Hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers and hon members, I wish to begin by saying that I do regret that you, hon Deputy President, had to tolerate my heckling in your time in this House. If I caused you not to hear intelligent contributions from the DA, then I apologise, but I assure you, you missed very little. [Laughter.]
While I am honoured that the Chief Whip asked me to speak in this debate, I must confess that I do so begrudgingly. I am not happy at the retirement of the Deputy President. The Deputy President is, first and foremost, a tried and tested freedom fighter. [Applause.] He has experienced South Africa from all angles - apartheid state, emerging democracy, fledgling constitutional state and increasingly robust nation of the world. In each of these stages of the state of South Africa, the Deputy President made an honourable contribution.
He is a dignified person, a strong-willed man of principle, very suited to his name, Kgalema, which means "caution, correct, guide", ba kgaleme. Comrade Deputy President, the name befits you in an extraordinary way. [Applause.]
I have been on official trips with the Deputy President to a number of countries and served in the National Executive Committee of the ANC during his tenure as secretary-general and deputy president. He has always impressed me with his immense grasp of the detail of politics and with the dignity he brought to representing South Africa in the international arena.
I recall, in particular, a meeting with the President of Finland, a meeting that was anything but ceremonial or an exchange of pleasantries and greetings. The Finnish President was genuinely interested in hearing about our various matters, matters to do with our politics. He wanted information at first hand and Deputy President Motlanthe was more than equal to the occasion. He responded without notes, showing a full command of the issues confronting South Africa and Africa today. He was genial, courteous at all times and engaging, and he won supporters for our country, representing us brilliantly on that occasion and several others.
I had the honour to serve in the Cabinet of former President Motlanthe, and I believe he served that office well during his tenure.
However, it is his service as the Leader of Government Business that has impressed me most. In a context where many executive leaders seek to diminish Parliament, he asserted the importance of Parliament, and the need for the executive to account to Parliament.
His views on complex policy issues always show a strategic grasp of the core issues that must be addressed. He can speak on economic issues, on the nature of the postcolonial struggle in Africa, and on the importance of stakeholder collaboration to achieve national transformation.
The Deputy President has led our government on several important initiatives. He is the chairperson of the Human Resource Development Council, and has steered the council's stakeholders to a number of important decisions about human resource development policy initiatives and implementation programmes. In this structure, he brings together and leads government, labour, business and a range of education practitioners, and forms an interesting unity with the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, in steering this particular council.
He has brought robust energy to the work on the Presidency's War on Poverty initiative.
Within the ANC, he can be relied upon to assert principle over expediency. He knows the movement, lives its belief and fully merits the decision that he will head the ANC political school. I can think of no better leader for the ANC political school. [Applause.]
The Deputy President is a man who came from the union movement, led within it and fully understands the struggles of the working peoples of our country. That is why he continues to work today to create stability in the mining sector and is trusted by workers within it as an honest broker. It was because of his experience in the union movement that he was able to lead the ANC's secretariat with such effective command.
It is because of his experience in leading the ANC that he has been a capable Deputy President.
I am fully aware that the Deputy President does not relish praise, but we are pleased in the ANC to say that we are proud of this servant of the nation, servant to South Africa and servant to the ANC. [Applause.]
I have heard you say, Deputy President, that you plan to spend time after your parliamentary retirement with the Congress of South African Students, further proving your courage. The fundamental message you have indicated you'll convey is the following:
Remember, progress is always a function of working out opposites. Once there is a monopoly, even in the realm of ideas that can only lead to stagnation.
I would urge you, Deputy President, to consider assisting the future government by offering orientation to the next Leader of Government Business to ensure a similar commitment to keeping our Parliament vibrant, transparent and accountable.
We wish the Deputy President well in his next undertakings. I believe he will be sorely missed in Parliament, but I am certain, as I am sure all members of the ANC are, that he will continue to have an important impact on South Africa. He will continue to play a role in the ongoing transformation of our country and in ensuring that that which we aspire to, in regard to the national democratic revolution, is achieved by South Africa led by the ANC.
We thank Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe for his service to the nation and for his service to the ANC, which will continue, and we wish him well in all his future endeavours. Thank you. [Applause.]
