Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here today, hon members, the Coetzee family, guests and citizens, I, like many others, was shocked and saddened when I heard of Mike's passing, despite having known that he had been suffering from cancer for a long time.
Siyaye sithi ngesiZulu ukufa akujwayeleki. [In isiZulu we say: We never get used to death.]
Hardly any family in the world is spared from death, yet every time it occurs we are left with pain and hurt. I have known Mike as an activist of long standing for many years, and he was in my eyes, especially in later years, an exceptional cadre located in the administration and management of Parliament pursuing the same struggle, a better quality of life for all South Africans in general, the working class as well as the poor in particular. To the family we say ...
... akwehlanga lungehli. Izinyembezi zenu zingezethu nathi. Njengoba kuye kwenziwe sithi, asibhonge emswaneni. [... this road has been travelled by many before. We feel your pain. And as is the norm, we also want to pay our last respects.]
Please find solace in the fact that his life was lived to the full, and he fought the scourge of cancer with all the courage he could muster, and did so with dignity to the end.
So much has been said about this son of the soil, about his engagement and participation in the struggle for national liberation. So much has been said about his exposure to the black consciousness organisations in his youth and his involvement in setting up an SA Student Movement branch, and about what is described in his obituary as a crucial influence in shaping his progressive consciousness, namely the death in detention of Steve Bantu Biko in 1977.
He made his mark with his participation - as a BSc student at the University of the Western Cape, known to many in those days as "Bush" - in the political recruitment of students; clandestine discussions and learning groups; the spread of the message of the Freedom Charter as espoused by the ANC; and the never-ending debates on Marxism-Leninism and the understanding of the theory of the revolution and organisation.
His graduation progressed, organically, from student politics or student activities into more mature political action such as the consumer boycotts as experienced in the red meat industry, the Fatti's and Moni's boycott and later his participation in the Hanover Park Civic Association that became part of the Cape Areas Housing Action Committee, popularly known as Cahac.
So much has been said about his recruitment into the ANC underground in 1981. His was a critical, unassuming approach and conduct in a process that led to the formation of the United Democratic Front - working closely with comrades such as Henry Fazi, Derrick Schwartz, Arnold Stofile, Gugile Nkwinti, Stone Sizani, Matthew Goniwe and many others following the historic call by the then President of the ANC, Oliver Reginald Tambo.
We all know of that fateful day of 27 June, when Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sicelo Mhlauli and Sparrow Mkhonto were assassinated by the security police and their bodies mutilated and burnt beyond recognition. The subsequent display at their funeral in Cradock of the flags of the Communist Party and the ANC, which were unfurled in an unparalleled display of defiance, led to the declaration of the State of Emergency in 1985, renewed in 1986, 1987 and 1988.
At that time thousands of people were detained and many were severely tortured. Mike was one of them. As we heard at the memorial service and at the funeral, he was hung over the Van Stadens Bridge, in his words, "to instil the fear of God so that you would reveal what they wanted".
Mike was, as we know, also part of the Chemical Workers Industrial Union, CWIU, an affiliate of the Federation of SA Trade Unions, Fosatu, and helped to nudge this federation towards the formation of the Congress of SA Trade Unions, Cosatu.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that all along Mike had distinguished himself as a selfless cadre who acted in the interests of his country and people, a man whose integrity remained intact to the end. There is so much to learn from his example of leadership that can be emulated. At the memorial service, the local chairperson of Nehawu spoke of the empathy that Mike had with workers' issues and his ability to engage issues and seek a win-win solution.
Being part of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and SA national Parliament speaks volumes about Mike's ability to be relevant and play a meaningful role in different periods of the struggle for national liberation. This he did without losing sight of the context.
This National Assembly is elected to represent the people and to ensure a government by the people under our Constitution. It does this by choosing the President, providing a national forum or platform for public consideration of issues by passing legislation, scrutinising and overseeing executive action. This legislature broadly ensures the making of laws, public involvement and participation as well as accountability.
We can only truly guarantee the legacy of Michael Benjamin Coetzee by doing all the things he lived and died for. Let us continue to improve the quality of life of all our citizens and ensure that the potential of each person is achieved. Let us build a united and democratic South Africa, a South Africa that truly belongs to all who live in it.
So, we salute Mike, the militant young man, community activist, social and political agitator, committed administrator and radical humanist.
Sithi yebo ziyofa izinsizwa nezintombi e-Afrika, kepha ziyosala izibongo! [We know that men and women will die in Africa, but their legacy will remain with us!]
Thank you very much. [Applause.]