Hon Speaker, I move without notice:
That the House -
1) notes with sadness the passing of the Deputy President of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Mr Ntopile Marcel Kganyago, MP on 17 July 2013;
2) further notes that he had been in hospital for about a week due to a short illness;
3) remembers that Ntopile Kganyago served as a UDM municipal councillor in Polokwane for four years, after which he became a member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature until he became a Member of Parliament in 2004;
4) further remembers that when he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Public Works, he said he could not believe the trust that had been placed in him - he was a humble man;
5) recalls that Mr Kganyago also chaired the UDM in Limpopo and was elected as the party's Deputy-President in 2006 and again in 2010;
6) further recalls that before he served in the UDM he had a long career as an educator, a school inspector and as the Head of Psychological Service at the Department of Education;
7) believes that South Africa has lost one of its best educators and a dedicated servant of the people; and
8) conveys its heartfelt condolences to the Kganyago family, his colleagues and friends on the loss of this son of the soil.
Mr Speaker and hon members, "Do you know what is more hard to bear than the reverses of fortune?" This is a question once asked by Napoleon Bonaparte, and he actually answered it himself by saying: "It is the baseness, the hideous ingratitude, of man."
I have to make quite sure that the UDM family, on whose behalf I undertake the sad duty of bidding farewell to its former Deputy President and a former Member of Parliament, the late hon Ntopile Kganyago, is not accused of ingratitude here today by saying thank you very much to the Kganyago family for the time it shared the late Mr Kganyago with us. In fact, words seem inadequate to express our gratitude and condolence to you.
Today we are bidding farewell to one of the founding fathers of the UDM, a leader and a principled man, who had a strong dislike for the practice of fiddling with the public purse for self-enrichment.
President Holomisa recently paid tribute to Mr Kganyago or "Prof," as we affectionately knew him, for his indelible legacy in the UDM with these words, and I quote:
Prof helped to establish the UDM at a time when the political situation was volatile and it was considered taboo to form and join a new political party in South Africa. He took this risk despite the notoriety of the UDM for its strong stance against corruption.
We salute Prof for taking this bold decision. Prof was a unifier who always spoke about the importance of banding together to serve one another in building a strong UDM, capable of making a meaningful contribution in society.
He believed that the more tolerance one fostered in an organization, the better it would be for its people and society in general. Born in 1940, Prof obtained his BA degree at the University of South Africa in 1974. Several years later, he obtained a B Ed degree from the University of the North. In 1989, he completed a Master's Degree at the University of Delaware in the United States of America.
As already indicated earlier, Prof worked for many years as an educator and school inspector, and as Head of Psychological Services of the Department of Education. He served South Africans as a UDM municipal councillor in Polokwane for four years. After this he was a member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature until he became a Member of Parliament in 2004.
He often personally told me how he could not believe the trust placed in him, an ordinary man from Seshego in Limpopo, when he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Public Works in the 2004-09 term.
At the time of his death, Prof was the chairperson of the UDM Limpopo Province and our deputy president. Here in Parliament, he served on the Portfolio Committees on Basic Education, on Intelligence and Social Services. In all these positions, Prof went beyond the call of duty.
I had the honour and privilege of working very closely with Prof during his constituency work in Limpopo and here in Parliament. To him, all engagements and interactions with communities were a critical way of ensuring a constant flow of information between him, as a public representative, and the people. He thoroughly enjoyed being directly accountable to the people.
During community meetings, Prof would diligently jot down all the service delivery concerns and complaints of the people and would not rest until they had been escalated to the relevant departments.
Although he was a strict disciplinarian with a fetish for order and decorum, he was always patient with those who came to meetings inebriated and in a state where they were unable to contribute meaningfully to discussions.
I fondly remember one Saturday morning, early last year, when Prof and I drove for more than 200 km from Polokwane to attend a community meeting at a small village in Thohoyandou. He undertook this trip despite walking slowly and with difficulty because of the pain he felt in his right leg.
Another similar show of commitment was in June this year, when I called him to discuss a potential press statement that I wanted to issue for him. However, after realising that he was sick, I took an about-turn. I told him that he did not sound well and was therefore not in a position to do media interviews.
Sick as he was, Prof insisted that I issue the statement, because to him nothing mattered more than discharging his constitutional duties. I promised to come back to him with a draft, but I never did, precisely because I believed that he had to focus on his health. Two weeks later, Prof was no more.
