Thank you, Chairperson. You will excuse me for having changed the speakers' list. I have an appointment that I have to honour and it's an hour late now. You are aware that I have visitors from Swaziland. That is why I requested the Chief Whip to please letr me make my remarks first and then be allowed to leave.
Let me leave with you these important words from one intelligent writer who once said:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you ... We were born to make manifest the glory of God that iswithin us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
At the closure of this House today, at the end of the last debate of the year, I want to say: Thank you very much. We have been a team. I'm very happy. I have again seen the fruits of what we have achieved in the year 2007.
I go home very encouraged and more motivated than last year because of the teamwork that I've seen in this House. We have had our differences but we have forged ahead in our fight to do our job as a team in this institution.
I want to thank the Chief Whip for the co-operation and work that he's been doing with the Presiding Officers. I want to thank the House Chairpersons for the wonderful work they have done. I want to thank all chairpersons of committees for the wonderful and sterling job that they have done. It's not an easy thing. You have been steering the ship in your committees throughout the year with all the perseverance and strength that you had.
To my deputy, I want to thank you for also offering your help in the institution so that we work together in the name of the NCOP and achieve the work that we have so far.
I want to thank the Secretary to the NCOP and all the staff members for assisting and supporting us to carry on our work and, of course, to achieve our political objectives as Members of Parliament.
May I also thank the Secretary to Parliament, along with all the staff of Parliament, for the support they've given us to do our work for the entire year?
Enjoy your festive season with your families and may you all have a prosperous new year. Till we meet again next year, may God be with you and bless you. Thank you. [Applause.]
I can't end the year without controversy, Chairperson. So, let me say: I know, as anybody in this country knows, that next month some important negotiations will take place in Polokwane ... [Laughter.] ... and I thought it would be unjust if we don't submit a nomination for a leader from this House as well. So, I've considered a couple of candidates.
I couldn't nominate the Chairperson because we need him too much in this House. [Laughter.] I couldn't nominate the Chief Whip because the whole country will have to sign leave forms and will have to be fined! [Laughter.] I also considered the hon Mzizi because I wasn't always sure in which party he was, but today he confirmed that he's not in the ANC.
Lastly, I thought maybe the elder of the House, Kgoshi Mokoena, would be a good President, but alas, today, he proved beyond a doubt, with the hat that he's wearing, that he's a godfather and part of the Mafia. [Laughter.] We can't have that!
But, seriously Chairperson, may I, on behalf of the DA and all the members of the DA, wish those who are going to Polokwane the wisdom of God when they decide on the future of this country. I really wish them well, and may sanity prevail at all times.
I have just a couple of seconds left. Let me say I normally end with thanking the Chair and all the Presiding Officers and all the staff and I do so again most sincerely. But there's something wrong and I hope in the future we'll rectify it. We are called members because this institution belongs to us, but lately it has seemed to me as if the administration is driving the bus.
We must change that. I call on the leadership of both Houses of Parliament and on all the members that are sworn in as members of this institution to take back the reigns and run this province. I want to get instructions from this House. I'm tired of getting instructions from administration.
Finally, whatever your religion is, I wish you a most excellent holiday; a prosperous new year but most of all - as I said this morning in our caucus - may that wonderful message of Christmas also get into the hearts and into the homes of all of you. God bless you. [Applause.]
Sihlalo, sesifike enjikalanga manje. Amathunzi aseyewukela. Zonke sezibhekise amabombo ekhaya njengoba sizophuma nje. Angikusho lokhu ukuthi iqembu le-IFP njengoba ngilimele nozakwethu bekhona ngoba sengikhulumela nabo, ngithi kini-ke nonke bozakwethu nabasebenzi bonke singabantu futhi sinenyama negazi esikuphiwe UNkulunkulu. Lapho sone khona ngokukhuluma noma ngezenzo besingeve sihlosile kodwa kungoba singabantu.
Lolu hambo lunengozi futhi lunezitha. Njengoba nizophuma nonke niye emakhaya, nazo izingozi eziyizitha namasela. Abanye nje izinkomo sezithathiwe ezibayeni. Niyohlangabezana nezinto eziningi. Ngakho-ke ngicela ukuthi UNkulunkulu abe nani. Angifuni ukukhuluma ngingene endabeni kaMnu uWatson yokuthi uKhongolose ne-IFP benzeni. Cha, lapha sesikhuluma indaba yokuhamba siye emakhaya. Sithi UNkulunkulu abe nathi. Uma usufisa ngonyaka ozayo uma sibuya ukuya kuKhongolose, usungaya ungiyeke mina ngoba angizukuya khona ... [Uhleko] ... kodwa wena ungaya uma uthanda.
Sihlalo, siyanibonga ngokusibekezelela kakhulu. Sona lapha nibhekile ningasixoshi nokusixosha kodwa nilokhu nisikhulumisa kahle. Ngalokho sithi UNkulunkulu anandisele. Kinina nonke nibuye UNkulunkulu abe nani. Asibuye sihlangane ngoba kuyavama ukuthi uma sihamba singabuyi sonke. Wena wakomkhulu. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.) [Mr M A MZIZI: Chairperson, we have come to the end of the year. Everybody is looking forward to going home as we finish up. Let me say this, as the representative of the IFP, to all of you, colleagues: We are people and we have flesh and blood which was given to us by God. Where we went wrong, it was not intentional. We are only human.
This journey has accidents and enemies. As you all go home, beware of accidents and criminals. Some people have already had their livestock stolen from their kraals. You will be confronted with many obstacles. I therefore ask God to be with you. I do not want to entertain Mr Watson's comment where he asked what the ANC and the IFP have done. No, we are talking about going home here. May God be with us. If you wish to join the ANC next year when we come back, so be it but leave me out of it because I am not going there. [Laughter.] But you can go if you so wish.
