Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament and colleagues, good afternoon.
Ndimi apha phambi kwenu namhlanje ndixheleke umphefumlo. Ndinyembezana ngoba umzukulwana kaMandela uza kukhwela inqwelomoya namhlanje ajonge kwelasekhaya. Iza kuchopha eMonti inqwelomoya ndize ndibe ndigalelekile kumhlaba wamaXhosa, kumhlaba wamaTshawe ndijonge kwelasebaThenjini.
Ndiza kuphuma ndikhahlela kwiinkosi neekumkani zelizwe lakowethu, kodwa andizi kuva mpendulo evumayo ngoba uluntu lwakowethu lukhathazeke njengam ngoba umhlaba wooyise nooyisemkhulu, ookhokho babo emva kweminyaka sisenza amalinge okuba ubuye awukabuyeli kubo. Ndiza kuwela uMbhashe ndikhahlele kukumkani wakowethu uNgubengcuka, ndikhahlele kumanyange akowethu, kodwa akukho ngoma iza kuvunywa. Endaweni yoko baza kuba beenyembezana bekhathazekile ngoba umhlaba wooyise nooyisemkhulu awukabuyi.
Ndiza kuvela ekhaya kwikomkhulu uMvezo ndihlale ecaleni kothango, kuhle iingwevu neengwevukazi zakowethu zifike zoyame uthango sitye imbadu ngasebuhlanti sisebenzise namathambo entloko. Bazakuthi sizukuzuku sikaMandela, uphi na umhlaba wakowethu? Ndiza kuthandabuza ukuphendula, Sekela Somlomo, kuba namhlanje, xa ndijonga emva kwiminyaka ngeminyaka uluntu lwakowethu lwalahlekelwa ngumhlaba, sisaxova udaka, kunzima kuyenyuka ngoba umhlaba woobawo, oobawomkhulu nookhokho bethu awukabuyi.
Uluntu lwakowethu lalwa iimfazwe lwabulawa, igazi labantwana begazi laphalala bathathwa bagityiselwa esiqithini bexuthwa umhlaba wooyisemkhulu. Namhlanje sithetha ngondoqo ozama ukubuyisa umhlaba wakowethu. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[I stand here before you today broken-hearted. I am tearful, because as Mandela's grandson I am going to board an aeroplane and head home. When the aeroplane lands in East London on my way to Thembuland, I will have reached the land of the Xhosa people, the Tshawe clan in particular.
On the way I am going to salute the chiefs and kings of our land, but this is not going to elicit any positive response because, like me, our people are not happy that after many years of trying their land has not yet been returned to them. I am going to cross the Mbhashe River and salute our King Ngubengcuka, and pay tribute to our ancestors, all of this without singing a song. This is because the communities in these areas will be in tears, concerned that their fathers' and forefathers' land has not yet been returned.
When I get to the Mvezo Great Place I am going to sit by the kraal where elderly men and women of the village will join me in deliberating matters pertaining to them. They are going to ask me, "Mandela's grandson, where is our land?" I will hesitate before I answer, Deputy Speaker, because after all the years that our people have lost their land, we are still miles away from returning to them the land of their forefathers.
Our people died in wars fighting for their land, and the blood of members of royal families was shed as the land of their forefathers was forcefully taken away from them. Today we are addressing the key issue of returning land to its rightful owners.]
Allow me, Deputy Speaker, to emphasise that this will be a milestone achievement on the part of our people, and it will ensure what was envisioned at the Congress of the People in Kliptown on 26 June 1955, that "the land shall be shared amongst those who work it". It can no longer be that, in our land, land ownership is defined according to racial bases.
Hon Speaker, it can never be accepted that only a few enjoy land ownership and that the vast majority are denied access to what we regard as a human right. The willing-buyer, willing-seller policy has frustrated many of our people as we have seen property prices being hiked beyond affordability.
Kudala sizama, amalinge ngamalinge, okufumana umhlaba woobawo, kodwa xa sijonga ezoqoqsho ziya zisenyukela phezulu, umhlaba awufumaneki. Urhulumente wakowethu uyawenza amatiletile okuba ubuye umhlaba kodwa bavalile besithi "soze". Basize ngomqolo. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[We have embarked on various efforts to get the land of our forefathers back, but economic considerations take precendence over this issue. Our government is doing everything in its power to make sure that land is returned to its rightful owners, but there are those who are putting their foot down saying, "Never!" They won't move an inch.]
