Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity.
Motlat?asepikara, re le ba DA, re re ke ka manyami a magolo go ema mo lehono re i?a mant?u a bohloko a matshidi?o go lapa la mohl ntate Mathundinne George Phadagi, metswalle, meloko le ba mokgatlo wa ANC. Motlat?asepikara, mohl George Phadagi o belegwe ka ngwaga wa 1952 ka di 26 t?a June motseng wa Tswinga kgauswi le toropo ya Thohoyandou, lefaseng la Venda. Ke morwa wa boraro wa bahu Mna Muthelo Andrie le Mme Nyamugamadi Johanna Phadagi. Mohu George Phadagi o hlokofet?e ka di 13 t?a Mei 2012 a le bookelong.
Ntate George Phadagi o thomile sekolo kua Tswinga Poraemari, a fetela Lwamondo Sekontari fao a ilego a dira foromo ya pele go fihla ka ya boraro. Go tloga fao a ya Mphaphuli Sekontari a t?welapele ka foromo ya bone go fihla ka ya bohlano. Gona sekolong seo ke moo a ilego a thoma dipolotiki, e le mokgokaganyi wa mokgatlo wa baithuti wa South African Student Movement.
Go tloga fao ntate Phadagi a ya go ithutela t?a boruti?i Kholet?heng ya Boruti?i ya Venda e bit?wago gore ke Venda College of Education. O ile a phetha le go atlega go hwet?a lengwalo la diploma ya boruti?i ka ngwaga wa 1977. Dipolotiking o ile a beakanya pase ya go i?a maloko a mokgatlo lehung la Mokhomoreiti Steve Biko ka 1977.
O ?omile bjalo ka moruti?i sekolong se se phagamego sa Holy Trinity kua Atteridgeville fao a ilego a t?wet?a dipolotiki t?a gagwe pele. A ?oma le kua Saulsridge moo a ilego a kgethwa ke mokgatlo go tsenela dithuto t?a dipolotiki. Morago a ithutela t?a sesole sa Umkhonto we Sizwe le maloko a mangwe a mokgatlo.
O ile a gapelet?wa go ba leloko la mokgatlo wa baruti?i wa Tuata. Ka nako yeo ke ge mokgatlo o ?omi?ana le mmu?o. O ile a se lefe t?helete ya mokgatlo wa baruti?i gomme a rakwa sekolong seo. Go tloga fao o ile a yo ?oma sekolong se se phagamego sa Wallmansthal. O ile a swarelwa dipolotiki gomme a emelwa ke ramolao wa maemo a godimo ntate Dikgang Moseneke yo e lego Motlat?atona ya Toka wa Kgorotsheko ya Molaotheo ka se sebaka.
Morago ga gore a lokollwe kgolegong o ile a boela gae Venda go t?wet?a mo?omo wa gagwe wa boruti?i pele. Yena o ?omile dikolong t?a sekontari, sa Mphaphuli le sa Muvhavha, t?a praemari sa Murangoni le sa Guyuni. O ile a i?wa praemari ka lebaka la dipolotiki gore a se huet?e bana ka moya wa dipolotiki.
O ile a tlogela boruti?i a ya go ?omela in?orense ya Metropolitan moo le gona a ilego a t?wet?a dipolotiki pele. O ile a kgethwa go ba modulasetulo wa ANC Tikologong ya Far North. Ka 1995, nakong t?a Transitional Local Councils, o ile a kgethwa go ba ratoropo wa Greater Thohoyandou. Ka 2001 a ba khanselara ya mmasepala wa Thulamela.
Ka ngwaga wa 2001 ANC e ile ya mo romela Palamenteng fao a ilego a ?oma Komiting ya Photefolio ya t?a Dikgokaganyo. Go tloga ka 2004 go fihla ka 2009 o ile a ba Komiting ya Photefolio ya Profense le Pu?oselegae. Gona fao ke moo nna le Ntate Phadagi re ilego ra kopana gona, ka gore ka ngwaga wa 2004 ke wona ngwaga woo le nna ke tlilego Palamenteng ka wona. Ke ile ka hwet?a Ntate Phadagi e le motho yo bonolo, ntate wa go ba le tlhompho a kgona go tseba gore motho ge e sa le yo moswa o bont?hwa bjang mo?omo. E be e le ntate wa tlhompho, yo borutho. Go nna e be e le motswadi wa lerato, wa maele. O be a rata kudu gore ke dule kgauswi le yena ge re ile dikopanong t?a dikomiti t?a diphotefolio, a rata go mpont?ha sela le sela.
Ntate Phadagi o be a mpha dikelet?o, a mpot?a gape le ka t?a kgwebo. O ile a mpont?ha gape gore ke swanelwa ke gore ke re ke sa le yo moswa ke le mo dipolotiking ke tsebe gore ka le lengwe la mat?at?i ke tla fihla mafelelong a t?ona. O ile a ntemo?a gore ge ke fihlile mafelelong, ke swanet?e go ba le kgwebo yeo e lego gore ke tla kgona go iphedi?a ka yona.
