Hon Speaker and hon members, when, during recess, I received the message from the Office of the Chief Whip that the hon Mandlenkosi Mbili had been called thither, I did not believe it.
I knew Mandlenkosi from the last Parliament, though he caught up with us midstream. He had this knack of looking and asking for facts, even in ordinary discussions. He was injured after joining Parliament and recuperated for a considerable time but, on his return, he hit the ground running.
When the current Parliament started, hon Mbili served as Whip of Scopa. Although I was serving in the North West Provincial Legislature at that time, there was a revival of old excitements and discussions when we met on occasions when all committees of public accounts would come together.
Mandlenkosi was always a friendly man and it was meet and proper that he was given the role of a Whip in the ruling party. He had leadership qualities, such as accepting people from other fronts and their views. When I was again deployed to the National Assembly in January 2012, hon Mbili never ceased to make me welcome, and his constant refrain was that we had come to meet at the right place.
Mandlenkosi will be missed in the corridors of Parliament. His lanky figure with the limp will no longer tower over some of us as we move in the corridors between the Old Assembly and the new buildings. We take comfort that he graced our lives and accept that he has gone the way of all flesh.
Our condolences from the UCDP go to all his family members, friends, the constituency he served and the broader ANC membership. May his soul rest in peace.