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, the historian Arthur Schlesinger once remarked that the concept of leadership implies, by its very nature, that individuals make a difference in history. He disapprovingly wrote:
From classical times to the present, eminent thinkers have regarded individuals as no more than pawns of larger forces, whether the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus or latter-day divinities of Race, Class, Nation, Progress, the Dialectic, the General Will, the Spirit of the Age, History itself.
He goes on to make the important point that:
Determinism may or may not be true, but it unquestionably violates our deepest human instincts. It abolishes the idea of human freedom by discrediting the presumption of choice that underlies every word we speak and every decision we make. It abolishes the idea of human responsibility by depriving the individual of accountability for his (or her) acts.
I share this with you, Mr Speaker and colleagues, because we are here in this very Parliament in the compelling belief that individuals and leaders do make a difference. I share this with you also because it is true that leaders may alter history for better or for worse.
There is no question that the person we honour today, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, has altered history for the better, for reasons to do with his strong inner belief in justice, his devotion to public service rooted in the Episcopalian tradition of the Anglican church - you will know that he was once an altar boy and wanted to be a priest - and a civility in his conduct based on the notion of reciprocal honour and respect that we could all do well to emulate in this world dominated by so much noise, incivility and the crass exercise of power.
The hon Motlanthe was no armchair revolutionary. He put his life under apartheid on the line. He was recruited to uMkhonto weSizwe in the early 1970s, languished for 11 months in the feared John Vorster Square prison in central Johannesburg, was convicted of terrorism and spent 10 years on Robben Island, from 1977 to 1987, became key to the formation of the National Union of Mineworkers and, with Cyril Ramaphosa and Marcel Golding, in doing the impossible by unionising the mines' unstable, oscillating migrant labour force. It was when I was doing some work on the mines and a study of the labour system, together with Marcel Golding, that I first learnt of his remarkable skills.
The Deputy President made a huge difference in Parliament. With regard to HIV/Aids, he appointed the supremely competent Barbara Hogan as Minister of Health. She was vital in turning back the HIV/Aids pandemic so criminally mismanaged by the late Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who denounced ARV drugs as poison. He was a lonely, sane and sober voice on Zimbabwe, critical of both Robert Mugabe's and Morgan Tsvangirai's roles in the deterioration there and South Africa's role in that process.
He recognised that the first round of black economic empowerment benefited a handful of black millionaires with little advantage for small businessmen and women, and no opportunities for the masses.
He took Parliament very seriously, as you will remember. He attended sessions with great diligence and answered oral questions with great care and a softly stated humour. Some amongst us will miss that in this House.
It is unclear and a bit of a puzzle why he recommended to Parliament that the former head of the NPA, Vusi Pikoli, be fired, when the Ginwala Commission advised otherwise.
I personally regret that I did not have the opportunity to interact with the Deputy President in an organised way in Parliament. He exemplifies the qualities of personality that are rare in the world of politics, such as honour - to be held in public esteem, showing an unusual and merited respect for others, one whose work invites respect - and deference to the highest moral virtues of which human beings are capable.
He has a quality of integrity, which I understand to mean a keen sense of ethical conduct, to keep one's word, honour a promise, a quality of completeness or wholeness, adhering to a code of moral and aesthetic values, a quality of respect, whether for his colleagues or members of the opposition. He was absolutely even-handed in an attitude that showed consideration for others and their ideas and views, regardless of their background or political affiliation.
Perhaps most of all, the hon Motlanthe is one of the few remaining politicians who, in his conduct and personal example, reminds us of the centrality of public purpose in what moves our politics, a defining theme set by the Mandela presidency, which seems almost exotic and quaint in the self-serving and self-justifying crass materialism that we have today.
I wish to say that the populists, the nationalists, the sectarians and the opportunists amongst us in this House hate being reminded of the nobler and more demanding days of Mandela's time, as they hate being reminded that their commitment to the dispossessed and the humiliated have become little more than mere rhetoric. The hon Motlanthe is a walking reminder of the central theme of the Mandela presidency that politics are for the public purpose of serving our fellow citizens in our great land. We thank you, sir, for it. We will miss you. We wish you and your family very well indeed. [Applause.]
