Singh sticks to reconciliation agenda

WHEN he switched allegiance from the DA to the ANC in 2003, Omie Singh, now an ANC MPL, placed at the apex of his to-do list the reconciliation of South Africans.

He believed that the ANC was the right platform to enable him to achieve those goals.

While Singh’s fashion sense has undergone a metamorphosis during his 14 years with the ruling party, he attended last week’s State of the Nation address as an Amitabh Bachchan lookalike, but his commitment to nation-building has been unmoved.

“Fortunately, my constituency is Durban central and I have a crosssection of races – I work with all communities. And I think I have achieved much in bringing people together and working together as South Africans.”

Singh, who is part of the 90-member National Council of Provinces, chaired by Thandi Modise, was one of the first Indian members to join what was then the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) in 1986.

With his political career spanning decades, Singh worked closely with struggle veterans like Helen Suzman, who led the PFP at the time.

Singh is the chairperson of the ethics committee in the legislature, a position he has held since 2014.

While he wished former president Jacob Zuma well in his future endeavours, he lauded the newly elected President Cyril Ramaphosa for what he dubbed an “excellent” address.

Singh was among those lucky enough to shake Ramaphosa’s hand as he entered the National Assembly to deliver his maiden address.

Of the speech, Singh said, “It reminded me so much of former president Nelson Mandela. The tone of reconciliation and bringing together of people of different race groups. The important thing he mentioned was that he wanted to work with the leadership of all political parties.”

This was a step in the right direction, said Singh.

Culturally conscious ANC MPL Omie Singh and his wife, Popsi, had a spell on the red carpet that was rolled out for last week’s State of the Nation address in Parliament, Cape Town.