Malundi Sports Ground
Ward 99, Craigieburn, eThekwini Municipality
The Hon. Mr Narend Singh, MP
Tresurer General And
Chairperson of National Campaign Committee
of the Inkatha Freedom Party
Good morning fellow patriots, it is an honour and a privilege to address you here today in eThekwini. I am Narend Singh, Treasurer General and National Campaign Committee Chairperson of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the IFP’s Ward 99 Candidate, Jane Naidoo. Her face might be familiar to you, as she is a hard-working member of the IFP, who has been serving as a PR Councillor for the past 10 years.
We are here as ambassadors of the IFP, and today I would like to speak to you about the IFP’s Manifesto, and, more importantly, about the IFP’s vision for local government.
The IFP is committed to servant leadership – we are here to serve the people of our communities, and to put their needs first. We hand-pick people like Jane Naidoo, people of integrity, who are passionate about serving their community, to make sure your issues are raised, and your needs are met.
This is why the IFP knows how important it is to you, the people of eThekwini, to have refuse collected regularly, to have roads that are not riddled with potholes, and to have a reliable electricity supply. However, our commitment to you does not end where the provision of basic services begins: the IFP is also committed to finding solutions to societal issues and making communities safer.
To quote our Manifesto:
“We fight the scourge of GBV by strengthening law enforcement to protect the vulnerable. [IFP-led Municipalities] will employ social workers, improve access to safe houses, treatment centres and drug rehabilitation programmes. We will invest in well-resourced community policing forums and additional law enforcement units to boost capacity to root out all forms of lawlessness, such as cross-border crimes, gangsterism, syndicates and trafficking.”
Because we speak to our communities, and ask them about the issues that are close to their hearts, we know that substance abuse and gender-based violence (GBV) are prevalent across eThekwini, and destroy lives and families every day.
The ruling party spends huge amounts on substance abuse programmes, yet the problem of substance abuse remains. As the IFP, we believe the only way to end this scourge, is to identify and eliminate the cause.
Once young people are addicted to drugs and alcohol, once women and vulnerable persons are abused, or worse, killed, it is impossible to turn back the clock.
The IFP is aware that many of our young people are unemployed and without hope. This leaves them vulnerable to the unscrupulous drug dealers that prey on the hopeless. Tragically, studies have shown that GBV often comes hand-in-hand with substance abuse.
Yes, we need recovery programmes, such as Laqhakaza Iphara, an NGO committed to assisting those recovering from addiction, particularly in rural areas and townships. The IFP is proud to be associated with this organisation, and its founder, Emmanuel Msomi, a man who has walked the long road to recovery himself, and emerged victorious. He is with us here today. Emmanuel has now dedicated his life to saving the lives of others. He dreams of establishing a treatment centre, a place where addicts can recover, away from the temptations posed by the outside world. The IFP would like to appeal to the private sector to support this worthy cause.
As the IFP, where we govern, in addition to providing support to those suffering from addictions, as well as the victims of GBV, we are deeply committed to eradicating the causes of these societal ills.
That is why we are focussed on creating job opportunities and paid internships, and providing bursaries and skills development opportunities. The IFP wants to give the youth a hand up, to restore hope and to prevent that which could lead young people down the path to addiction and violence.
The IFP is committed to the safety of our communities and where we govern, municipal and Metro Police will be tasked with more than just issuing traffic fines. We will ensure increased visibility in high crime hot-spots, especially in the inner city where drug-related crimes are rife.
IFP-led Municipalities are also committed to providing practical support. We will make sure that streetlights are working, to ensure the safety of those walking to work, or to school, in the early morning or after dark can do so safely. Community policing forums will be capacitated with vests, torches, and other equipment. Your safety is the IFP’s priority.
Where the IFP governs, housing is another top priority. However, we would like to take it a step further. NGOs offer support and temporary housing to women and children that have left their homes to escape violence. But this is temporary support. While the ruling party spends millions on subsidised housing, the question must be asked: what provision is made for vulnerable women and children who, through no fault of their own, find themselves homeless?
The IFP will champion a new category for housing provision: emergency housing, available on short notice, for victims of GBV. Local municipalities are empowered to provide assistance to the vulnerable. With the provision of this kind of emergency housing, victims will not be forced to continue to live under the same roof as their abuser, for fear of having nowhere to go should they find the courage to leave.
The IFP exists to serve the people of South Africa, and the vision we continually strive towards is of a just, prosperous and moral society, whose citizens engage with each other on the basis of ubuntu/botho.
The IFP believes that local government is an essential building block in the achievement of this society.
I would like to encourage you to reflect on what I have shared with you today. I am sure you will agree that a vote for the IFP, is a vote for a safer community. The IFP has heard you, and is committed to providing the people of eThekwini with the basic services you are entitled to, and so much more.
Vote IFP on 1 November.
I thank you.
