Dec
From the Executive, Management and Staff of the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD)
It is with profound sadness and deep respect that the executive, management and staff of the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities mourn the passing of Prithipal Bhoop Singh, who departed on October 23, 2025, at the age of 86. In losing P.B. Singh, South Africa has lost a giant in the disability rights movement—a man whose vision, dedication and tireless service transformed the lives of thousands of persons with disabilities across our nation.
P.B. Singh was not just a colleague or leader; he was a pioneer who saw possibilities where others saw limitations. His journey in special education and disability advocacy began in 1962, shortly after completing his teaching degrees at the University of Natal. What started as volunteer work at the Merick Bennet Clinic ignited a lifelong commitment that would reshape the landscape of special education in South Africa. Where the education system had completely overlooked children with learning difficulties, the visually and hearing impaired, and those with physical and intellectual disabilities, P.B. Singh saw human potential waiting to be unlocked.
His determination led him to the University of Manchester in 1963, where he trained as a teacher of the deaf. Returning in 1965 as the first qualified Indian teacher of the hearing impaired in South Africa, he spent his afternoons at the Natal Indian Blind Society conducting audiometric and speech tests, preparing pupils for admission to a school that existed only in his vision. This was the essence of P.B. Singh—he built the future he wanted to see, brick by brick, student by student.
The 1970s and 1980s marked a period of explosive growth in special education, and P.B. Singh stood at the centre of this transformation. Working within the Department of Indian Education, he established more than 80 special classes, trained teachers when no training programmes existed, and designed the innovative “withdrawal system” for remedial education that enabled countless pupils to matriculate with distinction. His genius lay not in following established structures but in creating entirely new systems when none existed.
Together with his mentor A.K. Singh, he campaigned successfully to have the Department of Education recognise its responsibility for the “education and training” of all pupils, including those with special needs. This advocacy led to the creation and subsidisation of special schools—a policy shift that fundamentally changed the trajectory of special education in South Africa. Sixteen schools stand as monuments to their foresight and perseverance, from Golden Gateway School to the RP Moodley School, each one a testament to lives transformed and futures made possible.
When P.B. Singh joined the Association of Persons with Disabilities as President in 1999, he brought this same transformative energy to our organisation. For over 26 years, until August 2025, he served the APD with unwavering commitment, implementing strategies that improved the quality of life for persons with disabilities across KwaZulu-Natal and beyond. He initiated stimulation units in both urban and rural areas for non-school-going children with disabilities. He introduced home-based care and support for parents and children. He increased protective workshops for adults with disabilities to eight facilities, creating pathways to economic participation and dignity.
His service extended across the disability sector. He sat on the management councils of the National Council for the Blind, the South African National Council for the Deaf, and the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (now NCPD). Through these roles, he helped shape policy and practice across the entire spectrum of disability services.
What made P.B. Singh truly exceptional was not just his achievements—remarkable though they were—but the spirit in which he served. He was selfless and unassuming, a man who measured success not in accolades but in the independence gained by a child learning to read Braille, in the confidence of a deaf student communicating freely, in the dignity of an adult with disabilities earning a living. He authored numerous articles on remedial and special education, sharing his knowledge generously so that others could build upon his foundation.
His legacy lives in the thousands of South Africans who navigate their world with skills and confidence because P.B. Singh believed in their potential. It lives in the teachers he trained, the schools he established, the policies he shaped, and the families he supported. His life was a testament to the profound truth that one person’s commitment can indeed change the world—not through grand gestures, but through decades of patient, persistent service to those society had marginalised.
As we at NCPD continue our work towards a totally inclusive and equitable South Africa, we carry forward the torch that P.B. Singh helped light. His example reminds us that true advocacy demands both vision and perseverance, that meaningful change comes from working within systems while never accepting their limitations, and that every person—regardless of ability—deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential.
To the Singh family, we extend our deepest condolences. Your loss is immeasurable, but take comfort in knowing that P.B. Singh’s impact will echo through generations. The children who learned because he taught, the adults who work because he created opportunities, the families who found support because he cared—this is the living legacy of a life truly committed to upliftment.
Rest in peace, P.B. Singh. Your work is done, but your vision endures.
On behalf of the Executive, Management and Staff
National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD)