Speaker, my duty today to pay tribute to a friend and colleague, Ntebaleng Mavis Matladi, is not an easy one. I remember her with fondness and love. What was initially passed off as a bout of flu suddenly developed into a more serious illness and she slipped into a coma, eventually succumbing to respiratory failure on 2 December last year. Her family, community and friends were devastated by her sudden passing, especially as she was relatively young.
The late hon Matladi entered local government politics for the UCDP in 1995 and steadily progressed through the party structures until she became the first woman president of the UCDP on 29 January 2011.
We came to be good friends when we were both elected to represent our Parliament at the Pan-African Parliament. We spent many evenings chatting about life in general, our families and our jobs as parliamentarians. I found her to be confident and unafraid to take on challenges. Her decision to stand as president of the UCDP was a tough but necessary one, and she threw herself into this position with passion and enthusiasm.
The late hon Matladi placed great emphasis on education and was herself highly educated. She instilled the same passion for learning in her three children. Today, Dineo is a biochemist, Karabo is an accountant and Keitumetse is a lawyer, bearing testimony to her values.
I had the privilege of visiting her family at their home in Zeerust recently. Her husband, Jacob, spoke with pride of his wife and her many achievements. We also all shared a laugh as we fondly remembered how she loved to dress up. Her husband said that when he came to pack up her home in Cape Town, he just sat on the bed and looked at her wardrobe and remembered how beautiful she looked in her many outfits.
I myself remember during PAP sittings that the MPs from Ghana would arrive with the most exquisite fabrics, and we would get together after the sittings and choose patterns and fabrics for her outfits. Although she has been called to rest early in her life, she has left a legacy of note.
I would like to dedicate the words of Flavia Weedn, entitled "Some People", to Mavis:
Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same. Some people come into our lives and quickly go ... Some stay for a while and embrace our silent dreams. They help us become aware of the delicate winds of hope ... and we discover within every human spirit there are wings yearning to fly ...
This is how I will remember her. The DA offers strength to the Matladi family and to the UCDP at this time of loss.
Robal Ka Kagiso Motaung. [May your soul rest in peace, Motaung.]
May her soul rest in peace. [Applause.]