Narend Singh

Narend Singh
Narend Singh
	Singh in May 2019
Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 30 June 2024
President	Cyril Ramaphosa
Minister	Dion George
Preceded by	Maggie Sotyu
Treasurer-General of the Inkatha Freedom Party
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 25 August 2019
President	Velenkosini Hlabisa
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 24 August 2007
Preceded by	Nhlanhla Zulu
Constituency	KwaZulu-Natal
Member of the Executive Council; of KwaZulu-Natal
	In office; April 1997 – March 2006
Premier	Ben Ngubane; Lionel Mtshali; S'bu Ndebele;
Member of the Senate of South Africa; (abolished 1997)
	In office; 1994–1996
Personal details
Born	Narend Singh; 4 September 1954 (age 70); Umkomaas, Natal Province, South Africa
Political party	Inkatha Freedom Party
Spouse	Manitha
Children	2
Occupation	Member of Parliament
Profession	Politician

Narend Singh (born 5 September 1954) is a South African politician who is the chief whip of the Inkatha Freedom Party in the National Assembly and the treasurer-general of the party. Prior to joining the National Assembly in 2007, he was a Member of the Executive Council in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government from 1997 until 2006 and a member of the Senate from 1994 to 1996.

Early life and education

Singh was born on 5 September 1954 in Umkomaas, Natal Province.^[1] He attended Umkomaas Drift Primary and Naidoo Memorial School in the small town of Craigieburn, just outside Umkomaas.^[1] In 1971, he started studying towards a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Durban-Westville.^[1] He left the university in 1974 to help out at a family business.^[1] Singh later completed a postgraduate diploma in Economic Principles from the University of London in 1997.^[2] In 2003, he obtained a master's degree in public policy and administration from the university.^[2]

In 2019, he received a postgraduate diploma in public policy and African studies from the University of Johannesburg.^[2]

Political career

In 1988, Singh was recruited by community members to contest the 1989 House of Delegates election in the Umzinto constituency.^[3] He went on to contest the election as a member of the Solidarity Party and won easily.^[3] Singh received 5,024 votes.^[3] In 1993, he joined the Inkatha Freedom Party. He turned down an offer from Roger Burrows to join the Democratic Party.^[3]

Following the first multi-racial elections in 1994, Singh was elected to the Senate as an IFP delegate from KwaZulu-Natal.^[3] He served in the Senate until 1996, when the IFP redeployed him to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.^[1] In April 1997, he was appointed to the province's Executive Council and served on the council until March 2006,^[1] when he resigned following a sex scandal.^[4] Although the scandal was an embarrassment to the party, the party decided not to expel him.^[5]

In August 2007, he was appointed to the National Assembly of South Africa to replace Nhlanhla Zulu, who had died the previous month.^[6] Singh has since been re-elected in April 2009, May 2014, May 2019 and May 2024.^[7]

Singh was later appointed as the IFP's chief whip in the assembly.^[3] He is also the party's treasurer-general.^[8]

Personal life

Singh is married to Manitha, and they have two children together.^[3]^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Mr Narend Singh - IFP". People's Assembly. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Mr Narend Singh". Parliament of South Africa. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Naidoo, Mervyn (20 December 2015). "Singh's new angle in politics". Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^ Aarde, Greg (22 March 2006). "Tearful Singh calls it quits". IOL. Durban. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^ Mthembu, Bongani (27 August 2007). "Former minister back after 'sexcapades'". IOL. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^ "IFP sex scandal MEC is back". News24. Durban. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^ "The 400 MPs elected to the National Assembly - IEC - DOCUMENTS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
^ Duma, Nkosikhona (25 August 2019). "The IFP's new top six revealed". EWN. KwaZulu-Natal. Retrieved 15 October 2020.