Patrick Pillay Patrick Pillay
It’s just barely a week since the death of Minority Front leader Amichand Rajbansi and questions have already been raised as to who would be suitably qualified to replace the Tiger in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature.
According to the candidate lists submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) prior to the last national election, Patrick Pillay, the party’s spokesman and representative in local government is next in line for the top job. Pillay is followed by Roy Bhoola, who is currently a member of National Parliament and Ismail Cassimjee, a ward councillor.
But with Bhoola unlikely to step down from national level, the succession race looks set between Cassimjee and Pillay, with Cassimjee set to benefit whatever the outcome.
Successor
The lists, however, are subject to change by the party. This week the Minority Front refused to speculate on Rajbansi’s successor in the legislature saying “they were still in mourning”.
“We are still mourning the loss of our leader and have not entertained any discussion over his replacement as yet. When we do, we will host a press conference and reveal our plan,” said Pillay
When questioned about his potential rise within the party, Pillay did not want to comment.
Rajbansi’s wife, Shameen echoed Pillay’s sentiments saying that the party will unveil its succession plans after observing the traditional mourning period.
“We will not be discussing any succession plans at the moment because there are still prayers and traditional rites to follow during this period.
“What I can say is that Rajbansi never left a vacuum. He planned well for the future,” said Shameen.
She added the party would follow the IEC’s guidelines when appointing Rajbansi’s replacement to provincial parliament.
“There is a timeframe which has been set down in Parliament for the replacement and we will make the appointment within that timeframe.
“There are also IEC rules to follow and as a party we will follow these guidelines,” she said.
According to the Electoral Act, in the event of a vacancy in a legislature the party must fill the vacancy by nominating a person whose name appears on the list of candidates from which the party’s members were originally nominated or whoever is the next qualified and available person on the list.
Political analyst, Kiru Naidoo said if Pillay was to make the step up to provincial parliament it could be a signal of intent for growth within the Minority Front.
“Patrick has earned his stripes within the Minority Front and is seen as one of the brightest of his generation in local government. He would bring renewed vigour to the party at provincial level. Electing someone of his generation to provincial parliament would also show that the party is willing to grow and attract younger members to senior portfolios,” said Naidoo.
Cassimjee , who has become a major player in the succession debate and could benefit either way, was in Johannesburg this week and could not be reached for comment despite numerous attempts to do so.