Chairperson, we thank you for tolerating us. We would wrong you from time to time but you never dismissed us; instead you were very nice to us. May God take care of you. We hope to see everybody next term. God be with you. Let us all come back alive because it happens sometimes that some of us do not make it back. Thank you, Chairperson.]
Hon Chairperson, hon members of the Council, a correction hon Chairperson, my initials are K A not R A. I'm quite sure everybody has been longing to hear my voice because you know a person better if you know her or his voice.
My good people, I am happy to be with you. I've been watching how you debate issues and how you conduct your sessions. In our own language, if you are a stranger to the people, you sit back and see how they do things. We use to say we don't like the person who, when he first comes to the people, takes the front seat - "mabina-go-tsholwa"
So, my good people, I'm happy to be with you. Next time I'll participate in the debates because I'm also here on behalf of my constituency, our people, and I'm also happy to be part of the NCOP. I wish each and every one of you here a pleasant journey home, tomorrow or tonight, and I'm sure God will provide good health and will protect you during the holidays and I hope again that you'll enjoy the holidays with your families and constituency. Until we meet again, God bless you all.
Thank you, hon Chairperson. It's kind of strange to be standing here and saying goodbye when I've just barely said hello! But I want to thank the whip of my province, the Chief Whip and all the members that have made me feel very welcome and at home. I appreciate it.
I've found this House to be very different from the National Assembly and from other political scenarios that I've been in and I think it's a testimony to the character of the people that are in the NCOP and I look forward to next year when we can debate rigorously around issues and not individuals, as is much the case in politics nowadays.
The festive season is a time of reflection and introspection as much as it is a time of celebration and joy. I pray for each of you that God will help you to find your faith where you may have lost it or grown cold, and that God will help you to translate your faith into your work so that that which is your morality will be translated into your responsibility here in the House. I pray for next year, that God would speak to you about that during the festive season. May the Lord bless you and keep you and protect you during this period of time. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon members, many good and positive things happened this year but as life is also full of many colours, negative things also happened. We have seen Bills passed to the betterment of people because life is about people.
So many people have died this year and are still dying. One needs to pause at this area and ask: What is the cause of all this? However, what I have observed is the coming closer together of the members of the NCOP regardless of political affiliation. The NCOP is bridging the divides.
This can only happen if the presiding officers in the NCOP set the trend although sometimes the opposition parties, including myself, disagree with rulings pertaining to keeping order in the House. When we decide on amending legislature in our Parliament, do we consider the Constitution of the country only, which is compiled by men or do we consider the "Nkosi sikelel' iAfrica" as well? I take it for granted that the "Nkosi" we are singing about refers to the God of the Bible. I stand to be corrected if this is an error.
The honesty and fairness which some of the ruling party members in this House display in dealing with issues is a positive shift in the right direction. God bless every hon member in this House during the festive season. I thank you.
Mgcinisihlalo lohloniphekile, ngiyabonga kutfola lelitfuba lekuvalelisa njengobe sitawuvala nje Kulendlu Yemkhandlu Wemaprovinsi. [Hon Chairperson, I'm grateful for this opportunity to say farewell as the Council goes into recess.] [Laughter.]
From today there will be no need for leave applications until 17 January. [Laughter.] You are now on your own. You will negotiate that with your wives and husbands. [Laughter.] On a serious note, hon members, this year was very momentous and the busiest for all our hon members and committees in particular. It is a year in which our council demonstrated a strong resolve and commitment to come to grips with many challenges facing our people and to continue the advances of our second decade of democracy in our country.
The number of Bills and various oversight trips that we undertook are a testimony to what we are saying today. We have also seen the conclusion of the first round of our Taking Parliament to the People to the provinces as we visited the ninth province - the Western Cape - this last term of 2007 since we started with that programme in 2002.
We also had the very successful follow-up visits. We had two rounds of Provincial Weeks and a very successful intergovernmental relation summit which culminated in the tenth anniversary celebration in which, on 4 May, President Thabo Mbeki addressed us and I would like to quote what he said:
This important role of the NCOP in the evolution of our young nation is reflected in the advances we have made in the deepening of our democratic system.
Your outstanding work as members, particularly those who were really committed to work, is appreciated. I do not like to speak today about some members because we didn't even know where they were when our committees couldn't quorate.
Nevertheless, we want to thank those who were committed to their work, particularly our chairpersons who sometimes had to convene meetings at very late hours and we thank those members who co-operated with the chairpersons and the Whips to see to it that the work that we are here to do as hon members is done with distinction without being policed.
We are also grateful for the participation of various political parties so co-operatively. We have seen us coming closer to each other and taking off the horns that we started with in 2004. I think by 2009 it will only be the constitutional boundary that you cannot cross to the NCOP that will keep us apart.
I must also thank the leadership of our Chairperson, at the name of the hon M J Mahlangu, together with his lieutenants, the Deputy Chairpersons and the House Chairpersons for having ensured that we steered the ship in the right direction that it had to take.
I know that we had a very long day and a very long year. I don't want to keep you long here because there is nothing that we have arranged after the adjournment here.
However, I want to say that as we go to Limpopo, it will not be the issue of the positions that we would be concentrating on but we will be looking in terms of saying how the ANC is taking the country to greener pastures so that all of us, political and apolitical citizens of this country, can enjoy the better life that we all fought for for so long. Thank you. [Applause.]
Thank you, hon Chief Whip. I am advised to make the following announcement before I adjourn the business of the House today. The invitations for the state of the nation address 2008 for MPs have been given to the Chief Whip who will distribute them in consultation with the provincial Whips.