Hon Speaker, Tata Tolo was an upright man who practised genuine humility and who carried himself with courteous dignity. His spiritual belief shaped the course of his life. It is no wonder then that the lifelong activism in him drew strength whenever he was faced with adversity. I refer to the biblical quotation, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31.
All of us who knew him well will know how very fond he was of this quotation. Bishop Tolo was a dedicated churchman, a respected community leader, an enterprising businessperson and a diligent Member of Parliament who pursued social justice for his people without letting up. He took his duties very seriously and he administered pastoral care with passion and a deep sense of humility.
Bishop Tolo was a man in the Walter Sisulu mould. He never sought publicity and yet, among his peers, he was the moral rock that people could depend on. Every one of us will also remember that whenever he addressed this House, he preferred to speak in his native Sepedi because he valued culture and tradition very highly.
He was close to King Sekhukhune and the tribal elders. The Sowetan observed that he was a man "rooted in community". Indeed, he never left his home village of GaMasha in the Sekhukhune area. Today we hear of some of the good work he undertook, of which we had no knowledge. At his own expense, he renovated the GaMasha tribal office, and added three classrooms to the Masha tribal school.
Four families were the recipients of houses he built for them because he was so moved by the circumstances of their lives. At the GaMasha clinic, he built a three-roomed attachment so that pregnant women no longer needed to give birth out in the open. He helped to fence the cemetery and build a toilet in the cemetery complex.
Bishop Tolo generously bore catering expenses when community meetings were held; at every turn he used his influence and resources to bring relief to the people around him. When Madiba visited the Sekhukhune area before the 1994 elections, Bishop Tolo was called up onto the stage and publicly acknowledged by the father of our democracy for his long and distinguished service to the community.
Bishop Tolo was a man of peace and we who knew him well are deeply anguished at the violent nature of his death. We are also immensely saddened by the trauma that his wife Salome and the family experienced on that sad and tragic morning when he was snatched away from all of us.
His strength of character, his humour, his moral rectitude and his unflinching adherence to the truth were what fortified all of us. If politics are served by people of his quality and integrity, no one will ever have any criticism of politicians ever again. This is the challenge he leaves us and the challenge the country wants to see us rise to. Our deepest condolences to his wife, sons, daughters and the entire family!
Robala gabotse, sebata, moetapele wa batho ba Afrika-Borwa. [Rest in peace, a hero and leader of South African people.]
Thank you. [Applause.]