Prof was an untiring campaigner for service delivery and human rights, who set seemingly insurmountable standards for us, the younger generation. In fact, his selfless leadership reminded me in many respects of a quote from Adam Smith's book The theory of moral sentiments:
When the happiness or misery of others depends in any respect upon our conduct, we dare not, as self-love might suggest to us, prefer the interest of one to that of many.
Prof, I will forever miss the twinkle in your eyes, the high fives and your trademark "Hamba wena" when we had achieved our objectives after a long day's work.I will also miss the Afrikaans and Pedi lessons he gave me every morning.
Fellow South Africans, it is for these reasons, and many others, that I was inconsolable when I learned of Prof's unfortunate and untimely death. In fact, I found myself endlessly reciting the lines from John Donne's poem "Death Be Not Proud", and I quote:
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so. Towards the end of the same poem John Donne questions the arrogance of death, when, according to him, drugs and charms can give us an equally enjoyable sleep, and I quote:
And poppie or charmes can make us sleepe as well, And better than thy stroake. Why swell'st thou then?
Indeed, death should be ashamed of robbing South Africa of such a great man. However, if we understand and accept the inevitability of death and that his was a life well-lived, we should find some solace in the shining legacy of selfless hard work he leaves behind and in the fact that he reached the highest pinnacle of legislative service to his country. His name will forever be recorded among the names of those democrats who served the nation with distinction.
Robala ka kgotso, Ntate Kganyago. [Rest in peace, mister Kganyago.]
NgesiXhosa ndithi, ndiyabulela, ulale ngoxolo. [In isiXhosa we say, thank you, rest in peace.]
Speaker and hon members, I personally met the late hon Kganyago for the first time after the 2009 elections when he became a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence.
Immediately, you would notice the many positive qualities that he had. He was always pleasant, polite and extremely respectful. He would always apologise if he was going to be late for meetings and would always request permission if he was going to need to leave a meeting early. He would never leave a meeting before I gave him an answer.
At first, I was somewhat sceptical of this exaggerated level of respect and humbleness that he displayed, but soon I realised that this was the man; a man of substance and quality. He was humble. He was friendly. He was funny and humorous.
I recall that when committee members first went for training in 2009, he was fascinated when we were briefed on the procedures of interception. He asked so many questions about his mobile phone that the members joked with him and asked whether he had a girlfriend that he was secretly communicating with, because they just couldn't understand why he was so fascinated with the subject matter.
There is another incident I'd like to tell the House about. One day he came to a meeting, very excited, and I had to calm him down. He said, "I've just won 350 000 and now I must get this money from England! I've already sent R3 000 to allow the money to come to me." When members started laughing, he enquired why they were laughing, and when he was told why, he started laughing the loudest. It appeared that he had not heard that there was this kind of thing going around, that everybody who had cellphones was winning large sums of money. At the beginning of the year he went with us, as part of the delegation of the committee, when we travelled to the USA on a study tour. Our American counterparts had our profiles, as they always do, including that of hon Kganyago. They remarked to me that they were very amazed that the ANC had invited him to serve in Cabinet from 2004 to 2009. They wanted to know: "Did you really have that amount of trust in the man?"
I would like to quote the hon Holomisa on the matter:
When he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Public Works, he said he could not believe the trust placed in him by the ANC.
What I found most interesting about the late hon Kganyago was his commitment to solving the problems of our country. I found him to be a true people's man and a true patriot.
I found a speech that he wrote when he was the Deputy Minister of Public Works. It was delivered at the University of Limpopo on 6 June 2005 at a graduation ceremony. Present in that ceremony were all the university academics, the graduates and their parents and guardians. He said:
... it must be said that one of the roles of academic institutions is to produce graduates.
... graduates must increase the pool of patriots, becoming, on their own, part of patriotic graduates whose mission is not to spread propaganda on behalf of South Africa, but who are equipped to provide objective truths to the world about their country.
He went on to say in his speech:
... right now, South Africans, both local and abroad, do not demonstrate the kind of passionate patriotism we see in many countries. We are a proud people, but are in the habit of focusing on the negative and saying little about the positive.
