I also wish to express my appreciation to Director- General Lungisa Fuzile, who is the second pillar of strength in the Treasury ... [Applause.] ... for his integrity and leadership, and to all the officials of the National Treasury; to Governor Kganyago, the deputy governors and staff of the SA Reserve Bank; Commissioner Moyane and the 14 000 staff, in particular, of the SA Revenue Service; the commissioners and staff of the Financial and Fiscal Commission; the chairpersons, boards, chief executive officers and staff of the DBSA, the Land Bank, the Public Investment Commission, PIC, the Financial Intelligence Centre, FIC, the Financial Services Board, and the Government Pensions Administration Agency; the staff and constituency representatives of Nedlac and, particularly, its Public Finance and Monetary Policy Chamber; and, finally, Judge Dennis Davis and members of the Davis Tax Committee. [Applause.]
Because I am passing on some difficult tasks, I must also be especially grateful to the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, the hon Carrim; acting Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, the hon Gcwabaza; and Chairpersons of the Select Committees on Finance and Appropriation, the hon De Beer and hon Mohai, who have the responsibility of facilitating the consideration of the Division of Revenue Bill and the Appropriation Bill, and the Revenue Bills which will be tabled later in the year. [Applause.]
I must also be especially grateful to my family. [Applause.] Politics can be rough, so they face rough times.
In conclusion, looking back on his extraordinary life of resilience and of commitment, former President Mandela had this to say, and I think we should take it to heart:
I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.
Let's be resilient. Thank you very much. [Applause.]