Hon Speaker, hon President, hon Deputy President, let me start by congratulating the Speaker on his election today. I hope that we will get it right and not say "Madam Speaker".
The ID would like to congratulate Mr Zuma on his election as President of our country today. We acknowledge that the road to the Presidency has not been a smooth one, and many questions have been asked. But we respect the choice of the South African voters and we also respect the Office of the President.
President Zuma takes over at a difficult time, and we hope that he puts together a good team to meet the enormous challenges we face. We need to increase our fight against unemployment, poverty, crime and corruption, and improve health care, education and service delivery to all our people.
The ID acknowledges that there are many good ideas and policies, but the key challenge is implementation. We hope that the President will show the necessary political will to drive implementation and to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation at all levels of government.
As the ID, we will continue to be vigilant and keep a close eye on government to ensure that it remains accountable and transparent, and upholds the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. The ID, Mr President, remains committed to playing its part in the transformation and development of our country. I thank you. [Applause.]