Hon Chairperson, hon delegates and hon members of the Greater Tubatse community, hon premiers present, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, le mago?i, re a tami?a [and chiefs, I greet you], what we have just witnessed is democracy in action, where views are expressed without fear or favour, in the understanding that we, made up of many parts and many political parties, are but one NCOP. We, belonging to different political formations, are but one South African nation. All of our interventions, all the ideas we generate and express, are aimed at strengthening and deepening our democracy, and therefore making us a better people.
I am sure I speak for many as I now state that many of us came here this morning truly to listen, to learn and to be influenced, so that, going forward in our approach to how we deal with problems, we do so strengthened by the collective brain power gathered here today.
Like everything in life, progress itself is but a function of the working out of opposites. Where there is a monopoly, even in the realm of ideas, that monopoly leads to stagnation. We are therefore heartened by this manifestation of democracy in action, where views are expressed candidly, without fear or favour.
Addressing problems is a process, and in the hierarchy of needs, as we respond promptly to needs, all needs do not go away. If we address one problem, the response is merely to reveal far more complex problems. That is how life works. Therefore, as public representatives, as the governing party, we can never say: We have done enough, now the needs of the people are being addressed. Because we know that, even as we address these needs, new and much more complex needs are being revealed.
I want to give you an example. If you go to informal settlements, where people live in lean-tos or shacks made of corrugated iron, where families live in cardboard boxes and under sheets of plastic, and you provide those families with brick-and-mortar Reconstruction and Development Programme houses, RDP houses, that is a very important delivery, but that in itself does not address all the needs of such families. On the contrary, it simply serves to reveal even more needs of such families. In the informal settlement, in the shack, they may have been living without access to electricity and potable water. But once they are in an RDP house, those needs come to the fore. The needs simply multiply.
Therefore it is important for us to continue to encourage communities to be better organised and better mobilised. We must never ever demobilise communities. If we demobilise them, they will become passive. Then our call, "Together we can do more", will ring hollow, because they will not be there to partner with us in dealing with outstanding problems. This is why it is important to ensure that they are better organised, better resourced, better informed, and better mobilised, in order for them to continue winning back a better quality of life. It will not come of its own. It is always a function of struggle. People must always be encouraged to struggle for a better quality of life. If they are passive, a better quality of life will pass them by, because in this day and age of flyovers, many things fly over our heads.
In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's true character, give them power." Those of us who have power ought to know how to use power responsibly, because we serve at the invitation of our people. These platforms are not permanent. They are a privilege given to us for a short while.
Go lena set?haba sa gaborena, ke rata go le tlogela ka mant?u ao a rego: "Mmu?o o ka se le felele pelo. Le ka moso!" Ke a leboga. [Legoswi.] [I would like to conclude with these words: "The government will be patient. Do the same next time!" Thank you. [Applause.]]