Thank you, Hon Speaker. Hon Deputy President, the manner in which you carried yourself, and the way you responded to questions from the opposition parties during the Deputy President's question time, demonstrated the depth of respect and honour you accorded this House.
I have no doubt that your background as a trade unionist, your intellectual prowess and the many years you spent in prison cells on Robben Island, underscored by your Christian values, taught you both humility and respect for people and humankind in general. I have watched you with interest, how you responded to questions in this House in an unassuming manner, unemotional, but demonstrating depth of knowledge and respect for the opposition parties and the questions raised.
Hon Deputy President, we as opposition parties did not always agree with everything you said, but your humility and the demeanour with which you responded to questions persuaded even the skeptics to let go and agree to disagree.
The role you played in championing the supply of antiretrovirals and the call on both young and old alike to exercise restraint in order to defeat the scourge of Aids yielded positive results for the country.
Having said all of these positive things, I feel it is also true to say that our country is still faced with daunting challenges that cut across party politics and require a strong sense of patriotism from all of us.
I hope that in your new ventures, you will remain vigilant, objective and critical in monitoring and evaluating the progress made and the outcomes of the actions of those who remain behind as you depart from this House. Our country is crying out for strong, committed, unambiguous, honest and reliable leadership that our next generation can look up to and follow with pride.
I wish to take a quote from an unusual source, D F Malan, who said in his resolute defence of Afrikaner nationalism in the early 1900s:
Few are content to build, unseen and unknown, the sure and stable foundations of a building whose completion they will not see, to live for an idea, to die for an ideal whose realisation they can prepare for but which they themselves will not see.
In short, Deputy President, you must go out there and fight for the things you believe in, even if you yourself may not benefit from the fruits thereof. We believe in you.
Hamba kakuhle, Mhlekazi. Ndiyabulela, Mkhuluwa. [Kwaqhwatywa.] [Go well, sir. I thank you, big brother. [Applause.]]
Hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, and hon colleagues, firstly, the IFP wants to thank you, Deputy President, for your honourable, diligent hard-working and straight to the point manner. The IFP appreciates the way you conducted yourself inside and outside the National Assembly, and your own manner of accepting all others despite your high office.
The IFP wants to place on record, sir, that when you were the secretary of the ANC, there was understanding between the IFP and the ANC. Moreover, the understanding that you had, as the leader of your party, with our leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, greatly contributed to making it possible for discussions between these two parties to take place.
On behalf of the IFP, I want to thank you, sir, for many things that we cannot include here because of the time limitations, but we will always cherish your honesty and your integrity.
I would like to make special mention of the dignity and honour your attendance, together with that of members of your party, lent to the funeral of my colleague, the late Mr Ben Skosana, MP. His family were deeply appreciative, especially when you were requested by my leader to say a few words, despite knowing that you were not part of the programme. You did this with the respect that you always maintain in such circumstances towards the leader of our party. Without hesitation, you agreed to speak. I mention this specific event because I want to show the deep understanding you have, personally, of the leadership of the IFP, and the IFP as a whole.
The IFP wishes you well in your endeavours, and hopes that you will be able to leave your legacy of respect and honour for your opponents to those who come after you so that they may follow in your admirable footsteps.
Hamba kakuhle, Mkhuluwa. [Go well, big brother.]
Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker, hon Deputy President and hon members, this Parliament will be losing one of its best members, as the Deputy Minister, hon Motlanthe, is not coming back after the end of this term. The hon Deputy Minister has dedicated his life thus far ... [Interjections.] I'm sorry, thank you so much. Hon Deputy President Motlanthe has dedicated his life thus far to the best interests of the people of South Africa.
He became involved in the liberation struggle at a very young age. He is one of the youths that the apartheid government condemned to incarceration on Robben Island. When he came out of prison in 1987, he started where he left off, that is, fighting for the rights of the voiceless.
When he was appointed as the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa by President Jacob Zuma, he carried out his duties with dignity, enthusiasm and vigour. He never at any stage embarrassed this beautiful country of ours.
