Chairperson and hon members, the debate, short-timed as it may be, provides us with a very rare opportunity to re-examine ourselves and our attitudes and stereotypes.
The notion of ubuntu has a very long history. It is a history that resisted attempts at its annihilation and thereby proved its extraordinary durability. We have seen many years of colonial rule, which sit at the centre of attempts to introduce contrary values to the values of ubuntu. But that notwithstanding, the values of ubuntu continue to be the cornerstone of the existence of our nation and indeed the humanistic programmes of our government.
Many writers, reflecting on this notion of ubuntu, do recognise that this philosophy is a philosophy that makes South African people uniquely different in their way of responding to issues. If you look at and ponder practices elsewhere, particularly conflicts in places like the Middle East, Yugoslavia, for instance, and look at our own experience, it becomes vividly clear that if we were not driven by this notion and principle of ubuntu, reconciliation in South Africa would never have been possible. This calls upon all of us as a nation to genuinely re-examine what the lessons of ubuntu are.
Particularly, in reference to this issue that gave rise to us debating this matter, I want to state categorically that when we visited Comrade Yengeni, without violating and undermining the rule of law, we were affirming that the walls of prison will not keep us from practising ubuntu. It was about showing our concern for his wellbeing. This is an unconditional extension of ubuntu by one person to another human being.
Visiting Comrade Yengeni in jail was therefore a form of vomiting out the colonial notion of a prison that is a hell of bonfires in which people must be perpetually tortured in all human dimensions to maximum effect. This notion of a prison has led to the rejection of prison inmates by the community. By visiting Comrade Yengeni we generously extended love, compassion, respect, kindness, concern, forgiveness, warmth and support to all fellow countrymen and women languishing in our jails.
Ubuntu has also been used throughout our history in gaining credibility for collective action in the form of stokvels, amalima [co-operative action], vukuzenzele [rise up and act], etc. It has enabled African nations to identify themselves with their roots by forming the Organisation of African Unity. Ubuntu has been used to bind families together through marriages and the payment of "lobola" as an act of ubuntu to extend thanks to the other family which consented to give away their daughter.
Ubuntu has been used extensively during times of sorrow and happiness as well as during times of danger and suffering, and has become a symbol of peace and gratification among the people of Africa. During the wars of liberation, the African frontline states amassed their armies under the command of MK, Zipra, Zanu, Fapla and Frelimo. These African armies fought for the love of their countries and tried to wrestle control of their land from western imperialism. Had there been no ubuntu among our armies, we could never have gained our independence.
Ubuntu is a tool used by indigenous African nations to build solid relations with other nations and is a foundation for family development. Ubuntu shown by the mother of a little child lingers forever in his memory and is regarded as an indelible attribute that cannot be faulted.
Sincere people all over the world demonstrate their ubuntu in various forms by giving the little they have and are rewarded by the cosmic forces in return. The laws of nature state that those who give voluntarily will be rewarded double the amount they contributed towards benefaction.
In the 21st century, the ubuntu ideology, which has been transmitted from one generation to the other throughout Africa, has now emerged as a binding force to help develop Third World countries, which are undergoing development and whose economies have been plundered by the Western occupying forces.
When most African states got their independence from colonial rule, the economies of these countries were in ruins since all profits had been repatriated during their occupation. When they left, they took away all the valuable and movable assets. In order to survive this ordeal, the nations of Africa started the rebirth or renewal of the sociopolitical and economic development aspects of the continent with one constant companion, ubuntu, as an ally, motivator and redeemer.
Ubuntu is a God-given attribute. He imbued the mothers of this African continent with power to transmit ubuntu through caring for and nurturing the young. The father extends ubuntu by looking after the goodwill of the family fortune, keeping peace and protecting the family from harm. God gives the government the power to make just laws and in the end the whole nation becomes blessed and protected from oppression by other nations. This is how we got our own independence. We did not invade other countries, occupy them, steal their land and possessions nor did we expatriate their assets.
Ubuntu is a foundation for moral regeneration and it encompasses and promotes the achievement of the following moral values: responsibility, honesty, respect, compassion, trustworthiness, justice, self-reliance, loyalty, truthfulness; and it arouses spiritual consciousness. Ubuntu is therefore a powerful tool that can be used effectively through the process of continuous meditation to achieve peace throughout the world.
Ubuntu forms the backbone of our new democratic society. It is a unifying value system in a society divided and ravaged by apartheid, having played a major role in the forging of national consciousness and in the process of nation-building. It underpins the cultural and spiritual orientation of our new nation. It has been embraced in different cultures and languages, as reflected in the phrase "Simunye - we are one" eulogised in word and song on television and in, other news media. It has turned the country from a nation cast out of the global village into one contributing to global peace. It is because of this contribution that we are sitting on the Security Council of the United Nations today.
In closing, hon members, it is my considered opinion that it is a collective responsibility for all South Africans to defend the values of ubuntu. It is the responsibility of all South Africans to nurture the profound virtue of ubuntu and also invite those who are outside the common fold of ubuntu to come forward and have their souls cleansed so that they can enjoy the spirit of liberation which is continuously exuded through ubuntu in our democratic South Africa.
Umntu ngumntu ngabanye abantu. Inxeba lendoda alihlekwa. [A person is a person through other people. Don't laugh at another person's misfortune.] Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
Chairperson, ubuntu is a uniquely African concept. It implies a belief in the universal kind of sharing that connects all humanity. No black African needs to be told exactly what ubuntu means. It is the same word in isiZulu and isiXhosa but, for the benefit of those who might have heard the word and need a rough translation, it goes something like this, in English: humanity towards others, or I am because we are.
Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. Ngiyimi ngenxa yenu. [A person is a person through other people. I am what I am because of you.]
Or a person becomes human through other persons. Another translation could be the belief in a universal kind of sharing that connects all humanity. Such a concept will be familiar to those of religious faith. Christians believe in loving your brother as yourself. The Islamic concept Sadaqatul or perpetual charity in helping others to the advantage of the collective over the interests of themselves is demonstrated by South African Muslims who have collected, many times, donations for victims of disasters around the world, and most other religions have similar beliefs.
It would appear that the simple meaning of ubuntu is merely humanity, but ubuntu actually has a much richer meaning than the English word. According to Wikipedia it means humanity, but that is all of humankind; humanity in the sense of human nature; humanity in the sense of being human and humane; humanity in the sense of education; humanity in the sense of civility and socialisation; and humanity in the sense of humanness, decency and human dignity.
Ingane yami ingane yakho, ingane yakho ingane yami ... [My child is your child, your child is my child ...]
... so the saying goes. My child is your child and your child is my child.
