of things from 1860 until now. We have to relate the things that happened before and after Indians arrived."

In addition, there would be a library, a documentation centre and a 450-seat theatre and restaurant.

Gokool said the foundation would be meeting with architects and engineers to take the project forward, adding that they had been in contact with the famous Madame Tussaud's wax museum in London.

He said it would be a "multimillion-rand" project.

The acting secretary of the 1860 Legacy Foundation, Rajish Lutchman, said the organisation also wanted a public holiday set aside for all South Africans to commemorate the 150th anniversary.

"We need to extend the celebration from just the Indian community. It has to enjoy the support of the wider South African community," he said.

Satish Dhupelia, a member of 1860 Commemoration Council, said: "I understand that this monument is going to give prominence to the arrival of the indentured labourers, but I believe it is also going to give prominence to other groups in this country across the cultural and religious divides."