Ke bone maele a gagwe e le maele a bohlokwa mo bophelong bja ka. Ge ke seno kgethwa ke etla mo Palamenteng, ke thoma go ema mo podiamong ke bolela gomme maloko a mangwe a nt?hupa ka menwana ba nkgarola, yena o be a re ge ke fedit?e go bolela ka morago ga go dula ga Palamente, a re go nna: "Swathe o a gola, ke se seo se diragalago mo Palamenteng."
Ke mo gopola ka mant?u ao, le ka mokgwa wo a bego a nkelet?a ka gona, le go mpont?ha t?a bophelo gobane ke motho yo mogolo yo e lego gore o be a ?et?e a bone t?e dint?i. Ka 2009, ge a tlo tloga Palamenteng, Ntate Phadagi o ile a ntaela a re: "Swathe ga ke sa tlo boa mo Palamenteng, ke boela gae ke ya go hlokomela kgwebo."
Morago ga fao o ile a kgethwa go ba MEC ya Me?omo ya Mmu?o go la Limpopo, fao a ilego a ntelet?a mogala a re: "Swathe ke bidit?we ke mokgatlo gore ke ye go thu?a Limpopo ke be MEC." Ke ile ka mo lebogi?a ka ba ka mo lakalet?a mahlatse le mahlogonolo gomme le yena a thabela seo.
Mohu Ntate George Phadagi o tlogela mosadi wa gagwe Thinamaano, barwa ba babedi, barwedi ba babedi le setlogolo. Ba ga Phadagi ga la lahlegelwa ke motswadi le le no?i, Afrika Borwa e lahleget?we ke mogale, moetapele wa mmakgonthe. Re le ba DA le set?haba ka bophara, re re moya wa gagwe o robale ka khut?o. Re tla dula re mo gopola ge le hlaba le ge le dikela. Ke a leboga. [Legofsi.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)
[Deputy Speaker, DA members are conveying their condolences to the family of Muthundinne George Phadagi, his friends, relatives and ANC members. Deputy Speaker, hon George Phadagi was born on 26 June 1952 in Tswinga village next to Thohoyandou in Venda. He was the third son of the late Mr Muthelo Andrie and Mrs Nyamugamadi Johanna Phadagi. He died in hospital on 13 May 2012.
Hon George Phadagi started school in Tswinga Primary School and went to Lwamondo Secondary School to do Standard 6 to Standard 8. He then went to Mphaphuli Secondary School, where he did Standard 9 and Standard 10, and that is where he started to be involved in politics. He was the organiser of the South African Student Movement while at this school.
Hon Phadagi went to train as a teacher at the Venda College of Education and completed his diploma in 1977. He organised a bus that transported ANC members to the funeral of the late Comrade Steve Biko in 1977.
He worked as a teacher at Holy Trinity School in Atteridgeville, where he also continued to be involved in politics. While working at Saulsridge he was selected by members of the party to go and study politics. He later trained as uMmkhonto we Sizwe cadre together with other members of the party.
He was forced to join Tuata, a teacher union which worked cooperatively with the government at that time but was later expelled from the school because he defaulted on monthly contributions for the union. He also worked as a teacher at Wallmansthal High School. He was arrested for his involvement in politics and was represented by Mr Dikgang Moseneke, who was a well-known attorney at that time. He is now the Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.
After his release from prison he went back to Venda to continue with his work as a teacher. He taught in Mphaphuli Secondary School, Muvhavha Secondary School, Murangoni Primary School and Guyuni Primary School. The reason behind his deployment to primary schools was to protect the high school students because he was going to influence them to join politics. He quit teaching and joined Metropolitan Insurance Company, where he continued to be active in politics. He was appointed as the chairperson of ANC's Far North branch. In 1995 he was appointed as the major of Greater Thohoyandou during the Transitional Local Councils. He also served as a councillor in Thulamela Municipality.
The ANC sent him to Parliament in 2001, where he served on the Portfolio Committee on Communications. He also served on the Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government from 2004 to 2009. I met hon Phadagi in 2004 when I came to Parliament. He was a loving and respectful person who was interested in teaching the new Members of Parliament how the work is done. To me he was a loving parent who had a lot of advice to give. He always wanted me to sit next to him during portfolio committee meetings so that he could explain to me how the work is done.
Mr Phadagi used to talk with me about business and told me that one day I was going to retire from politics and it was therefore important for me to start a business that would serve as a source of income after my retirement.
His advice made a huge impact in my life. When I gave my first speech at the podium after my arrival in Parliament, other members pointed fingers at me, but he said to me after the sitting: "You are growing, Swathe, this is what is happens in Parliament."
I remember his words and the advice he used to give me about life in general because as a grown-up he had already experienced many things in life. When he left Parliament in 2009, he said to me: "Swathe, I am going home to look after my business. I won't come back to Parliament."
When he was appointed as MEC for Public Works in Limpopo he called me and said: "Swathe, I have been appointed to serve as MEC in Limpopo." I congratulated him and wished him the best in his new job and he appreciated that.
The late hon George Phadagi is leaving behind his wife Thinamaano, two sons, two daughters and a grandchild. His passing away is not a loss to the Phadagi family alone; South Africa has lost a hero, a true leader. He will always be remembered by DA members and the whole nation. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you. [Applause.]]