A few weeks ago this House debated the issue of maintenance and the problem raised regarding the nonpayment of maintenance orders. It is hard to believe that the Chief Whip of the ANC in this House has the cheek to put forward the subject of ubuntu for discussion and that this is followed by the words, and I quote: "... as it dictates our approaches and conduct towards others who may find themselves in difficult times". Hon Goniwe, how ironic that we should be debating ubuntu today, given the report in the Mail and Guardian this past Friday! Hon Goniwe needs to remember that it is all very well to talk about ubuntu but you need to live it too. I am sure you will sleep very peacefully tonight after you have lectured us all on the values of ubuntu. Do you ever think about children who are sleeping with empty tummies because they are not getting the maintenance to which they are entitled by law?
When people do not live up to their responsibilities, they make a complete mockery of their legal system and this institution, and the work it tries to do. What is the point of the Joint Monitoring Committee on the Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women going on oversight visits and berating magistrates, prosecutors and the SAPS for not doing their job as far as implementing the Maintenance Act, when there are people setting such an example?
Why should some men pay maintenance for their children when others don't? Ubuntu is a wonderful value system. The ANC Chief Whip should think long and hard about the difficult times his own children find themselves in because of his arrogant and uncaring attitude. [Applause.]
Hon Chair, the first question we have to ask ourselves today is: What is the current situation in our country? This is very important in understanding the values of ubuntu and its importance to our people. Our streets are dominated by thieves and other criminals; our schools are war zones and there is a complete breakdown in authority at most levels; our families are dysfunctional with fathers raping their children, individuals abdicating their responsibilities and children defying parental authority.
I can go on for a very long time but suffice it to say that there is currently a very high degree of societal and political decay to be found in our country. With such high levels of moral degeneration, we must concede that our country is becoming a weak state. Part of the problem is the increasing level of moral relativism where nothing is explicitly wrong or inherently bad. In Afrikaans we say, "laat maar loop".["anything goes".]
The subject of today's discussion suggests that in a situation such as the one we find ourselves in, we should turn to ubuntu for the answers and remedies. There is some truth to be found in that. But ubuntu is not a switch for lights that can be flicked on and off depending on the demands of a particular situation or problem, neither is it a coat to be taken on and off depending on the weather.
In our everyday lives some very important ubuntu principles have either been ignored or jettisoned altogether. Let me mention some of these ubuntu principles. Ubuntu says that a person is a person through other people.
Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. [A person is a person through other people.]
This ubuntu principle is the opposite of the Western principle of individuality. But, most importantly, this principle also means that an individual alone is not responsible for his or her failures or successes. His or her fellow beings are his or her immediate support system. His or her society must be so structured that it promotes human success.
So when we judge individuals, ubuntu does not allow for the adoption of a holier-than-thou attitude. Our society today lacks the necessary support systems for individual fulfilment. The rich are not willing to share. In the ubuntu tradition, there were safety measures against individual frailties, such as "ukusisa" [allocating something to someone so they can survive] for instance - and there would be no person in society, according to ubuntu, that would go hungry in the midst of plenty.
We have to ask ourselves here, as Members of Parliament: Do we form the necessary support systems for our colleagues or do we wait and gloat over some of our colleagues' difficulties? To such people, we would say in a Zulu aphorism: Abanabuntu. [They lack humanity.]
Another very important attribute of the ubuntu philosophy ... [Time expired.] Abanabuntu. [They lack humanity.].
Ndo livhuwa, Mudzulatshidulo na mira?o yo?he ya Buthano ?a Lushaka. Hei ?hoho ya namusi i na ndeme khulwane kha muthu mu?we na mu?we wa Afurika Tshipembe. Ro aluwa ri tshi zwi ?ivha zwauri vhuthu ndi tshone tshithu tshihulwane. Arali wa hau a tshi lila, u lila nae ngauri ndi muthu, u fana na muthu mu?we na mu?we. Na kha bugu ya ma?walo ho ?waliwa u pfi lilani na vha lalaho. I tshi ya phan?a iri, u ya mu?ani wa zwililo, zwi fhira u ya mu?ani wa dakalo. Hezwo ndi tsumbo ya uri rine vhathu, vhuthu ri a vhu ?ivha. Ndi ngazwo musi mu?we wa hashu a tshi lila, ri tshi lila nae, ngauri heyo ndi yone tsumbo ya vhuthu.
Kha ri ?ivhe u fhandekanya vhuthu na zwi?we na zwithu. Ri songo ?anganyisa zwithu. A ri koni u dzula ra peta zwan?a, ngeno mu?we wa hashu e ma?unguni. Ri fanela u sendela khae, ra vha nae, ra mu khuthadza, na ene u ?o pfa o vhofholowa naho e ma?unguni mahulwane. Muthu ha la?i ?wana nga pha?i. Ane a vha wau ndi wau, u isa nga hu sa fheli. Vha?we vha ita zwi?a zwa uri fhondo ?i si ?au, u ?huvha ?i tshi lila. Rine sa ANC, a ri zwi iti hezwo.
U dalela muthu musi hu na ma?ungu, ndi zwithu zwa kale na kale. Ro zwi wana, nahone ri ?o dovha ra zwi sia, ngauri ndi mvelele yashu. A ri nga shanduki, naho ri tshi zwi ?ivha zwauri mvelele dzashu dzo fhambana. Musi ri tshi ?a kha vhuthihi, ri tou vha tshithu tshithihi, nahone ri bva phan?a. Hezwo ndi zwone zwine ?wana wa MuAfurika a ?i?ongisa ngazwo. Ndi zwashu nahone a ri pfi ri tshi zwi shonela.
Kha ri sedze vhuthu kha vhadzulatsini. Mi?a yo dzulelanaho tsini, i vha tshithu tshithihi. Zwine mu?we mu?a wa bika, u avhela yo?he ya tsini; u fana na zwidzimba, thophi na zwi?we zwinzhi. Vhana vhashu vha tamba vho?he, nahone vha a ?ivhana, na u ?a, vha ita vha tshi ?a vho?he. Hezwi zwo?he zwi vha zwi tshi khou sumbedza uri muthu ndi muthu nga mu?we. Arali mubebi wa ?wana a si ho, u a kona u sala nga tsini, ngauri vha mu dzhia sa ?wana wavho. Kha ndi sumbedze ndeme ya u tshilisana. Kale musi mu?ini wa nga tsini hu na mufumakadzi o ?ihwalaho, vhakegulu vha mi?i ya tsini, vho vha vha sa tsha fara nyendo ndapfu u itela uri vha kone u thusa nga ?uvha ?a musi a tshi tsa mirini. Izwo zwo vha zwi tshi itiswa ngauri tshifhingani tsha kale ho vha hu si na dziki?iniki na zwibadela, mahayani. Hezwo ndi vhuthu, nahone ri bva naho kule.