Mr Kganyago was an academic and we have already heard that he was a man who had many degrees; he had a Master's degree. What was quite clear, when one spoke to him, was his level of intelligence, the level of understanding that he had about many things.
The death of a dear one, whether timely or not, is a trying time for those who know that the world will not be the same without his or her presence. Though the heart grieves, most of us don't know how to express our sorrow or how to comfort those who need our support through some thoughtful words.
And so I am reminded of the words in the Bible in John 5:24 (KJV):
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
These are the comforting words of Jesus Himself. Therefore we, believers, know that Kganyago has gone to a better place. And so I speak on behalf of the ANC to his wife, Anna Kganyago, the children and grandchildren, other family members and friends: Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Today, and always, may loving memories bring you peace, comfort and strength. Please accept the ANC's deepest and sincerest sympathy. [Applause.]
Colleagues, I rise today to add the DA's voice and pay tribute to the late hon Kganyago, who passed away on 18 July this year, aged 73 years. It is always sad when a member of the 400 Club passes away, especially when the member has excelled as did the hon Kganyago.
He started off in life as a carpenter and later progressed to becoming a court interpreter, educator, school inspector and psychologist.
He left an indelible mark on the education profession. However, not being satisfied with all these achievements, he entered political life and had the advantage of not only serving the UDM in all three spheres of government, but also serving the executive of the country in the capacity of Deputy Minister of Public Works.
He held high office in his political party, the UDM, his last position being that of Deputy President.
Hon Kganyago and I served together on many professional bodies, as psychologists, and on the Quarterly Consultative Forum in Parliament.
I would like to tell you that he was passionate about members' facilities. One day, in a forum meeting, he had us rolling with laughter when he said that the standard double bed issued by Public Works was not big enough for him.
I found him to be a humble, kind and gentle soul, with a twinkle in his eye and a good sense of humour. His passing, after a short illness, has saddened many in this House. He served his country with dignity, dedication and excellence, and his contributions will be greatly missed in this House.
We, in the DA, send our love and prayers to the family - I take it you are seated in the gallery - during this bleak time in your lives. You can take comfort from the knowledge that he had a good innings and lived a full life. God bless him. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, hon Ministers, hon members, like his family and his party, we too feel utterly shocked and shattered at the loss of a fellow MP, deeply loved friend and highly respected UDM deputy president, Prof Ntopile Marcel Kganyago, generally known as Oom Koos.
He had so much goodness to offer, so much wisdom to share and so much ubuntu to express that we must place him in the pantheon of South Africa's highly dedicated and selfless servants. He was humble in bearing, humorous in engagement and deeply dedicated in service. He endeared himself to all who worked with him and shared fellowship with him.
In our politics, since 1994, the singular touchstone in evaluating anybody to share in our democracy has been the extent of that individual's devotion to our Constitution and support for human rights. Comrade Kganyago, Oom Koos, passed this test with distinction.
His vision was for a freer South Africa, steeped in the values of constitutional democracy. Professor Kganyago was passionate about psychology, probity and politics. He taught that we needed a positive mind set, strong ethical values and a resolute belief in democracy to achieve stability and prosperity.
He lived out what he believed. The challenge he leaves us with is to pursue what he so sincerely taught us.
Over 100 years South Africa has been blessed with leaders who valued freedom for freedom's sake and made great personal sacrifices to achieve and generate freedom. Comrade Kganyago linked hands with those who dreamt of freedom and made freedom in our land possible.
The Professor was a great linguist. He could freely switch from one language to the next, from English to Afrikaans, to Pedi and to the Nguni languages. He also showed love and respect for others and he actually lowered his gaze to do this.
Comrade Kganyago was a deep thinker and his love for education knew no bounds. I also can say that he was a very smart politician.
Rest well, Comrade Professor. You served our country well; you sincerely honoured our great leaders of the struggle and now in your departure you leave us inspired never to forget the struggle, never to yield on making safe our freedom and never to abandon the people of our land, who look to us to secure the future.
To the family of Comrade Kganyago and the leadership of the UDM, we offer our sincerest condolences on the passing away of a loyal, devoted and loving being.
Comrade Kganyago, batho bao ba swanago le wena ba a hlokwa. Robala ka khut?o Sebatakgomo. Re a leboga. [You are one in a million. Rest in peace, Sebatakgomo. Thank you.]