He is a true gentleman, one whose word is as good as his bond. He is also one of the most amiable persons I've ever met. Those who know him and have nothing against him will agree with me that he is not that type of politician who is insatiable for power. He is easy to approach and takes people very seriously. I am saying this, hon Speaker, from my personal experience.
Mkhuluwa ... [Big Brother ...]
... the UDM is short of words to express its gratitude for the dedication and commitment you have shown as Deputy President of this country. The UDM wishes you all the best in your future endeavours. I thank you, hon Speaker. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon colleagues and hon Members of Parliament, it is always a bit sad to say goodbye to a colleague. Even though the Deputy President is the Deputy President, he is also a colleague of all of us in this House.
The one specific word that stands out for me when I describe the hon Deputy President is the word "dignity".
In Afrikaans praat ons van waardigheid. [In Afrikaans we refer to it as "waardigheid".]
In all the posts where the Deputy President served - while he was Acting President at one stage, while he was President at a later stage, and while he was again Deputy President - it was always with dignity, "waardigheid".
South Africans could always be very proud of the Deputy President and the way that he, as Deputy President, carried himself. Those of us who are interested in sport will know that in every sports team there is from time to time a specific individual, someone who, when things get rough on the field - be it rugby or soccer - is a safe choice to pass or kick the ball to. From my perspective, Deputy President Motlanthe was that person. When things got rough, and when we were entering into the "rapids", he was a safe player on the field.
On behalf of the FF Plus, and all our colleagues in the House, if may do so, I would like to extend our sincerest and best wishes to the Deputy President in his retirement. We in this House will miss him. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Speaker, the ACDP would like to join other speakers in paying tribute to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. He has always treated us in the opposition with the greatest respect, and has appreciated the role that the opposition plays in a vibrant democracy, and that is to hold government accountable.
It was the hon Motlanthe who stood in during the tumultuous period when former President Thabo Mbeki was recalled. He managed to calm internal party sentiments then and guide the country towards the 2009 elections. It is very apparent that the hon Motlanthe at no stage strove to hold positions of power. He had no ambition to occupy any government position in the 2009 elections, but aimed rather to ensure that the new President was properly inaugurated.
For him his party came first, ahead of personal aspirations, and we can all learn from that. The fact that President Zuma chose him for the position of Deputy President in spite of his having no ambition to run for any position speaks volumes for his reputation.
We in the ACDP honour Deputy President Motlanthe. He was also not afraid to criticise his own party. His report to the ANC's 2002 Stellenbosch Conference reflected serious problems besetting the ANC in government. His criticisms of the party also led to his being described as the ANC's conscience and moral anchor.
We understand that he wanted to become a priest, but he has since lived out those spiritual values and principles of honour, humility, respect for others and servant leadership. We would all do well to emulate those values, to be servants of the people. He has been a rock on which the ANC government, and indeed the nation, has been built. One could almost say that the hon Deputy President is a true "Petrus".
Hon Motlanthe has always responded to questions with great respect, even when he was exasperated. Even when the follow-up question was not related to the question put, he would find a respectful way to answer.
Hon Deputy President, we in the ACDP will miss your dignified presence and we wish you well in your future endeavors. May you and your family continue to be blessed. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker, when someone departs it is indeed a sorrowful occasion, especially when it is a personality that commands such deep respect, as Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe does. Indeed, the uniqueness of his character and caliber has brought contentment to the broad suffering masses.
The contribution made towards entrenching our democracy by this astounding leader is unmatched. His commitment to fight for the liberation of our country and his subsequent tenure as Deputy President leave us mourning as he vacates this position. The MF says that he played his role with distinction and, with his remarkable personality, he leaves behind an indelible impression for the youth to note and an example for them to emulate.
He has made an incredible impact on leading our country in the fight against HIV and Aids. When negative comment was thrown at our government because of the epidemic, the Deputy President stood resolute, kept his head down and continued his work. We salute you with great admiration. Today, because of his stewardship, we have weathered the storms of this epidemic and, like a true messiah, he has led us to safe ground.
