“You can trust us” – IFP’s Narend Singh
Mr Singh urged residents to vote, saying that the only wasted vote is when people don't vote.
Trust Us! That was the message by the IFP’s Narend Singh, who recently visited Dannhauser as part of the party’s election campaign.
Mr Singh, the IFP’s Treasurer General, and Member of Parliament visited the town to speak to residents ahead of the upcoming elections. He was joined by IFP members in the Amajuba Constituency as well as a member of parliament in the KZN Legislature. This wasn’t Mr Singh’s first visit to the town though. His in-laws lived in the area and so he has made trips before, befriending many in the community.
A former member of the Solidarity Party, he became an IFP member in 1993, citing his admiration for Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi as the reason why he joined the party.
“Prince Buthelezi does not see colour or origin. He has likened the diversity of people in the party to a salad bowl, filled with different ingredients, but when put together, it works well.”
While addressing the gathered crowd, Mr Singh urged them to vote, saying that the only wasted vote is when people don’t vote. He explained that government was important as the decisions made there, impact directly on their town. However, the behaviour of politicians affected how people viewed government.
Mr Singh touched on the topics of corruption, service delivery protests and tender fraud, adding that everyone wanted a bribe before anything got done. He also touched on the topic of crime, adding that there were 57 murders committed in South Africa a day and how we as South Africans had become complacent about it.
He also touched on the topic of education and highlighted how it was always close to the heart of Prince Buthelezi. He added that discipline needed to be brought back to schools as there was no more respect for teachers. “We need proper foundations in society. It’s like building a house, you need a solid foundation for it to last.”
Mr Singh also brought up the issue of land expropriation, saying that the government has failed when it came to land redistribution and that there needed to be land expropriation with compensation.
“Give us a chance because we have leaders you can trust. The other parties put fear in people but don’t do anything.”
Audience members were then given the chance to address questions to Mr Singh, with the issues of receiving no assistance from the municipality being a major topic. He promised to look into matters raised by the Ward 2 Community Forum, who likened talking to the municipality like talking to a brick wall.
He also addressed questions about where the IFP would get the money to implement their plans, saying that there was enough money, however the government wasn’t using it effectively or for the right reasons, something that the IFP hoped to change if the voters gave them the chance.
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