U sumbedza u tshilisana ha MaAfurika, ro vha ri na zwithu zwine zwa nga madavha, zwine musi muthu e na mushumo, o vha a tshi ramba davha; ?i nga vha ?a vhanna, vhasadzi, kana vhaswa. Hafha hu vha hu tshi tou vha tshumisano. Hu vha hu si na mbuelo kana muholo. Ndi hezwi?a zwine ra ri munwe muthihi a u ?usi mathuthu. Vhuthu hovhu a vhu ngo thoma ?a?waha. Ndi zwithu zwashu. Vhathu vha sa zwi ?ivhi vha songo tshuwa; ri bva nazwo kule.
Vhuthu ri vhu sumbedza nga n?ila nnzhi dzo fhambanaho. Kha ri dzhie tsumbo nga misanda yashu, ngauri ri a i ?honifha ra dovha ra i hulisa, musi tsho limuwa, vhathu vho?he ri a bva ra ya dzundeni u lima. Musi hu tshi kaniwa, ri dovha ra bva ra ya u kana. Hezwo zwo?he, zwo vha zwi tshi sumbedza uri hu na vhuthu, ngauri a huna muthu ane a tou kombetshedza mu?we uri kha ri ye.
Ngauri ri a zwi ?ivha zwauri mavhele a musanda ndi a vhathu vho?he, ro vha ri tshi shuma mbilu dzashu dzo vhofholowa. Muthu mu?we na mu?we musi o fhelelwa nga zwi?iwa u ya musanda, a tshi swika a ?uselwa zwi?iwa nga dakalo. A hu na muthu ane a e?ela na n?ala. Arali muthu a e?ela na n?ala, u tou vha o tou litsha u tevhela zwi?iwa musanda.
Musi vhathu vho malelana, ho vha hu tshi vha na vhushaka ha vhu?i nga maan?a. Vho-Makhulu na vhakwasha vha a dalelana. Musi wa musidzana a tshi ?ihwala nga ?wana wa u thoma, u ya hayani ha vhabebi vhawe, hapfi o ya tshihulu. Musi a tshi vhofholowa, nahone a tshi vhuisiwa hayani, hu itwa mahalwa, ha sindiwa makhopfu, mikusule, na n?uhu dzo sin?iwaho u itela u ko?ela mukusule hou?a une wa khou bva kha Vho-Makhulu. Nga murahu ha izwo, musi Vho-Makhulu vha tshi ya u vhona ?wana, vha isa tsetshelo hangei vhakwashani. Hafho hu vha na tshimima tshihulu ngauri hu rambiwa mashaka, dzikhonani na vhahura. Murumba wa ?wa u tshi ?ambela tshan?a, ?i ?a maladze.
Vhuthu ri bva naho kule ngamaanda. Vhaswa musi vha tshi aluwa, vho vha vha tshi ya zwikoloni zwo fhambanaho u ya u guda milayo ine ya ?o vha thusa u fha?a vhumatshelo. Izwo zwo vha zwi tshi itelwa uri vha kone u vha vhanna na vhafumakadzi vha vhukuma, vhane vha vha na vhu?ifhinduleli na u ?ivha uri muthu ndi mini. Ndi ngazwo ?wana wa MuAfurika a tshi aluwa a zwi ?ivha zwauri ?wana u ?honifha muhulwane khae, zwi sa ambi uri ndi nnyi nahone ane a bva ngafhi.
Vho vha vha tshi ya zwikoloni zwine zwa nga sa murunduni, tshi?amboni na dombani - hezwi zwo vha zwi tshi itwa nga vhatukana. Vhasidzana vhone vha ya musevhethoni, khombani - vhushani, na dombani. Domba ?i tshiniwa nga vho?he, vha?hannga na dzikhomba ngauri havha vha vha vho no ?iimisela u ya u fha?a mi?a. Vha tshina fhethu huthihi nahone nga madekwana. Vhathu vha nga pfa vha tshi mangala, fhedzi ho vha hu si na zwo khakheaho zwine zwa bvelela. Vho vha vho gudiswa milayo ya vhuthu uri muthu u ita mini u itela uri a vhe muthu kwae.
Ndi ngazwo ?wana wa MuAfurika a tshi vhona muthu mu?we na mu?we a mu ?honifha, nahone a mu lumelisa. ?wana ndi wa mubebi mu?we na mu?we. Heyo ndi yone mvelelo ya MaAfurika. MaAfurika vha na zwinzhi zwine vha nga ?i?ongisa ngazwo, nahone vha dovha hafhu vha gudisa lushaka. Mabepha ndi i?we n?ila ya u sumbedza vhuthu ha MaAfurika. Muvhundu mu?we u a kona u ya u dalela mu?we, ha ?wa hu tshi khou tshiniwa zwithu zwi ngaho sa tshipai, nanga na tshikona. Hu vha hu tshi khou nwiwa, ho ?havhiwa na kholomo nahone ho bikiwa na zwi?iwa.
Musi vha tshi ?uwa, vha fhiwa tshizwa tsha kholomo vha ?uwa natsho, tsha iswa musanda na halwa vhune vha vha vho vhuya naho. Hezwi zwo?he zwi ?ewa vhathu vhane vha ?a musanda u ?o?a zwi?iwa. Mabepha haya ndi i?we n?ila ya u dalelana ha mahosi. Havha vhathu vha vhumba vhukonani. Arali ha pfi musanda ufhio vho dzhenelwa, na mi?we misanda i a takutshedza na mmbi dzayo. Ndi i?we n?ila ya uri arali wa hau o wa nga khofheni, u fanela u sendela khae. U nga si ime kule wa sea, vhudzuloni ha uri u mu thuse. Rine a ri zwi ?ivhi hezwo sa MaAfurika. Zwine ra zwi ?ivha ndi zwauri ri tea u thusana. Musi hu na zwi si zwavhu?i, tshashu ndi u sendela tsinisa na avho vho welwaho, ngauri vhuthu ndi tshithu tshihulwane; ndi ngazwo hu na mbekanyamushumo ya Batho Pele kha mihasho ya muvhuso. Kha mafhungo a u fuwa, muthu o vha a sa koni u zwi vhona zwauri hu na vhathu vha si na zwifuwo ngauri vhana musi vha tshi ya malisoni, vho vha vha tshi bva vho?he, vhane vha vha na zwifuwo na vha sina.
Musi kholomo kana mbudzi dzi tshi hamiwa, vho vha vha tshi shelelana mafhi, mu?we na mu?we a ?uwa o fara. Hezwi muthu u tshi dalela hei mi?a u ya nga u fhambana hayo, u ?o wana hu tshi khou sukiwa mafhi mi?ani yo?he. Havha?a vha si na zwifuwo, vha dovha hafhu vha swaelwa ?amana kana mbudzana, zwa dzula henefho dangani u swikela hoyo muthu hu tshi pfi zwino o aluwa, u khou ya u shambila. Ndi hone zwi tshi bvisa hafho dangani, zwa itelwa danga ?azwo hayani ha hawe.