Hon Speaker, I am reminded of a saying by the great Indian activist, Mahatma Gandhi, who said:
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
Hon Deputy President, you give us hope. You were known for speaking softly but powerfully, reiterating the notion that strong ideas, a good character and a gentle nature can speak louder than the voices of those who shout and scream every day, and true accolades must be awarded to you, undoubtedly, for your impeccable leadership.
In my personal interactions with the Deputy President, I was overwhelmed and humbled by his professionalism, which gave expression to his compassionate nature. I personally consider it to be a singular honour to be working with him in advancing the concerns and interests of minority communities.
He truly gives meaning to the beautiful Zulu proverb, "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu." [A person is a person because of people.] The hon Deputy President was and will always remain a gentle giant within the ANC and our country. He encapsulates the spirit of a particular era in our struggle, embodied by our former President Nelson Mandela, with immeasurable commitment to the selfless advancement of the greater vision. I am also reminded of a great Chinese saying that when a man is at peace with himself, he is at peace with his family, town, city, province, country and the world. I have no doubt whatsoever that as long as South Africans are not at peace with one another, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will not be at peace.
With beautiful thoughts, wonderful wishes and an abundance of prayer, the MF wishes you long life and good health. Hamba kahle. [Go well.] [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, Deputy President and hon members, the Deputy President should by rights belong to the UCDP, taking into account his early background in the church. [Laughter.] Anyway, he is well placed to convert the ANC from within. He has since lived those values of leadership - love, respect, service, tolerance and consultation.
He is a stickler for details and rules. In 2002 when he was assigned by his organisation to develop party-to-party relations in the region, he did so diligently and even consulted with the UCDP.
While we have been onlookers, we have noticed that the ANC is not the same as when he was its secretary-general. As the voice of reason, ANC members call him Mkhuluwa - elder brother - which simply means that they appreciate his advice and counsel at all times.
As a former President of the Republic, he is the only one who had occasion to invite the leaders of opposition parties, one by one, to his Mahlamba Ndlopfu residence in order to have face-to-face discussions with them and sort out issues of the country.
The Deputy President exuded humility, even when asked provocative questions in the House. He came out as cool, calm, and collected.
It is no secret that he stood up and spoke out, and even sought to change the fortunes of his organisation. As early as 2007, he bewailed the unfortunate manner in which the ANC had handled the allocation of tenders. As recently as December last year, he spoke out against the stance of his party on the question of the release of Clive Derby-Lewis. He compared the matter with how B J Vorster released J B Marks on compassionate grounds. It is this outgoing President who, as recently as this year, spoke out and said that the Nkandla issue could have been handled in a different way.
We thank you for ...
... go tswelela o kgalema, rra. O kgalemile, ba ba utlwileng ba utlwile. [... continuing to reprimand, sir. You reprimanded; only those that listened heard you.]
We wish the Deputy President all the best in his future endeavours, wherever his party may decide to place him. Good luck.
Re a leboga. Tswelela o kgalema, rra. [We thank you. Continue to reprimand, sir.] [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Members of Parliament and our guests in the gallery, everybody has spoken so well of Comrade Kgalema that I do not think I can outdo them in speaking well of him. The fact that even the opposition speak so glowingly of you, hon Deputy President, only shows how committed to the struggle and to the people of South Africa you are. Nevertheless, I have agreed to speak. I would not have agreed, but when the Chief Whip of the ANC says, "You must go and speak," I cannot say no.
As we steadily advance towards the end of the Fourth Parliament of the Republic of South Africa under the democratic ANC-led government, we in the same way pay tribute to one of South Africa's greatest sons for having lived a life of self-sacrifice for the good of his people. Hon Deputy President, the contribution you have made to this beautiful country and its people is a gift whose fruits will be relished, even by posterity. You stood for the right, and against the wrong. You led by example, and you expressed constructive criticism whenever it was absolutely necessary to do so.
Born on 19 July 1949 in Alexandra Township, to a working-class family, Comrade Kgalema spent most of his time in Alexandra Township. Much of his adult life was spent in Meadowlands in Soweto.
Today we can reveal, or disclose, that he was recruited to uMkhonto weSizwe, as hon James pointed out earlier, in the 1970s, while he was working for the Johannesburg City Council. As a result, Motlanthe formed a unit that was tasked with recruiting comrades for military training. The unit was later instructed to transform its function from recruitment to sabotage. So, you are a saboteur! [Laughter.] The unit was also involved in smuggling MK cadres in and out of the country via Swaziland.