Somlomo neNdlu ehloniphekile, ngize lapha ukuzokhalela Inkatha Freedom Party ngokudlula emhlabeni kukaSolwazi. USolwazi umuntu obekade efundile kodwa ubungeke usho ukuthi ufundile ngoba ubungahlangana naye uthi nje uhlangene nendoda yasemakhaya, engafundile futhi engelutho ngendlela abeziphethe ngayo.
Ukuhamba kwakhe emhlabeni kuhlwithe abaningi bethu igugu elihle ebelizethemba, lifunda futhi lazisa abanye abantu. Ukuzehlisa kwakhe nokungaziphakamisi kwakhe ebe efundile eyizinto zonke, kumenze waba ngumuntu ebantwini. Wafunda wafundisisa akafundelanga ukuthi aqhoshele abanye abantu. Ngokuhamba kwakhe, ilahlekelwe kakhulu i-UDM, nathi la eNdlini silahlekelwe ngobuhlakani bakhe abekade enabo. Ubuhlakani bakhe ubebuveza uma ehlekisa, ekhuluma njengePhini likaNgqongqoshe noma ekhuluma njengelungu nje kodwa konke kade ekwenza kube nomphumela onesifundo ekugcineni.
Labo abancane abangatholanga ithuba lokumazi uKganyago, abazokhula bengayazanga imbewu yakhe nokukhula kwakhe, ukuhlakanipha kwakhe ngeke babuthole ubuhlakani obuhle obenziwe nguye.
Siyathokoza thina ku-UDM ukuba imenze abe yilungu la lapha eNdlini. [Uhleko.] Uma i-UDM imenze waba ngowalapha kule Ndlu akufanele - ngabe ngiyahleka ngoba kuyakhalwa namhlanje.[Uhleko.] Njengoba silapha nje sizokhala akufanele ngabe niyahleka ngoba senadlula ukuhleka seniyohlala nihleka.
Siyayithokozela i-UDM ngokuthi izosikhombisa ubufundiswa bayo ngokusilethela umuntu ozithobile kangaka azoba nathi lapha, azokwazi ukusifundisa izindlela zokwenza izinto. Ngenxa yenhlonipho ebenayo, iNkosi imthethelele. Emndenini wakhe sithi, akwehlanga lungehliyo, abalale ngenxeba. Kumalungu e-UDM onke njengephini likamongameli uyohlala enabo ngokomphefumulo kuzo zonke izinto abazenzayo. INkosi ibe naye lapho elele khona. Ngiyabonga Somlomo. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Mr V B NDLOVU: Speaker and this august House, I came here to pass on the condolences of the Inkatha Freedom Party on the passing of the Professor. The Professor was a very educated person, but you could not tell that, because when you met him you would think that he was just an illiterate rural man, who had not achieved much in life as a result of how he conducted himself.
His passing has robbed many of us of a precious person who was very confident, a scholar and a person who cared about other people. His humility and not being arrogant as educated, as he was, had made him who he was amongst the people. He was very educated but he did not look down upon other people. The UDM has lost out due to his passing. In this House, we have lost the intelligence that he had. You would see his intelligence when he was cracking jokes, when he spoke as a Deputy Minister or as an ordinary member, but there were lessons taught at the end.
The youngsters who did not get a chance to know Kganyago, who will grow up and not know his contribution, his maturity and his intelligence, will never know what he did.
We thank the UDM for making him a member of this House. [Laughter.] If the UDM made him a member of this House you must not be laughing because we are mourning today. [Laughter.] We are here to mourn, so you should not be laughing, but because you can't control yourselves when it comes to laughing, you will always be laughing.
We thank the UDM for showing its intellectual capacity by bringing someone so down to earth to be with us here, so that he could teach us how to do things. Because of all the respect that he had, may the Lord forgive him. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family; may you find solace in one another. To all UDM members, he will remain with you in spirit and in all you do as the deputy president. May God be with him. Thank you, Speaker.]
Speaker, die oorledene, mnr Kganyago, was 'n baie gerespekteerde persoon en lid van die Nasionale Vergadering. Ek dink as hy vandag op hierdie gebeurtenis kon afkyk, sou hy geglimlag het dat ek hier in Afrikaans praat. Een van die aspekte van die oorledene wat my besonder bendruk het, was juis dat hy so suiwer Afrikaans gepraat het. Ek het altyd vir hom ges dat hy beter as ek is. Hy kon my moedertaal praat, maar ek kon nie sy moedertaal praat nie. Hy was 'n lid wat toesprake van hierdie podium afgelewer het wat groot respek by al die lede afgedwing het.