Zwi?we zwine ra fanela u zwi ?ivha ndi zwauri heyo kholomo kana mbudzi, na musi ya nga zwala ?amana nngana, i ?uwa nadzo dzo?he ngauri ndi dza onoyo o swaelwaho. MaAfurika vha na zwinzhi zwine vha nga ?i?ongisa ngazwo na u funza ?ifhasi a nga u angaredza ngauri ho?he hune vha ya hone, vha tshimbila vho hwala vhuthu. Hezwo ndi mvelele yavho nahone vha ?o zwi ita u isa nga u sa fheli. Ndi a livhuwa. [U vhanda zwan?a.] (Translation of Tshivenda speech follows.)
[Ms T E LISHIVHA: Thank you, Chairperson, and all members of the National Assembly. Today's topic is crucial to every person in South Africa. We grew up knowing that humanity is the main thing. If your fellow man is in trouble, you sympathise with him or her, because he or she is a human being like any other. Even in the Bible it is written that we should join those in mourning. It goes on to say that it is better to be with those who are mourning than those who are celebrating. That exemplifies that we know what humanity is. That is why when one among us is mourning, we mourn with the person, because that is an example of humanity.
We should know how to differentiate humanity from other things. We should not confuse things. We cannot just sit back whilst one of us is in trouble. We need to be with the person and console him or her so that he or she can feel better even when the troubles are worse. A person cannot reject his or her child because of scabies. Whoever is your relative is your relative forever. Others prefer to be rough with something that does not belong to them. We in the ANC do not do that.
Visiting a person when there are troubles is something from long ago. We found it, and it will continue after we perish because it is our culture. We will not change even though we know that our cultures are different. When it comes to unity we are united, in fact we are the best. That is the pride of an African. They belong to us and we are not ashamed.
Let us look at humanity in neighbours. Families that are neighbours are unified. Whatever one family cooks, it will dish up for the neighbours, like traditional foods such as zwidzimba, thophi and others. Our children play together and they know each other; sometimes they eat together. All this shows that a person is a person because of other people. If a child's parent is not there, the child can stay with the neighbour since they regard the child as theirs.
Let me highlight the importance of social interaction. Long ago when a woman was pregnant, old women from the families nearby would not go to places far away, so that they could lend a hand when she went into labour. That was because in the past there were no clinics and hospitals in the rural areas. That is humanity and it originated long in the past.
To highlight the social interaction of Africans, we had traditional social clubs comprised of men, women or youths, who would come to help whenever one had a task to perform. It is co-operation in this regard. There is no profit or payment. That is why we say one finger cannot lift a pebble. This humanity did not start this year. It is our own culture. Those who do not know should not be frightened. We have come a long way with it.
Humanity can be shown in many different ways. Let us take our chiefs as an example, because we respect and honour them. When it is summer, all the people go to plough the chief's maize field. When it is time to harvest, all of us go there to harvest. All that shows that there is humanity since there is no one who forces others to go there.
Because we knew that the chief's maize was for all the people, we worked with enthusiasm. When one's food was finished, one would go to the chief's kraal and upon arrival would be given food. No one went to bed hungry. If a person went to bed hungry, he or she had decided not to go and fetch food at the chief's kraal.
When people are related by marriage, there is a very sound relationship. The wife's people and the husband's people visit each other. When the wife becomes pregnant with her first child, she goes to her parents to give birth. When she gives birth and eventually comes back home, traditional beer is brewed, crushed maize is stamped in a mortar. Vegetables are cooked and dried and peanuts are ground to be cooked with the vegetables from the wife's people. After that, when the wife's parents come to see the child, they bring traditional beer, maize crushed in a mortar and a chicken to the husband's people. There is a great gathering of people invited to a celebration; because relatives, friends and neighbours are invited. There is singing and dancing and people are happy.
We come a long way with humanity. When the youth grow up, they go to different circumcision schools to learn the precepts which will help mould their future. That is done to help them be real men and women, who have the responsibility and know what a human being is. That is why a child of an African grows up knowing that a child respects someone older than him or her, regardless of who the person is and where he or she comes from.
They go to circumcision schools like the circumcision school for boys and group rites school as a preliminary to marriage. Girls go to the initiation rites schools and group rites school as a preliminary to marriage. The group rites school, as a preliminary to marriage, is compulsory for all boys and girls of marriageable age, because they are ready to start a family. They go to the same group rites school in the evening as a preliminary to marriage. People may be surprised by this, but nothing unseemly could happen there. They are taught the precepts of humanity, that is what one does to be a good person.
That is why a child of an African respects and greets any person. A child belongs to any parent. That is the culture of Africans. Africans have plenty that they can be proud of and even impart to the nation. Parties of flute players are another way of showing the humanity of Africans. Villagers from one village can go and visit the villagers in another village and boys and girls perform a dance with a reed-flute ensemble, a flute of bamboo reed, horn or bone and the performance of a reed-flute ensemble accompanied by drums. They drink, cattle are slaughtered and food is cooked.
When they leave they are given a haunch of beef to take to the chief's kraal, together with traditional beer. All these are given to people who come to the chief's kraal to ask for food. Parties of flute players are another way in which kings visit each other. These people form friendships. If one of the kingdoms is attacked, the other kingdoms help with their armies. This is another way of saying that if one of yours is in trouble, you have to help him or her. You cannot stand at a distance and laugh, instead of helping. We as Africans do not know that. What we know is that we need to help each other.
When something bad happens, that's when we move closer to those affected, because humanity is great; that is why there is the Batho Pele programme in government departments. When it comes to livestock farming, one would not see people without livestock, because when children go to the pasturage to herd the livestock, all go - those who have livestock and those who don't.
When cows or goats are milked, they share the milk. When you visit these families, you find them eating pap mixed with milk. The one without livestock is given a calf or a kid, that is kept for him in the original cattle kraal until the person has grown up and is able to start work. Then it will be taken out of the cattle kraal and another kraal is made for it at the person's home.
Other things to note are that such a cow or goat, even if it has several calves or kids, is taken along since they belong to the person who was given the mother cow or goat. Africans have plenty of things they can be proud of and which they can teach the world in general because everywhere you go, you carry humanity with you. That is your culture and you will do it forever. I thank you. [Applause.]]
Modulasetilo, mokgatlo wa ACDP o dumela gore motho ke motho ka batho, gape re dumela gore ... [Chairperson, the ACDP believes that a human being is a human being because of other human beings, we also believe that ... ]
... ubuntu is a very important traditional value, and that it should not be used as an excuse for not taking action to correct a wrong. When someone is experiencing difficult times, we should by all means help him or her by providing practical assistance: love, care, comfort and understanding. But if a person is going through a rough time as a result of wrongdoing on his or her part, then those giving moral support should give that support without creating the impression that they are condoning the wrongdoing.
As adult men and women, we have to face the consequences of our actions and decisions. When we are wrong we must be big enough to admit that wrong and apologise. To refer to ubuntu as a mitigating factor is tantamount to a cover-up, and is an act of opportunism and irresponsibility.
