Comedian Karou Charou launches party to amplify Indian voices
Durban — Renowned comedian Thanasagren Rubbanathan Moodley, affectionately known as Karou Charou or “KC,” is stepping fully into the political arena with the official launch of his party, the 1860NIC Congress.
This bold move comes on the heels of his performance as an independent candidate in the May 2024 elections, where he secured over 12000 votes, placing him seventh in KZN, narrowly missing out on a seat in the provincial legislature.
Moodley told the Daily News he would launch his party in Durban on Saturday following the approval of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
Calling himself “a new tiger in town”, and speaking to the Daily News after the approval, Moodley said there had been a vacuum for some time for the minority Indian population.
He said his party would address the gap in political representation for Indians, claiming, “There has been a vacuum for minority Indian voices since the demise of the Bengal Tiger.”
Bengal Tiger was a moniker given to the late widely popular Minority Front leader Amichand Rajbansi, who died in 2011.
Moodley accused established parties, particularly the DA, of manipulating the Indian vote, only to abandon the community once in power.
“The Indian population realises that the DA has been using them to secure seats in the national and provincial government, then abandons them. In KZN, the Indian vote got the DA seats in the legislature, yet the second-largest population in KZN has no representation in the KZN legislature. Indian voters voted for the DA as they had no credible alternative.
“The 1860NIC Congress offers them that alternative,” he said.
Responding to KC’s claims, Dean Macpherson, the DA’s provincial chairperson said, “The DA is not a party for any particular race and represents all South Africans. This is why the Indian community overwhelmingly voted for the DA because they want to be part of a broader project to build a united country."
Macpherson said Moodley must run a campaign based on what the 1860NICC will offer “and explain how he will achieve whatever he intends to do as a single person in politics. Instead, all he can focus on is the DA because he has no policies or beliefs."
Moodley stressed that he was not trying to revive the defunct NIC (Natal Indian Congress, but the 1860NICC was a new party with its values and objectives.
The NIC became a rallying partner of the ANC during the fight against apartheid.
He believed the formation of the 1860NIC Congress provided a credible alternative for Indians who felt disillusioned by mainstream political parties.
As political parties fine-tuned strategies ahead of the 2026 local polls, Moodley was confident.
“The first step is to make ourselves known to our electorate – who we are and what we stand for, and that we are challenging the 2026 LGE (Local Government Elections (LGE) in KZN.
“Our electorate needs to understand and appreciate that the only time our voices will be heard, is if we have a seat at the table. No other party or leader has the interests of the Indian community at heart,” he said.
Through educational initiatives, the 1860NIC Congress aimed to show that a dedicated voice for the Indian community was urgent.
Moodley said he would be waging a political fight in a bid to scrap the “flawed” implementation of the BroadBased Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policy, which he believes marginalises Indian businesses.
Focusing on youth development programmes and campaigning for better service was also part of his agenda.
He said that while service issues were widespread, concerns lingered that “Indian areas” have been systematically ignored in resource allocation.
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela confirmed that Moodley’s party has been registered.
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