Hy het as opvoedkundige diep spore getrap. Ons het gekyk na sy curriculum vitae. U het hier gehoor, en ons kan voor almal s, dat die Nasionale Vergadering jammer is dat hy 'n gerespekteerde en voorbeeldige agb lid verloor het.
Die VF Plus wil ook graag sy innige meegevoel betoon aan en betuig met sy familie, sy kinders, en almal wat na aan hom was. Dit is altyd hartseer om iemand aan die dood af te staan. Ons wil hulle sterkte en vertroosting toebid. Ons wens ook die UDM en die leier, agb Holomisa, sterkte toe, want ek dink hulle het 'n groot onderleier verloor. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Speaker, the deceased, Mr Kganyago, was a much respected person and member of the National Assembly. I think that if he were to look down on this event today, he would have smiled at the Afrikaans I am speaking here.
One of the aspects of the deceased that really impressed me was his ability to speak such proper Afrikaans. I always said to him that he was better than I. He could speak my mother tongue, but I could not speak his. He was one member who could deliver speeches from this podium in a manner that commanded great respect from all members.
He made his mark as educator. We looked at his curriculum vitae. You have heard here, and we can say this for all to hear, that the National Assembly regrets the fact that it has lost such a respected and exemplary hon member.
The FF Plus would also like to express its deepest sympathy and condolences to his family, his children, and everyone who was close to him. It is always sad to be bereaved. We will pray that they will find strength and comfort. We also wish the UDM and its leader, hon Holomisa, strength during this time, as I know that they have lost a great deputy leader. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Speaker, we have lost a principled and compassionate man through the death of hon Kganyago, deputy president of the UDM.
He served as a Member of Parliament from April 2004 and was Deputy Minister of Public Works for five years. He was affectionately known as "Prof," because he was well educated, highly regarded as a teacher and known as an eternal student, always asking questions and never too old to learn. The ACDP recognises hon Kganyago as a courageous pioneer who helped establish his party at a time when the political situation was extremely volatile. He had a full and productive life and held a Masters Degree in School Psychology, a BA, and a Bachelor of Education degree.
Psychology, guidance and counselling were close to his heart, and he served as Head of Psychological Services in the then Department of Education in the 1970s.
I served with hon Kganyago on Basic Education and, on our committee trips, we often had time to chat. One story that he told me about his very much younger days sticks in my mind, partly because it caused me some sadness and, I suspect, despite his chuckle, was a slightly painful memory for him, too.
He told me that when he was still just a boy, he was an apprentice to an electrician and was often up in the roofs of houses in white areas. He said he would never forget the fright he got one day when he misplaced his foot and fell through the roof of the house into the bedroom of a little girl, who had stayed home from school that day because she was sick.
The little girl screamed and screamed uncontrollably, repeating the words, "'n Swart duiwel! 'n Swart duiwel!" [A black devil! A black devil!] [Laughter.] Now I am not sure why he shared that particular story, but it appeared to be important to him. So, with a heavy heart, I share it with you.
We will miss you, hon Kganyago, and our prayers are with your wife and family, colleagues and friends during this sad time. Rest in peace. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker ...
... namalungu ahloniphekileyo, sithi kusapho lwakwaKganyago nakumbutho we- UDM, akuhlanga lungehlanga. Ulwamvila lokufa luhlala lufika lungalindelekanga, lusothuse siphathe siyeka. Kwizinto ezikhoyo zenzululwazi nezeengqondi, ayikho ekwaziyo ukusenza sinxibelelane nokufa ukuze sikwazi ukuthi makukhe kume okwethutyana kuba asikagqibi ukufunxa kuvimba wolwazi lwalowo kumchongileyo.
Nanamhla oku, sisabuza umbuzo omnye wakudala-dala othi: Luphi na, kufa, ulwamvila lwakho? (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[... and hon members, we say to the family of Mr Kganyago and his party, the UDM, may they be consoled. Death always arrives at a very inopportune time and leaves you in bewilderment. In all the things we have in science and technology, there is not even a single one that we can manipulate to communicate with death so that we can tell it to stall for a while because we still have a lot to learn from the one it has chosen.
