Mr Speaker, it is the highest honour to speak on behalf of the ANC to congratulate Comrade President Jacob Zuma on being elected President of the democratic Republic of South Africa. Comrade President, as the members of the House, we pledge ourselves to work tirelessly with the executive branch of government you are about to lead for the total liberation of all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, lack of decent jobs, suffering, gender, class and other forms of discrimination.
The ANC is quite aware that the task at hand will not be easy. But our people have mandated President Zuma and the ANC to change South Africa from a country in which the majority lived with little hope to one in which the people as a whole can live and work with dignity, with a sense of self- respect and respect for others. Furthermore, they have mandated President Zuma and the ANC to continue working for the creation of a united, democratic and prosperous South Africa in which the value of every citizen is measured by our common humanity: ubuntu, botho [humanity].
In pursuit of this ideal, we will unreservedly support you, Comrade President, to enable you to improve the lives of all our people, both black and white. Our road to that glorious future lies, as you always told us, in collective hard work to accomplish the objective of creating a people- centred and people-driven society, realising the moral and ethical values embedded in our Constitution, and creating a cohesive and caring society in which the collective wellbeing will reign supreme.
We have fought for the realisation of a spiritual, humane and caring society since the 1880s. You taught us that our struggle has always been informed by the sound moral vision that informed the ANC's human rights charters and finally found its way into the 1996 Constitution.
In conclusion, in our campaign Comrade President ably made out the case for the creation of cohesive, caring and sustainable communities, based on the ANC's moral vision and the human rights culture embedded in our Constitution. The overwhelming majority of South Africans, both black and white, gave you a full mandate to govern. Good luck! You have our unreserved support.
The ANC pledges itself to work with all parties in Parliament, to deepen the oversight role of Parliament. We know that under President Zuma we will continue to promote and defend the integrity of state institutions, including the judiciary and law-enforcement agencies, and to speed up the transformation of our society and institutions.
Usiphathe kakuhle! [Treat us well!] O re tshware ka kgotso! [Treat us well!] Congratulations! [Applause.]