Singh’s new angle to politics
HIS desire to serve communities and his ability to speak well have blended nicely with Narend Singh’s pragmatic approach to politics over the years.
So it is no surprise that after four decades of politics, Singh, 61, is still on song in the South African political arena.
And he has never failed to hold a prominent government position as a representative of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
In the 1994 Nelson Mandelaled government, Singh, the son of an Umkomaas farmer, held a position in the National Council of Provinces.
He has also held prominent positions in provincial structures in the past.
He is now the IFP treasurergeneral, chief whip in Parliament and a trusted ally of party leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
As a kingpin in the IFP, Singh has been peppered with offers.
“I didn’t want to be a floorcrosser. I’m loyal to Prince Buthelezi. I cannot compromise that,” Singh said of his allegiance to the IFP.
That dogged determination to stick to a cause has endeared Singh to IFP supporters and earned him the respect of opposition parties.
Singh started serving civic associations while still in high school. He says: “One has to be thick skinned to survive in politics.”
But Singh is clear on why he has devoted his life to politics.
“Whether you like it or not, politics influences everything, because there is always some political person out there making decisions that affect our lives.
“People prefer to sit back and criticise decisions instead of making a difference by getting involved,” he said.
His mission now is the Medical Innovation Bill, about the use of marijuana byproducts in the palliative treatment of cancer.
“Mario Ambrosini (IFP), who died of cancer, introduced the bill to Parliament. As chief whip, I persuaded the Speaker to reintroduce the bill.
“It has been accepted, registered in my name and now we are exploring the possibilities of amending legislation so that medical research can continue,” he said.
Singh’s grandfather, Bendasari, was also not afraid to stand up for his beliefs.
In 1890, a muscular Bendasari assaulted a British soldier in a fight over a colonial law and had to flee India to avoid censure.
So he came to South Africa as an indentured labourer.
Singh’s father, Tilokey (popularly known as L.Singh), with only a Grade 6 (Standard 4) education, started farming in Umkomaas.
His humble four-room family home in Bisset Street, near the train and bus stations, became a popular meeting point.
“People who needed to travel sometimes had to wait hours for transport. So they would come to us for help.
Singh’s opposition to injustice was already stirred in primary school.
He went to the Umkomaas Drift Primary, which was built “through the blood, sweat and tears of the pioneering indentured labourers”.
“That wood and iron structure, built in 1929, produced many well-known people,” he said.
Singh, his friends and the Ramnarain and Reddy families were among the few non-white households in the village.
His family defied apartheid policies. “We never shopped in the non-white section of stores and we always found ways to play in the local sportsfield that was reserved for whites-only.
“We always challenged the law enforcers. Once when we were asked not to swim in the whites-only beach, I said, ‘But this is the Indian Ocean’.”
Singh also told of how his family refused to vacate their home in the village.
The Robin Hood Cinema was a social hot spot at the time, but its auditorium was segregated according to race.
“I remember travelling into Durban’s CBD to get permission to screen Hindi and Tamil movies on Sundays.
“We used to stage two film shows and busloads of people would come to the cinema to watch the movies.”
On their first date, he and Manitha went to the cinema. They married in March 1975.
A few years before that, Manitha’s father (Mr Ramphal) had made clear his disapproval of Singh’s conduct.
“When I was 14, my dad owned buses. At some point on the trip to school, I would take over the driving duty.
“Manitha told her father I was driving the bus. He wrote to my father to express his disapproval.”
Singh was ahead of his time even for the company he kept, usually older men.
It was through such interactions that he got involved with fund-raising initiatives for his school while in Grade 11 (1969). This ultimately fired him up for community work.
He matriculated as the top pupil at the Naidoo Memorial Secondary School.
His parents were keen for him to become a doctor, but they accepted him choosing to study pharmacy at the University College for Indians, established on Salisbury Island (near Durban harbour), in 1971.
When a late afternoon class presented a transport challenge, Singh switched to studying for a BCom.
He took note of activists Roy Pillay, Pravin Gordhan and Kessie Naidoo, who were students at the college.
The next year Salisbury was shut and Singh was among the first batch of students to study at the University of DurbanWestville.
Although he chose to go into the family transport business in 1974, Singh said his studies were not wasted.
His father-in-law inspired his move into politics.
He got into the political grind in 1988 after some prominent community members persuaded him to contest the 1989 Tricameral government elections in the Umzinto constituency.
“I refused to accept the offer because I was opposed to the government, but the group was persistent and assured me I had the backing of the majority of voters.”
He contested the Tricameral elections of 1989 as a member of the Solidarity Party, led by J N Reddy, and won handsomely. He polled 5 024 votes. “Although people criticised the government of the day, I had no regrets because it allowed me to develop and grow as a politician.
“I was part of the system then, but people like the late Kisten Moodley and I were seen as radicals for our outspoken views,” he said.
When the first democratic elections loomed, Singh said he considered joining only either the ANC or the IFP.
Singh turned down an offer to join the Democratic Party from Roger Burrows.
He felt it inappropriate to join the ANC because he had not been a member and although he had fought apartheid in his own way, he had not been part of the struggle.
“I moved to the IFP in 1993 because they were dominant in KwaZulu-Natal and I knew many of the izinduna and amakhosi (leaders) through my transport business.”
Singh said he had since remained committed to the IFP and saw his party as the voice of reason.
He rated being a part of the first democratically elected government a political high point.
He hopes to bow out of politics in 2017 – if his leader “allows it”.