This policy has so far allowed property owners to block the redistribution of land.
Mandikhe ndithi xa ndigoduka ndikwazi ukuvakalisa nokunika ithemba kuluntu lwakowethu ukuba enyanisweni umbutho wesizwe i-ANC, umhlaba owasilahlekelayo uza kuwubuyisa. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[When I go home to Mvezo Great Place I want to be able to give hope to our people that the national movement, the ANC, is going to return the land we lost.]
The Office of the Valuer-General will be an independent statutory body that will assist with the valuation of land and will ensure proper market value of the land which is available in the country.
Yeyona ngxaki le sikuyo, ngoba abafuni side sifikelele ukuze siwujongisise ngeliso elibukhali umhlaba wakowethu khon' ukuze siqinisekise ukuba ngokwenene yimalini le mihlaba kuthiwa urhulumente makayithenge.Sithi sisemandleni nezi senti zikhona zokuba siqokelele impahla yethu nomhlaba wookhokho bethu, kube nzima kunyukele, siqonde ukuba abavumi. Kodwa ndifuna ukuthi nilibambe lingatshoni, ngoba umhla we-7 kuCanzibe uyeza kwaye uluntu lwethu esilumeleyo kweli cala luthi kwanele ngoku. Umhlaba woobawo mawubuye. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[This is where we have a problem, because they do not want us to access the land they want government to buy so that we can determine the market value thereof. Despite the fact that we are willing and able to raise the monies required to buy back the land of our forefathers, we keep hitting a brick wall. But I want to say to them, they must not let their guard down, because 7 May is coming and the people we represent as this side of the House say enough is enough. The land of our forefathers must be returned.]
The Valuer-General will be responsible for issues such as the provision of fair and consistent land values for rating and tax purposes and determining financial compensation following expropriation under the Expropriation Act or any other policy and legislation which is in compliance with the Constitution.
Kukho le mibutho ingovuk'engceni ihamba ixelela uluntu lwakowethu, ingakumbi ulutsha, ukuba lube ngabarhwaphilizi bomhlaba. Ndifuna ukubacacisela ukuba ufafa olude lukaMandela, uNkosi uLuthuli, ubawo uTambo, iinkokeli zelizwe lakowethu, ezingazange ziyibone inkululeko zisamile zithi nzala yaseMzantsi Afrika sinishiye noMgaqo-siseko oyimbali kuni. Yamani ngawo nenze konke okusemandleni ukuqinisekisa ukuba umhlaba woobawo, umhlaba woobawomkhulu, umhlaba wookhokho bethu uyabuya. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Sithi kuni umhla we-7 kuCanzibe ugalelekile. Singxamile siyaya, ngoba uluntu lwaseMzantsi Afrika luthi unotshe DA unotshe, umhlaba woobawo mawubuye. Ngomhla we-7 kuCanzibe baza kuqinisekisa ukuba baphuma ngobuninzi babo befunga bengajiki besithi umhlaba wethu mawubuye. Sikhulule, Sekela Somlomo, namaLungu ahloniphekileyo ale Ndlu ahleli kweli cala, masizidine siqinisekise ukuba oko besikuthunyiwe ngookhokho bethu noobawomkhulu noobawo siyakwenza, sifunga singajiki sisithi umhlaba mawubuye. Soze sihlale sonwabe umhlaba ungabuyanga. Into esasiyizabalazela, siyilwela, sade sayifela ngumhlaba. Ixesha lifikile ngoku, umhla we-7 kuCanzibe ugalelekile ngoku, mawubuye umhlaba wookhokho bethu. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[There are these fly-by-night political parties that encourage our communities, particularly the youth, to engage in land grabbing. I want to tell the youth that those giants of men, Mandela, Chief Luthuli and Mr Tambo - our former national leaders who never lived to witness freedom - left South Africa's next generation a historic Constitution. They must use it to do everything in their power to make sure that the land of our fathers, our forefathers and ancestors is returned. [Applause.]
We say to you, 7 May is just around the corner. We are in a hurry because the people of South Africa are saying, "Never, DA, never!" Our fathers' land must be returned.
Deputy Speaker and hon members on this side of the House, let us become resolute in pursuing that which our forefathers sent us to do, namely to make sure that their land is returned to us. We are not going to rest until land is returned to us. We struggled, and some of us died, for land. Now is the time! Seven May is here! The land of our forefathers must be returned. [Applause.]]