Helen Singh

Helen Singh is not a new name in politics. This is a woman who has contested for a parliamentary seat in Ntcheu Bwanje Constituency twice. Now, Singh has launched her own party, the United Independence Party (UIP), with her as president. She says she has relied on her faith in God to make it where she is today in terms on her successful business and other areas. Paida Mpaso finds out more about Singh.

 

Who is Helen?

My name is Helen Singh. Singh is an Indian name because my husband was Indian. I met him in 1970 while I worked and attended evening classes. He passed away in 2001. I come from Ntcheu in Traditional Authority Kwataine. I have three children, two boys and one girl and of course grandchildren. Basically, I grew up in Blantyre.

My father was a road foreman who supervised the Lusaka Road to Malawi.

My mother was a house wife. We were six children, three boys and three girls. We travelled a lot and were sent to boarding school at a young age. That is what I remember most.

 

What memories do you have while growing up?

I remember being frightened in boarding school and I cried a lot.  I remember the tension which was there in 1958 when Kamuzu Banda was coming to Malawi. People said he was a trouble maker and that he would cause chaos. But when he came, there was nothing like that.  We heard he was sent to Gweru Prison, and we were like shaaaaa!

 

Where did you do your education?

I am 62 years old and you can guess when I was in primary school. I went to Chichiri Primary School; this is where the Polytechnic Annexe is now. During the federation this school used to be for coloured people only. I was there for five years. In 1963, a year before the federation, this school was closed down. During our time, schools were divided. There were schools for coloured, Africans, whites and Indians. In 1964 they stopped the segregation and as a Christian, I was selected to Limbe Convent, where we were all amalgamated. This is where I did my O levels. From there I joined the Polytechnic to pursue a secretarial course. I had problems understanding some of the words and so after a year in 1967 I dropped out. From there I joined National Bank of Malawi, Price waterhouse Coopers and other organisations before my husband and I started our own company in 1979 called SS-Rent-A-Car.

 

Why did you venture into car renting?

When I was working for a travel agent, I realised that, there was a gap that needed to be filled. What was happening was that as a travel agent, we were responsible for booking accommodation for our guests but the company had no cars to ferry people around. That’s when my husband and I started SS-Rent-A-Car.

 

How did you begin?

When we were starting the company, we had one car. Now we have 150 cars with most of our clientele being international. About 20 percent are local.

 

How have you kept this company growing since the 1970s?

The secret is just trust in God. This company has been through a lot.

For 10 years, we had family wrangles and it affected business.  My older son turned against me and I could have lost this company but God is good. We are now a happy family and my son can’t be any sweeter.

 

What happened for the feud to begin?

After my husband died, my oldest brother-in-law was made executer of the will and a trustee. He sent his younger brother to take over everything and placed me in management. Now, this has been a family business and my youngest son has been in this business since he was born.  I was not ready to give this company up, no matter what. We fought for 10 years and my uncles would give money to my elder son to turn against me. They forged my signature, did all kinds of things and I could see my children were torn inside, but they too never gave up.

We moved from this court house to that and changed lawyers like nobody’s business. In the end, here we are. There were times we would have three court sessions in a day, but we survived.

Tell me about the court journey.

Yes, for 10 years, the thought of losing the business never skipped my mind.  Judgments came in favour of the uncles and my son. I would rush to our lawyers; it was fight I can never forget. My God has always been my strongest tower.

 

You said your son turned against you, how did that make you feel?

I felt bad but there was no way I was going to let this company go.

The God I serve is a big God and so I constantly prayed over it. He [my son] did awful things. He would send the police to my office saying I had some secret documents. He beat me up and did all kinds of things but he is my son and I love him. After 10 years, they pulled away and here we are. It has not been an easy ride but God is faithful.

 

You have unveiled a party. Tell me about it.

Yes, I have and my party is called United Independence Party. It’s something the lord told me a long time ago but I would brush it aside until people from Dedza, Ntcheu and Mangochi approached me and asked me to stand.

 

Do you have what it takes to run this country?

I have come to clean up the slate. When I think about it, I shudder.

I know it is not possible physically and that is why I am saying I have the support from God. The Lord has given me assurance that things can be turned around for the better in one term.

 

You contested in Ntcheu Bwanje and lost. What makes you think you can win?

Even after five years, I went back and asked for a recount.  I did this to prove a point. I know I won and I was cheated. Actually, I went to report to the UN observer team and a lady representative told me she was confused, but I did not lose.

 

Why do you want to be president?

My concern is for the people who live in the slums, who happen to be the majority of the people who are the working force. This is sad.

These people need to be supported and my vision is to make sure that these people are supported. I will also make sure that traditional leaders and chiefs visit Parliament. These are the people who live with the villagers and, therefore, understand the needs of the people and so they would be better placed to help. Most of these members of Parliament do not go into the villages. They live luxurious lives, and it is costing us.

 

I have seen you sharing the word of God.

Yes I do teach the Word of God and together with my family we distribute Bibles. We have a few worship centres in town. These are places where people simply gather and pray. On Sunday they visit their churches and on Saturday, they come and we share the Word of God. We also take care of some orphans  and work with farmers.

 

Tell me more about this farming business.

We have 140 acres in Chigumula where we are practising organic planting. These farmers have been given gardens where they are being taught new farming techniques, the kind that do not involve the use of chemicals.

 

How do you juggle all these roles?

With God all things are possible.

 

What kind of clothes do you like wearing?

I like wearing Western clothes.

 

What message do you have for business-women in Malawi?

For one to venture into business, it is important to see the need or the gap that needs to be filled. If these are done properly, running a business becomes a smooth ride. What I have noted is that most people venture into business without a plan and that is why most of these do not go very far.