Even today, we are still asking the very same old question which says: Death, where is your sting?]
Hon Kganyago's commitment to South Africa can never be doubted. He is like a soldier that died in combat. South Africa needs such experienced politicians like him. His service record and memberships to associations show the kind of broad, open mind that he had, and that is a virtue.
Mr Kganyago was an omnivorous reader, and I will always remember him for advising me to read the book It's Our Turn to Eat by Michela Wrong to appreciate what is happening on the continent. I will forever cherish the memories I have of him and the depth of his thinking. The Marks Building where the opposition parties are housed will certainly never be the same in Mr Kganyago's absence. He was a warm presence, a familiar presence.
We in the UCDP convey our deepest condolences to his family, the UDM, and close friends. May his soul rest in peace. [Applause.]
Speaker and hon members, I am in a quandary as to where to start so that this august House - actually, the entire institution - can realise why the UDM and the family members of hon Kganyago are so appreciative of and thankful for what has been done since Prof passed away. When Prof passed away, it was the first time a parliamentary member of the UDM had passed away.
As the Chief Whip of the UDM, I knew that I had to play a part as far as Parliament was concerned, and I didn't know where to start. I received a call from Members' Facilities, inviting me to come to Cape Town, because we were in the constituency period.
When I arrived at Parliament, Mrs Harper and one of her staff members came to my office. They took me step by step through what was going to happen. Indeed, things happened exactly the way they told me. I am so thankful to Members' Facilities, especially Mrs Harper, for the co-operation they have given us during this difficult time. [Applause.]
As I have said, we were in our constituencies during that time, and I didn't attend Prof's memorial service. It was on the Thursday, and he was buried on the Saturday, but I was informed by members of the UDM that there were many members of this House who attended Prof's memorial service.
On the day of the funeral, I was so surprised to see so many Members of Parliament, travelling from as far as the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and all over South Africa. There were no less than 20 members of this House present at Prof's funeral. We are so thankful for this. You have really shown us that we are treated as family when we are in this House.
To return to Mrs Harper again; she informed me that Parliament would pay the travelling and accommodation costs of a certain number of members. None of the members, my colleagues, who attended the funeral complained about accommodation and travelling, which means that Mrs Harper and her staff did what she said she would.
With regard to my colleagues, I am lost for words. As I have said, you were in your constituencies doing constituency work, especially with elections around the corner, but you left all that to attend our member's funeral. Thank you very much for that.
Last week I received a call from the Chief Whip of the Majority Party.
Mbamba, thina, nto zaziyo, asothukanga nto. [Mbamba [clan name], we, the knowledgeable ones, are not surprised.]
In this call, he said to me: Faku, all the parties that are represented in Parliament are aggrieved, but the truth of the matter is that the UDM is feeling the pinch the most and so we, as the ANC, felt that to give the UDM the time that it is entitled to, which is three minutes, would be unfair in this instance. As a result we, as the ANC, agreed to take 10 minutes of our time and to give it to the UDM. [Applause.] All of us here know how important time is in this House. To take 10 minutes of your time and to give it to another party really shows how much co-operation the ANC is looking forward to in working with other parties. [Applause.]
Ngoko ke, ngaloo mazwi mnt'akaMbamba, Krila, athi amaXhosa, amaqobokazana angalala endleleni yazini kunyembelekile. Somlomo ohloniphekileyo, Xhamela, ngaphambi kokuba ndizive sendibulela abembi, abatshakazi ezimbizeni nabamelwane abashiye izindlu zabo baza kusonga apha, mandiyeke ngelithi sibamba ngazo zozibini, sisithi ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi. Ndiyabulela. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Therefore, with those words, I would like to say to you the child of Mbamba, Krila [clan names], there is a Xhosa saying that literally goes like this: should maidens sleep along the way, then you must know things are very bad, meaning the unthinkable has happened. Hon Speaker, Xhamela [clan name], I thank those who have dug the grave hole, the women who cooked and the neighbours who left their homes and came to commiserate with us. Let me finish off by saying we are most grateful. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Debate concluded.
Motion agreed to, members standing.
The Presiding Officers associate themselves with the motion. The condolences of the House will be conveyed to the Kganyago family.