Hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon colleagues, as I have listened to speeches this afternoon, it became clear to me that there are two things that are quite evident. The first one is that there are maybe many issues that we need to discuss in different politically motivated debates and forums, which we perhaps do not do often enough. The second one is that it is quite clear that the election is clearly in the air.
I want to start off by saying thank you to each and every colleague in this House. We should never forget that we, in terms of section 32(3) of the Constitution, as members of the National Assembly, are here to represent the people of South Africa. We represent the people, all the people of South Africa and all our constituencies and citizens out there. In everything that we do in this House, how we behave, how we prepare, what we do, what we say, we should always be truthful to and worthy of the people that we represent - our citizens out there.
I want to say a word of thanks to the staff of Parliament - to all the staff, the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make it possible for us to do our jobs.
A word of thanks to the media - the people who report what we are saying and doing on a daily basis. Without their reports, Parliament would be quite silent.
To the protection services, the people out there in uniform - you make sure that we are safe in this environment, in this complex on a daily basis to do our job - a word of thanks.
Aan die agb Speaker en die ander voorsittende beamptes, 'n woord van opregte dank vir die wyse waarop u die Parlement hanteer, en vir die wyse waarop ons onsself hier kan handhaaf en saam met u werk op die pad vorentoe. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[To the hon Speaker and the other presiding officers, a word of sincere thanks for the way in which you handle Parliament, and for the way in which we can assert ourselves here and work with you on the road ahead.]
We are all colleagues, and that is why we are talking to one another. Although not blood related, you are the special people in our lives and are all part of our journey as we continue to grow and move on in our lives and our careers. We should never forget that. We may differ on many things, but in the end, we are colleagues, we represent the people out there.
I want to say as a conclusion, enjoy your holidays, and enjoy Christmas and the festive season. Go out and rest, because we all know that when we return next year, it will be election time and it will be a different ball game. Let us do that, but let us do that in a way that is worthy of the people we represent. [Applause.]