On 14 April 1976 the members of this unit were arrested for furthering the aims of the ANC. They were kept in detention for 11 months at John Vorster Square, now known as Johannesburg Central Police Station, as somebody pointed out earlier. In 1977 Comrade Kgalema was found guilty on three charges under the Terrorism Act and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on Robben Island.
Reflecting on life on Robben Island, Comrade Kgalema said, and I quote:
We were a community of people who ranged from the totally illiterate to people who could very easily have been professors at universities. We shared basically everything. The years out there were the most productive years in one's life, we were able to read, we read all the material that came our way, we took an interest in the lives of people even in the remotest corners of this world. To me those years gave meaning to life. The hon Deputy President helped turn the lemon - which was the harsh conditions of Robben Island - into the lemonade of political education and intellectual development. He was instrumental in ensuring that newcomers, especially the youth who came to Robben Island, were welcomed and put through an appropriate political education and other academic development programmes. It is therefore unsurprising, and true to the character of the man, that he would say the years of incarceration and isolation were the most productive ones in his life.
He was released in 1987, and in 1992 he was elected Secretary-General of the National Union of Mineworkers, as somebody has already pointed out. During his tenure NUM established, among others, the JB Marks Education Trust Fund, which provided bursaries to mineworkers and their dependants, and the residential trade union school called the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre located in Yeoville in Johannesburg.
Comrade Kgalema was elected unopposed as Secretary-General of the ANC in 1997, and was re-elected in 2002. In 2007 he was elected ANC Deputy President. In 2008 he was sworn in as South Africa's third democratically elected President. What you do not know, Comrade Kgalema, is that the late Comrade Walter Sisulu had always wanted you to be the President of this country. [Applause.] When you became the President, I am sure his dreams were fulfilled. In 2009 Comrade Kgalema was sworn in as Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa.
The hon Deputy President has always epitomised the values of the ANC in discharging the mandate which the ANC gave him. He is a humble servant of the people - as most people have already pointed out - who is prepared to go anywhere and to undertake any task that the ANC asks him to perform.
As a parliamentarian, he has led by example - many people have already said that. You have led by example, always keeping calm, ready to engage all and to clarify whatever matter needed clarity.
Hon Deputy President, it has indeed been an honour to serve alongside a comrade so firm in principle as you have always been, and as you continue to be. You have displayed courage even in the midst of adversity. And, where many vacillated and zigzagged, you were as true to principle as a compass needle is to the north!
What is of comfort, though, is that your determination to serve our glorious organisation, the ANC, and our beloved country, the Republic of South Africa, will always keep you close by to serve whenever it is necessary. We cannot forget your wisdom in intervening in the mining sector. Your leadership in ensuring that South African men become more involved with their families and carry more responsibilities in relation to their dependants will also always be part of our history.
Your counsel to members of the ANC in particular, and members of Parliament in general, will be part of the guiding principles that will ground the people as an anchor in any storm, and hence their tribute.
Ka mantswe ao sebata se seholo sa ha Motlanthe, ke re, tselatshweu! Disakopaneng ke dithaba, tau ya kgale. Amandla! [With those words, Mr Motlanthe, I say, "Go well! We will meet again, old friend. Power!"]
HON MEMBERS: Ngawethu! [Is ours!]
Matla! [Power!]
HON MEMBERS: Ke a rona! [Is ours!]
We all wish you well in whatever you are going to do or wherever the ANC deploys you. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, hon Deputy Speaker, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, distinguished guests and friends, I sincerely thank you for this farewell tribute to me today. It is truly humbling to have time set aside for oneself for a farewell tribute by as august a House as this National Assembly of our Republic.
Mr Speaker, at times life seems inscrutably hard to make sense of, precisely because one has to study life while still living it. I wonder whether Charles Lindbergh was moved by the selfsame realisation when he memorably remarked that:
Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance.
