Minority Front leader Amichand Rajbansi has died, a family spokesman has told SAPA.

"He died today [Thursday] at 10.10am of natural causes," Patrick Pillay, spokesman for the Rajbansi family, said.

He was admitted to Umhlanga Hospital outside Durban with bronchitis in October.

A former Chief Minister of the House of Delegates Tricameral parliamentary chamber for Indian people during apartheid, he was nicknamed the Bengal Tiger.

Born in Clairwood, Durban on 14 January 1942, he attended Clairwood Secondary School and the Indian University College where he studied History and Psychology.

After a long service as a sports administrator, professional soccer referee, civic leader, and serving in local government structures dealing with local affairs, Rajbansi was elected to the Indian Council in 1974.

In 1981 he formed the National Peoples Party (NPP) and was elected leader of this new party.

In 1984, following Prime Minister PW Botha's constitutional reforms, the NPP stood for the newly constituted House of Delegates, the Indian only parliamentary chamber, and won the majority of seats in the House.

Rajbansi then became member of the South African Cabinet and chairman for the Ministers' Council for Indian Affairs.

After South Africa's transition to multi-racial democracy in 1994, the NPP became the Minority Front.

After the 2004 elections, Rajbansi made an alliance with the African National Congress and he became MEC for Sports and Recreation for Kwazulu Natal Province.

He leaves four daughters and a son.