Ashish Lata Ramgobin (Great Granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ashish Lata Ramgobin

• Ashish Lata Ramgobin was born and raised in Durban, KwaZulu‑Natal, South Africa. She is Mahatma Gandhi’s great-granddaughter.

• She is a well-known social activist, media face and entrepreneur of Durban, South Africa.

• Her parents were also renowned social activists in Durban, South Africa.

• Ashish Lata has 5 siblings. One of her brothers, Kush, was shot dead at his home in Verulam in January 1993 in an apparent robbery. However, his murder was also linked to ongoing political violence in the area.

• Ashish Ramgoblin is the founder and executive director of the Participative Development Initiative at the NGO International Centre for Non-Violence in Durban, KwaZulu‑Natal, South Africa.

• In 2015, Ashish was arrested after being charged with fraud. He was accused of fraud of approximately R11 million (around US$ 830,000) from two Durban businessmen. This included R6.2 million from S.R. Maharaj, which he acquired by falsely claiming to have a linen import contract with Netcare Hospital, South Africa. However, she was soon released on bail set at R50,000.

• In 2016, she served as the Managing Director of United Trade Solutions for about five years.

• After initially being released on bail of 50,000 rand, Lata was denied permission to appeal her conviction or the sentence. South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stood firm, with spokesperson Natasha Kara stating that Lata had used forged invoices to mislead potential investors about shipments that didn’t exist.

• During the hearings, Ramgobin also raised a concern that she was in financial distress and urgently needed the money to pay customs duties. However, the court found the evidence of deliberate forgery to be overwhelming.

• In June 2025, Oscar-winning German film score composer and music producer Hans Zimmer recently referenced Gandhi in a viral Instagram post about peaceful protest methods, bringing renewed attention to Ashish Lata Ramgobin’s fraud case.

• During her time as a social activist, Lata has helped many children and women victims of domestic violence through her NGO.

• Ashish’s husband, Mark Choonoo, is the director of a company. She got separated from her husband many years ago. Their two children live with Ashish Lata.