Forgive me upfront, therefore, for the fact that, since I am still a serving member, albeit only for a few more days, I may not be able to lift myself from the spatiotemporal limitations imposed by my formal presence in this House so that I share a retrospective account that may appeal to your sense of history. In other words, my adjacency in time and space to the NA makes any reflection on the historical landscape covering my six-year experience all the more difficult.
Mr Speaker, on an occasion such as this, I stand in this House, which makes the laws of our land, caught up in an ambivalent frame of mind. After six years of history, I am running the whole gamut of human emotions - from melancholy to elation. Humanity is conditioned to experience emotions attuned to the peculiarities of the moment. Yet for me right now this is a moment laden with mixed emotions.
For one thing, I am disconsolate at parting ways with the members of the party I come from, the ANC. You will know that my presence in this House is attributable to the ANC, which has, for all this time, been my extended family. [Applause.]
As this was so, I stood here, about six years back, on an ANC platform, in a prospective mood, looking forward to making my own little contribution to the vision that defines our nation. Entailed in this vision was, and still is, the need to consolidate unity, democracy, nonracialism and nonsexism, all of which constitute the strategic goals of postapartheid South Africa.
On the ticket of the ANC I took oath of office, both as Minister in the Presidency and subsequently as President of our country. Both these occasions were of historical moment in various ways. As a Minister, I assumed office intent on serving our nation in keeping with the philosophical tenets of the ANC. At the same time, as the President of our Republic, I took office under anomalous circumstances.
This was the time during which our nation, for the first time since the start of democracy, faced an extremely stern test. Eight months before the end of the third term of office of the sitting President, hon Thabo Mbeki, destiny commandeered me to assume the reins of the Presidency to see the term through.
As the world turned many were beginning to wonder whether this conjuncture signalled the beginning of the end for our nation. Unprecedented, it was a defining moment. This House knows, as do many of us, that there is a standing assumption that our nation is no exception to having the sad experience that has befallen many a postcolonial country, not least on our continent, Africa.
No sooner had we disarmed Afro-pessimists with a smooth transition to democracy than this difficult historical period emerged, seen in some quarters as sounding the death knell of our nation. Those less given to hyperbole saw our country as being on the cusp of a new era, the contours of which, though, were as yet indistinct. In the event, we proved the doomsayers wrong. But I am losing my bearing. The story does not begin here.
Into these murky conditions of uncertainly thrown up by the unrelenting hand of contingency I was plunged. As it turned out I was, in this epochal task, guided, supported, assisted and encouraged by the ANC. Instinctually, I would affirm that whatever I managed to help our nation do correctly during those trying times, I did leaning on the ANC as my pillar of strength. For this, I am eternally grateful. [Applause.]
Yet, Mr Speaker, I would be insincere if I stood in this House right now without acknowledging the support that members of this House as a whole gave me, both as President of the Republic and later, as Deputy President.
I have always understood our relationship in this House as elected representatives of the people of our country in their diversity in the light of the advice of Joseph Joubert, the French philosopher, that: "The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress." I submit that largely proceedings in this House lent colour to this conclusion.
Yet, Mr Speaker, it looks to me as if by definition politics, especially parliamentary politics, is at least partly about self-preservation, to the extent that key players strut and preen themselves on the political stage, all with the tacit aim of capturing the hearts of the electorate. This much seems to be a permanent feature of democratic politics across time and space. Happily, while we have not been an exception to this universal characterisation, we have also been able to hold onto the purpose for which we are here, that is, to serve our people.
While bare-knuckle engagements were par for the course, with bruising exchanges that went beyond the pale not uncommon, I have found this House to be an epicentre of rational and level-headed discourse that left many bloodied, but not bowed. I dare say, at the end we are all the richer for it.
Our system of democracy is ultimately about creating a multivocal society, thriving on irreconcilable ideological differences, none of which, paradoxically, can survive without the other.
Cheers!
Cheers! [Applause.]
It is a political ecology, which, while rife with discordant voices and atonal noises on the surface, needs every voice for the survival of all, at least at an imperceptible level. This is what we have in mind when we speak of our indissoluble future as a nation. Mahatma Gandhi could have had us in mind when he admonished that "civilisation is the encouragement of differences."
