Amichand Rajbansi was a
South African politician died he was 69.. He was a former Chief Minister of the
House of Delegates Tricameral parliamentary chamber for
Indian people, and leader of the
Minority Front.
(14 January 1942 – 29 December 2011)
Amichand Rajbansi, nicknamed the Bengal Tiger, was born in
Clairwood,
Durban on 14 January 1942. He attended
Clairwood Secondary School and the
Indian University College to study
History and
Psychology as major subjects.
After a long service as a sports administrator, professional soccer
referee, civic leader, and serving in local government structures
dealing with local affairs, Rajbansi was elected to the
South African Indian Council in 1974. This council was rejected by most Indians.
[1] In 1976 Rajbansi resigned from the Indian Council protesting the inter Cabinet council
[clarification needed] between the Indian Council and government cabinet of Prime Minister
John Vorster[citation needed]. In 1981 he formed the
National People's Party
(NPP) and was elected leader of this new party. The NPP successfully
competed for the election to the South African Indian Council and took
control of SAIC, although only 6% of the Indian electorate participated
in the 1981 elections for the Council.
[1]
In 1984, following Prime Minister
PW Botha's
constitutional reforms, the NPP stood for the newly constituted
House of Delegates, the Indian only parliamentary chamber, and won the majority of seats in the House. As a result, Rajbansi became member of the
South African Cabinet and chairman for the Ministers' Council for Indian Affairs.
Rajbansi's leadership of the House of Delegates was often controversial, and in May 1987, his NPP lost its majority
[clarification needed] to an opposition coalition. However, Rajbansi did not resign his chairmanship
[clarification needed],
and he survived the leadership challenge with the help of P.W. Botha. A
Parliamentary select committee later in 1987 found that Rajbansi
accepted R10 000 for his party in order to "facilitate the obtaining of
land and contracts", and he was suspended from the House of Delegates.
He was suspended from P.W. Botha's cabinet, and Botha appointed a
commission of enquiry under Justice Neville James to investigate
allegations of corruption in the House of Delegates Administration. He
was later found guily by another parliamentary committee of "glaring"
maladministration in forcing the purchase of a culutural centre for an
inflated price. Botha fired Rajbansi from his cabinet and his Minister's
Council in December 1988, following the preliminary report from the
James Commission. The final report of the commission described Rajbansi
as "arrogant", "unscrupulous", "ruthless" and a "mean-minded bully". The
commission found that Rajbansi had lied to Parliament, committed
statutory
perjury,
had given false evidence to the Commission, and misused his position.
It also recommended that he never again be employed as a minister in the
House of Delegates or in any official or semi-official post which
called for integrity. He later resigned as leader of the NPP, and was
suspended from the House of Delegates, only to be reinstated a few
months later. In June 1990, he was convicted on 2 counts of fraud, and
was fined R10 000 for using "fronts"
[clarification needed] to obtain premises for his businesses when he was a member of the SA Indian Council.
[2]
After South Africa's transition to multi-racial democracy in 1994,
the NPP became the Minority Front and continued to draw support from
parts of the Indian community.
After the 2004 elections, Rajbansi made an alliance with the
African National Congress and he became MEC for Sports and Recreation for
KwaZulu-Natal Province. In January 2009, Mr Rajbansi received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the
India International Friendship Society in New Delhi, in recognition of his selfless service to humanity. He was the only African to receive this award.
On 29 December 2011, Rajbansi died from natural causes.
[3]
Personal life
Rajbansi was formerly married to Asha Devi, a journalist and popular figure in local government. Devi spoke to
Jani Allan in an interview published by the
Sunday Times
in the 1980s about her affection for her husband. She referred to her
husband as "her hero". "Even if it means sleeping on a bed of nails or
walking on coals for him, I will do it ... I will always stand by him."
[4] They also had four daughters and a son together.
[5] Their relationship soured when Devi joined the
IFP.
The couple separated in 1998, with political and alleged paranoramal
activity in their marital home being cited as reasons attributed to
their separation.
[6] The couple divorced in 2000.
[7] A year later Rajbansi married Shameen Thakur.
[8]
In 2003 Rajbansi's ex-daughter-in-law, Karnagie Tandree was strangled to death
[9] Police have deliberated over both murder and suicide as a cause of the death.
[1
To see more of who died in 2011
click here
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. He died of a heart attack in 2011.[3]