This House must not set a bad precedent by failing to correct wrongs and address irregular behaviour of some of our members while using ubuntu as an excuse for the inaction. Rather, this House should set a clear example to the nation by setting high standards of discipline and accountability, and by speedily taking corrective action whenever necessary.
We must not bring into disrepute this traditional value, which was passed on from previous generations in good faith and with good intentions. Doing so would signify a refusal to acknowledge the dividing line between right and wrong, and a refusal to honour the practice of assuming responsibility for one's actions.
Promotion of ubuntu must not devalue the importance of responsibility in society. [Time expired.]
Hon Chairperson, the hon Chief Whip of the ANC, Mr Goniwe, started off by saying that the values of ubuntu continue to be the cornerstones of our society and our dispensation. And exactly because of that, because it plays such a pivotal role, it is important that we find some time to delve deeper into this whole concept and try to understand one another when we talk about these issues and what they are.
In die Christelike geloof wat vir my van belang is, leer ons dat die kernwaarde en hoofgebod s: Jy moet die Here jou God liefh met jou hele hart, met jou hele verstand en al jou kragte. En die tweede gebod wat hieraan gelyk staan s: Jy moet jou naaste liefh soos jouself.
My probleem met ubuntu is, as dit in hierdie verband vergelyk word, dan lyk dit vir my of die klem hoofsaaklik val op die tweede aspek wat s dat jy jou naaste moet liefh soos jouself. Maar ek hoor baie min van die eerste konsep rondom die Here jou God en wat daaroor ges word. Een minuut is feitlik verby.
'n Dokter vra vir my: waar is ubuntu in 'n staatshospitaal as verpleegsters met teetyd gaan, wanneer 'n pasint besig is om te sterf? Waar is ubuntu as ons mense "necklace" in die struggle. Een minuut is te min. Ek wil regtig met u hieroor praat. Ons moet dit beter verstaan. [Tyd verstreke.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.) [In the Christian religion that is of importance to me, we learn that the core value and primary commandment says: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, your entire mind and all your strength. The second commandment that is equal to this says: Love your neighbour as you love yourself.
My problem with ubuntu, if it is compared in this regard, is that it seems to me as if the focus is mainly on the second aspect that says you must love your neighbour as you love yourself. But I hear very little of the first concept about the Lord your God and what is said about that. One minute has almost elapsed.
A doctor asked me: Where is ubuntu in a state hospital when nurses go on a tea break when a patient is dying? Where is ubuntu when we necklace people in the struggle? One minute is not enough. I really want to talk to you about this. We must understand it better. [Time expired.]]
Chair, it is beyond any reasonable doubt that our country is facing a moral crisis, a crisis that touches on our identity as to who we are and what makes a human being, in terms of how we relate in our behaviour towards one another.
It would seem that the glue that binds us together has lost its potency and things are beginning to fall apart. Our daily lives are guided by the pursuit of material things. We have also embraced with pride the spirit of individualism that seeks to promote a deep sense of "I come first in whatever I do". Those who are guiding lights in our communities keep on asking us ... [Time expired.]
Chairperson, hon Members of Parliament, colleagues and comrades, this debate is about ubuntu and moral values - moral values like tradition, laws, behaviour patterns and beliefs. These are the defining features of a culture. Ubuntu is part and parcel of these moral values, which form the cornerstone of African society. Ubuntu can be defined as belief in the universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.
Chairperson, this is my maiden speech. [Applause.] I was reminded by the senior comrades that I must not be controversial. However, we are living in a controversial situation. The question is: How do we come out of it? I will try not to be controversial, though the environment in which we operate is controversial. I will try and paint a picture of ubuntu within the politics of the country under which we operate.
Driven by the desire to bring closure to the past and bring political tolerance and stability I would like to say that there were many atrocities that were committed by apartheid operatives such as - again, I will have to mention names here - Magnus Malan, Adriaan Vlok and even former President P W Botha. The nation was prepared to forgive them. Instead of my people calling for the blood of those who committed those crimes, my people understood that democracy and freedom are the cornerstones of what we intend to achieve in order to bring about a just society, irrespective of the harm those apartheid operatives caused most of us.
My fellow Africans and South Africans were and still are prepared to forgive those who tried to kill them, who maimed them, and who jailed them and killed their family members, children and comrades. In this regard, I want to bring the attention of the House to the fact - I am afraid Mr Leon is not here - that Mr Leon is the son of an apartheid operative who ordered the execution of comrade Andrew Zondo for fighting. Comrade Zondo's crime was to fight the unjust laws of the apartheid ...
Mr Chairman, if I may address you on a point of order: Is it parliamentary for the hon member to refer to a former judge of the High Court of South Africa as an apartheid operative who ordered the execution of somebody? I would ask you to request the hon member to withdraw that.
I am not sure what the position should be. I am informed it is not unparliamentary. Please continue. [Applause.]
Chairperson, may I address you on a further point of order? The hon speaker is very well aware of the fact that there is a tradition that members should not be controversial during their maiden speeches. By not being controversial, he can expect to be heard in silence. If the member continues to be very controversial ...
I think you are out of order. Please sit down.
No, Chairperson, I am not. Chairperson, I am addressing you on a point of order and I suggest that you listen to my point of order before you make a ruling. If the hon member continues to be very controversial, he must expect to have a lot of interjections from the other side of the House.
Is he being controversial? I don't think he is. Please continue with your speech and don't be controversial.
Thank you, Chairperson. The point I am trying to drive home here is that hon Leon should be happy and grateful, because today he can easily go and campaign in KwaMashu. He can campaign in Gugulethu and in Umlazi without having stones thrown at him. Africans and South Africans in particular want this reconciliation to work and, for me, that is ubuntu. In my African culture, you don't kick an enemy while he is down, no matter how much you despise that enemy - I suppose that would be the case with the DA and the hon members on the left. The mass movement that I come from, namely the ANC, strongly believes that it is vitally important to unlock the chains of the past for the nation to move forward and deal with the many challenges that we are facing.
Chairperson, could I ask you if the member would be brave enough to take a question.
No. [Interjections.] I will take it after this. Hence we advocated the establishment of bodies such as the TRC. As we all know, this was chaired by the renowned leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who himself suffered a great deal of pain under apartheid laws. [Interjections.] Desmond Tutu and his colleagues did an amazing job in trying to uncover the truth about the crimes ... [Interjections.]
Please members, give him a chance to finish his speech.
He did an amazing job in trying to uncover the truth about the crimes of the past and finally recommended that a number of those perpetrators be given clemency by the nation. This was informed by the desire to build our beloved country for the good of the nation. For me and my fellow South Africans, that is what is called ubuntu, reconciliation and forgetting about the past.