Accordingly, I have learnt to understand liberalism, political conservatism, nationalism, socialism, and numerous other ideologies represented in this House. While poles apart from all these other ideological orientations, I have never for one moment doubted the abiding sincerity of each political party represented in Parliament to contribute to the reconstruction and development of our country.
Misguided as some may be, and I think some indeed are, all these political parties in this august House are here as the organic expression of popular sentiments. So, Mr Speaker, I am filled with sadness because I am leaving this House after about six years of history.
Being asked to serve one's country at any point in history is always an honour. However, the truth is that our nation is replete with luminous talent. Not only that, but at some point serving leadership must give way so that new blood, fired up with life-changing ideas, can take society to a higher level of development. The time necessarily comes when all leaders, as H G Wells advises, "should lead as far as they can and then vanish. Their ashes should not choke the fire they have lit." [Applause.] I would not let my ashes choke the verdant future that is beginning to assume some discernible outlines on the horizon. Few have been the moments in human history when the time was ever right for a leader to leave.
On another level, I am happy to have played the small part history has assigned me. I leave office over the moon that the ANC, and by extension the people of our country, have entrusted me with the responsibility to help steer our nation towards the future.
Mr Speaker and hon members, just as misperceptions about our country's being yet another case of a flash in the pan were proven hollow, the world was, in 2008, struck by the most devastating financial meltdown experienced in decades.
As only South Africans know how, we once again employed social dialogue as a mechanism to bring together all role-players - government, the trade union movement and organised business - the better to compare notes, fully aware that any looseness in our relations would spell doom for all of us. This is a key lesson about our national character. Going forward, let us consolidate the principle of social dialogue as the central defining tenet of our nationhood.
I have come to the conclusion that as this House moves into the fifth term of office, we will need to come to terms with the imperatives of the age. We need to service a large vision, one bigger than the clutter of the age. Right now South Africa does not need man the politician but, in a classical sense, it needs man the creator - bold visionaries whose sights transcend the frontiers of time.
The imperatives of our time enjoin this august House to rise above beguiling but small-minded discourse adorned with rhetorical embroidery, in order to think realistically about the future of our nation. We have a duty to this nation and a responsibility to posterity. That responsibility has just begun.
We have to do this bearing in mind Franois Chateaubriand's assertion that, "every revolution is the consequence of one revolution and the beginning of another." We are in the middle of another revolution. We dare not sell out.
I would like to end by thanking President Jacob Zuma for his unwavering support through all these years, my colleagues in Cabinet, both Ministers and Deputy Ministers, and Members of Parliament, as well as presiding officers with whom I have interacted in my capacity as Leader of Government Business.
On a lighter note, when I was appointed Leader of Government Business, I was approached by many people who said that now that they had appointed the right person, they were interested in business. [Laughter.] This, of course, was said in whispers until I explained that the Leader of Government Business was the bridge between Cabinet and Parliament. [Laughter.] It has nothing to do with public enterprise and business contracts. [Laughter.]
Let me also acknowledge the stellar support from the staff in my office and the Presidency in general. Lastly, I wish to thank the people of our nation for the trust they have shown in me.
In conclusion, Mr Speaker and hon members, I ask myself, what is to be a man's last words in the face of this historic day? And all I can say is: Fare thee well, friends, since I must needs be gone!
Na Khensa, ndo a livhuwa, ngiya thokoza, baie dankie, ke a leboga, thank you. [Applause.]
I thank the hon Deputy President. Hon members, that concludes these farewell tributes. Hon Deputy President, the presiding officers also wish to take this opportunity to wish you well and to remind you that serving the people and being a servant of the people are a permanent job. You cannot retire from it. I for one know where to find you tomorrow. [Laughter.]
Hon members, in line with the motion by the Chief Whip of the Majority Party, we will now take the Sixth Order, which is farewell tributes to the hon T A Manuel, Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission.
Before I invite the first speaker, I wish to acknowledge in the gallery members of Trevor's family - his mother, his sister, his two sons, Pallo and Jaime, and the extended family seated behind the family. You are all welcome. [Applause.]
Hon members, I now wish to invite hon F Hajaig to the podium.