Having said this, the question remains: What is the contribution of the likes of the DA to advance this cause, the cause of ubuntu and reconciliation and nation-building? For instance, in African practice, we respect our elders and we respect our leaders. Our teaching is that these people should be respected and that is the African way of our upbringing. When you insult a leader ...
Chair, on a point of order: running commentary is prohibited by the Rules. I can understand that the DA is taking the heat but it does not mean that they should indulge in running commentary.
Chairperson, the point is that when you insult a leader, you are by definition insulting his or her people. [Interjections.] And that is not African. His or her people cannot forgive. By implication, when you insult the people's leader, you undermine the intellectual capacity of the people who elected that leader. It is not done in the African way. You respect the elders. You respect the leaders. [Interjections.]
Hon Gibson, as we all know, has insulted the leader of the people and the President. This House gave him ample opportunity to apologise to the nation and to the President and he refused to do so. I am saying to you that that is not the African way of doing things and you cannot call that ubuntu. We are working hard to reconcile this country and to build this nation into one nation. If you have a person who comes and stands at this podium and insults the President, insults the leader of the people, then we cannot call that ubuntu. It cannot be condoned. [Interjections.]
May I then remind this House that his party, too, at one stage, asked an hon Minister in this House how much it costs the state to provide security for the hon former Deputy President of the Republic, Comrade J Z. I am still waiting for the day that Gibson or Leon poses the same question as to how much it costs the state to provide security for P W Botha, for instance. I said, he was an apartheid operative and he was a chief agitator.
They are not concerned about that. They have never asked that question. Last week Botha was taken to a private clinic because he was ill and that was at the expense of the state. You never asked that question. Why are you not concerned about the failure of the likes of the DA to pose such questions in this House? I am not convinced that they are unchained from the ideology of the past, which we are fighting very hard to bring to an end in this country.
Despite the pains of yesterday, I am standing here to advocate the concept of ubuntu. [Interjections.] Hence I can still call Mr Gibson, "an hon Member of Parliament", despite his conduct that suggests otherwise. The kind of ubuntu we want to see is the kind that talks to our conscience and says: Yes ... [Time expired.] Thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
Modulasetulo ya hlomphehang, Mokga wa PAC o motlotlo ho bua ka sehlooho sena se hodimo. Botho ke bo-Modimo, botho ke ho phedisana mmoho le batho ba bang, botho ke ho hlompha motho ka mong jwalo ka sebopuwa sa mmopi wa rona Tlatlamatjholo. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[Mr M T LIKOTSI: Hon Chairperson, the PAC is proud to discuss this topic. Humanity is next to godliness, humanity is about harmonious existence with your fellow human beings, humanity is about showing respect to everyone as a creation of our God the Creator.]
Ubuntu abukuvumeli ukuba ube yindlavini ngenxa yezinto ezimbi ezenziwa kuwe ngabanye abantu abaziindlavini. [Ubuntu does not allow you to be a thug as a result of bad things done to you by other people who are hooligans.]
Botho ke ho rata wa heno jwalo ka ha o ithata. Botho ke ho hloka makoko le boitshepo, botho ke ho utlwela motho e mong ha a o foseditse. Botho ke ho tshaba Mmopi wa lehodimo le lefatshe. Botho ke ho ba sehlabelo sa bahloki, sa dikgutsana le baphaphathehi. Botho ke ho phallelana maqakabetsing a bophelong. Ke a leboha motsamisi wa mosebetsi. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.) [Humanity is about loving your fellow man just as much as you love yourself. Humanity is about being free of pride and conceit. Humanity is about forgiving the one who has done you wrong. Humanity is about making sacrifices for the needy, the orphaned and the displaced. Humanity is about being sympathetic to one another in times of trouble. Thank you.]
Chairperson, I stand here wondering how many South Africans know what ubuntu is or have heard of it. I will quote a definition I found that best expresses the essence of ubuntu as a philosophy of representing one's personal existence, harmony and morality, where solidarity is the central element of survival within the community.
Hon President Thabo Mbeki has correctly allied ubuntu to the African Renaissance, which seeks unity in delivery. South Africa is a diverse nation with a diversity of needs, wants and composition. We need to attain unity and common ground where all South Africans may identify the benefit of a common vision for the future of our country and its people.
Government initiatives such as the Batho Pele campaign, meaning "people first", the Letsema programme, meaning "work together", and Vukuzenzele, meaning "arise and act", are instruments to attain the principles of ubuntu and nation-building. For these to be truly successful, the values of ubuntu need to be delivered and inculcated in our constituency so that they can reap their benefits.
The Zulu proverb states, "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabanye abantu" which means a person is a person through other people. This proverb expresses how our individual actions in concert benefit the community and promote unity, and shall give South Africa the strength to grow and develop to be successful united in diversity.
In an article, reference was made to an old Chinese proverb:
When a man is at peace with himself, he will be at peace with his family. When the families are at peace there will be peace in the village. When the village is at peace there will be peace in the country, and when the country is at peace there will be peace in the world. Then the man can be at peace.
I thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chair, humanity towards others is certainly one of the most important values that we need in South Africa in order to bridge the divides of the past. All South Africans have a general consensus on this issue. But the question that needs to be asked is: How much is ubuntu a reality in South Africa?
Every person, especially here, would claim that they embrace the morality that flows from the values of ubuntu. Again, I have to contest whether certain members of this government really embrace the value of humanity towards others. I have found that, especially with Ministers, when they are questioned in this House and have to think on their feet, their lack of ubuntu becomes abundantly clear.
For instance, when a coloured member of this House - and that is me - asks for understanding regarding the situation in respect of the Employment Equity Act and the undesirable effect it has on the coloured community, the hon Minister of Labour reacts with a total lack of ubuntu by saying, and I quote:
Unfortunately, this thing about coloureds and other things, it's your problem, not ours.
This is the most blatant disregard for the morality that flows from the values of ubuntu.
Net so het die agb Minister van Veiligheid en Sekuriteit onlangs dieselfde gebrek aan medemenslikheid, oftewel ubuntu, geopenbaar toe hy mense kwansuis die land uit wou jaag bloot omdat hulle hul ontevredenheid met die misdaadsituasie in die land te kenne gegee het. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Similarly the hon Minister of Safety and Security recently displayed the same lack of humanity, that is to say ubuntu, when he ostensibly wanted to drive people out of the country for merely expressing their dissatisfaction with the crime situation in the country.]
Chair, I want to say to the hon Chief Whip of the Majority Party that he has a long way to go to make his comrades in the Cabinet understand the true spirit of ubuntu.
In conclusion, as a Christian, I know the ubuntu value system referred to here as the love referred to in Corinthians 13, verses four to five. [Time expired.] I thank you.
Ngiyabonga Sihlalo, ngiyabonga Mlangeni, nqokonqoko endala yakulo mbutho. Ngiyanibingelela nonke eNdlini, ngithi: Sanibonani ngaphansi kobuntu! (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Mr J P PHUNGULA: Thank you, Chairperson, thank you, Mlangeni, veteran of this organisation. I greet all in the House. I say: Good afternoon in the name of ubuntu!]
HON MEMBERS: Yebo! [Good afternoon!]
Ngithi sanibonani ngaphansi kobuntu, hhayi ngaphansi kobulwanyazane. Zimbili lezi zinto: ubuntu nobulwanyazane. Zikhona-ke izilwanyazane lapha. Ngizobuye nginikhombise zona ngoba zikhona.
Bantu bakithi, ubuntu obalapha kithi. Ake nizwe nje lapho ngiqala nginikhombisa ukusebenza kobuntu. Kuthi uma indoda ifika laphaya endaweni yakithi ingenambuzi, ingenankomo futhi ingenankukhu, ahlangane amadoda akhona bese ethi, "Hhayi, nansi indoda ifika lapha izokhonza enkosini. Kodwa manje le ndoda ayinalutho, ayiklezi lapha kwayo." Siye sithi-ke, ngoba ayiklezi, kuhle ikleziswe lapha kwayo. Sekuzohlangana-ke lawo madoda bese enye ithi, "Ngimusisela lezi ezimbili." bese ithi nenye "Ngimusisela ngalezi ezintathu." Lowo muntu usezokwazi ukusenga nokulima lapho kwakhe. Iyona-ke leyo nto esithi ubuntu, hhayi ubulwanyazane.
Uma sikhuluma ngobuntu sisuke sikhuluma ngalezo zinto. Sisuke singakhulumi ngalabo abathi uma befika ezweni bafike banibuke banibuke bese bethi, "Hhawu, nigwaza senilapha kanti, thina sishaya ngesibhamu sile kude." Emuva kwalokho bese bethatha lonke ilizwe kungasali nembijana, balithathe bathi elabo.
Kuthi-ke noma sekuhlalwe phansi kwakhulunywa - emuva kokuba sesi-ke sathi ukuphathaphathana ngezandla baze bathi, cha, akukhulunywe - kodwa baye bangakufuna ukuyikhuluma le ndaba yelizwe. Yilaba babhemu abahleli ngalapha. [Ubuwelewele.] Yibo laba. [Ihlombe.] Ilizwe abaze bakhulume ngalo elaseZimbabwe. Baye bathi, "UThabo Mbeki onguMongameli walapha akamtsheli uMongameli waseZimbabwe ukuthi akangalithathi izwe labelungu."
Banengqondo nje laba bantu? Njengoba behleli nathi nje lapha sibanesa kodwa bengafuni kuneswa, banenqgondo nekusasa nje laba bantu? Maqondana nalezi zingane esizizele osekwaletha izidakamizwa zilethwa yibona lapha, osuthola ukuthi zibhema insangu zidla nezidakamizwa, banekusasa laba bantu? (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Mr J P PHUNGULA: I say good afternoon in the name of ubuntu, not in the name of wildness. These are two different things: ubuntu and wildness. There are animals here. I will show you later, because they are here.
Compatriot, ubuntu is our thing. Let me tell you how ubuntu works. In our culture, when a man settles in our place and he doesn't have a goat, cow and chicken, men in that area come together and say, here is a new man, who is going to be under our chief. However, he doesn't have anything and he doesn't milk. Let us help him to milk. One will then say, "I am loaning him two cows for milking." The other one will say, "I am loaning him three cows for milking." That person will then be able to milk and farm in the area. That is what we call ubuntu, not wildness.
When we are talking about ubuntu, we are talking about those things. We are not talking about those who come into our country, look at you and say, "Wow, you only stab when you are close, we shoot while we are still far away." After that they take all the land, not even leaving a piece. They take it and say it belongs to them.
When we negotiated, after a short fight with them, they said we must talk but they refused to talk about the issue of land. They are the ones who are sitting on this side. [Interjections.] Here they are. [Applause.] They only talk about Zimbabwe. They say, "President Thabo Mbeki doesn't tell the Zimbabwean president not to grab whites' land."
Are these people mentally fit? They are sitting with us and we are taking care of them but they don't want to be taken care of. Are they mentally fit and do they have a future? With regard to children who are using drugs brought by these people, you will find that they are smoking dagga and using drugs - do they have a future?]
You are out of order.
Sikhuluma ngobuntu; sikhuluma ngobuntu. Awuthule baba, sikhuluma ngobuntu. Wena unale ngqondo yakho yokungabi umuntu wena.
USIHLALO WESIKHASHANA (Mnu A Mlangeni): Awume-ke, Phungula. Phungula, awume kancane.
Sihlalo, cha, ngisukumela ukubeka isikhalo sami lapha kumhlonishwa uPhungula ngoba ngiyazi ubengaqondile ukusho lokho ngenkathi ethi, "Yilaba abahlezi ngapha." wabe esebuka thina. [Uhleko.] Angazi-ke ngoba sikhulume kahle kangaka ngobuntu - ubaba uMpontshane ukhulumile lapha.
Ubaba uPhungula kuhle phela abeke igama. Uma ethi "abahlezi ngapha" ngiyakhala ngalokho ngoba ubuntu phela yinto yethu, njengoba eyazi naye.
Awuhlale phansi baba. Ngiyakubona ukuthi ukhathazekile nawe.
USIHLALO WESIKHASHANA (Mnu A Mlangeni): Ufuna ukuyilungisa, Phungula? Yilungise, mfowethu.
Angiyilungise, ngoba uyabona nje le ndoda ethe ngibheke ngakuyona, uma ngithi ...
USIHLALO WESIKHASHANA (Mnu A Mlangeni): Phungula, awume kancane. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Mr J P PHUNGULA: We are talking about ubuntu. We are talking about ubuntu. Keep quiet, please, we are talking about ubuntu. You don't have the personality of being a human being.
Wait, Phungula. Phungula, wait a little bit.
I am rising to register a concern to Mr Phungula, because I know that he didn't mean what he said. He said "It's those who are sitting there" and he looked at us. [Laughter.] I don't know, because we spoke well about ubuntu - Mr Mpontshane spoke about ubuntu.
Mr Phungula must make comments. But when he says, "Those who are sitting on this side" I am concerned about that, as he knows that ubuntu is our thing.
Sit down, sir, please. I understand that you are also concerned.
Do you want to correct that, Mr Phungula? Correct that, my brother.
Let me correct that, because you see the man that said I am looking at him, when I say ...
Mr Phungula, wait a bit.]
Chairperson, I rise on a further point of order: We have had some rulings by the Speaker in the past that we should refrain from making racially inciting speeches. The hon member referred to whites as people who bring drugs into the country, etc ... [Interjections.]
No, I don't think he referred to any population group. I haven't heard him say "blacks" or "whites" ... [Interjections.] Order! Order, please!
Chairperson, may I address you? I suggest that you should then ask the speaker whether he referred to whites. [Interjections.]
Ake ngi ... [Let me ...]
Awume, Phungula. Awume kancane ke ngithole izeluleko. [Wait a bit, Mr Phungula. Let me get advice.]
I am advised that the member is not racially fighting anybody. He is making a general speech. He is saying that some people on this side of the House are people who have come into the country, used weapons, grabbed the land and so on and so forth. I am told that he hasn't made a racial speech.
Chairperson, may I address you on what you have just said. May I suggest that you check Hansard to see if the hon member referred to whites as people who bring drugs into the country? [Interjections.]
Qhubeka, Phungula. [Continue, Mr Phungula.]
Sihlalo, ake ngiphuthume leya ndoda eshisayo laphaya ... [Chairperson, let me address that furious man there ...] [Interjections.]
Order! Order! We will check the Hansard and come back to you, Dr Mulder. Qhubeka, mfowethu.
Ake ngiphuthume leya ... Kahle wena mama. Uyashisa wena mama. Uyashisa wena.
USIHLALO WESIKHASHANA (Mnu A Mlangeni): Phungula, khuluma indaba yakho mfowethu. Ake uyeke indaba yokukhomba abantu ngomunwe. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.) [Continue, my brother.
Let me address that ... Wait you, you are furious, you.
Mr Phungula, stick to your speech, my brother. Stop pointing your finger at people.]
Chairperson, on a point of order ...
We mnumzane okusengathi uzwa kabi lapha, cha, ungangizwi kabi ... [Sir, it seems like you are misunderstanding me, no, don't get me wrong ...]
What's your point of order, hon member?
Chairperson, you have just answered part of my point of order. I think the hon member is really being reckless. He may try to play games, but he is being reckless.
I have just asked him to stop that, hon member.
Mfowethu, ungakhombi abantu ngomunwe. Beka indaba yakho ngoba isikhathi sakho siyaphela. Qhubeka, Phungula.
Asizukuphela isikhathi sami siqedwa yilaba bantu. Uyadlala wena, Sihlalo. [Uhleko.] We baba! Angizange ngithi mina "abantu abamhlophe". Uyabona, phakathi kwenu nina bantu abamhlophe, ngesikhathi esikude ngo-1952 ngenkathi senza i-defiance campaign lapha, sasinabantu abamhlophe ababehamba nathi ngoba base benobuntu. Uma ungenabo wena ubuntu, zazi wena ukuthi awunabo ubuntu. [Ihlombe.]
Kunabantu abamhlophe ababulewe lapha yilo hulumeni odlulile abakade sebengenwe ubuntu. Uma bungakakungeni wena ubuntu, ngiyeke ngikhulume mina. [Ubuwelewele.] Umuntu omhlophe mina ngilala kwakhe, ngivuke ngiphila, angiphe ukudla ngidle. Ngisho umuntu omhlophe, mhlawumbe omhlophe kunawe ngoba yena umhlophe ngempela-ke nje, akaze aye ngisho epulazini. [Ubuwelewele.]
Ngithi-ke kuwena, mina anginayo le nto yebala yokuthi: ngimnyama wena umhlophe. Ungumfowethu wena, uma uvuma. Uma ungavumi, ungenabo ubuntu, awuyena umfowethu. Sengiqedile. [Ubuwelewele.] [Ihlombe.]
We ndoda ekhulume lapha, ngithi kuwe, cha, baba, ungahlupheki ngoba bengingakhulumi nawe. Bengingakhulumi ngeqembu lakho. Futhi angikakhulumi ngaqembu, kodwa iqembu nje enginalo qho elale ndoda ndoda evungama lapha. Angiyazi nokuthi ivungama nje le ndoda inani - kukhona indoda evungama lapha.
[Akuzwakali.]
Khuza Sihlalo. Kukhona indoda evungama lapha. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[My brother, do not point your finger at people. Stick to your speech because your time is expiring. Continue, Mr Phungula.
My time won't expire because of these people. You are kidding, Chairperson. [Laughter.] Sir, I didn't say, "... it's white people". You know amongst you white people, in 1952 during the defiance campaign, we were marching with white people because they had ubuntu. If you don't have ubuntu, you must just know yourself that you don't have ubuntu. [Applause.]
There were white people that had ubuntu, who were killed by the apartheid government. If you don't have ubuntu ... let me speak. [Interjections.] I slept in a white person's home, woke up alive. He even gave me food to eat. I am talking about a white person. Maybe he is even whiter than you, because he has never been to the farm. [Interjections.]
I am saying to you, I don't entertain this issue of saying: I am black, you are white. You are my brother, if you agree. If you don't agree, and are inhuman, you are not my brother. I am done. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
Gentleman, who spoke over there, I am saying to you, don't worry, I was not speaking to you. I was speaking about your party. I am not just talking about the party but the party that I am dealing with is the one for that man, who is mumbling over there. I don't know what his problem is as he is mumbling.
[Inaudible.]]
Chairperson, call the House to order. There is a man who is mumbling over there.]
Ngiyisilwane nje kuwe ... [I am just an animal to you ...] nothing else. I have never been a human being to you.
Akukabi yisikhathi sokukhuluma. Awunikiwe isikhathi sokukhuluma. [It's not yet time to talk. You were not given time to talk.]
Anybody who is not like you must be an "isilwane" [animal].
Awungivikele, Sihlalo. [Please protect me, Chairperson.]
Qhubeka. [Continue.]
You are a tribalist through and through. [Interjections.]
Wena umthetho wakho uyinto engazazi nokuthi iyini-ke, wena. [Ubuwelewele.]
ILUNGU ELIHLONIPHEKILE: Ubuhlanga! Ubuhlanga!
Wena uhlezi lapha ngoba uphakelwa. Uphakelwa ukuze uphazamise inkululeko yakuleli zwe. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Mr J P PHUNGULA: You don't even understand who you are, you. [Interjections.]
Tribalism! Tribalism!
You are sitting here because you are fed. You are fed to perturb the democracy of this country.]
Order! Order members! Order please! Order! [Interjections.] Please, let us not exchange words and point fingers and accuse others. Let's just go ahead with the speech. Finish your speech, hon member.
Niyezwa-ke, sikhuluma ngobuntu lapha. Kuneqembu lapha elingezwani nobuntu. Kuneqembu lapha eliphazamisa yonke into esiyenzayo lapha kuleli Phalamende kodwa ngibona nithulile nje nibe ninamandla okwenza kukhulunywe naleli qembu. Niyayizwa manje incelebana yakhona, iyona ebhoke ngempela. [Uhleko.] Iyona ebhoke ngempela manje le ncelebana. Besingakunakile baba ngoba siyazi ukuthi wena uyele ukudla laphaya. Manje- ke ngoba nakhu sekubonakala ukuthi asikunakile, sewufuna ukuba ubhongoza manje. Akukho bhongoza lapha, yisePhalamande lapha. Uma najwayela ngokunquma uVerwoerd lapha ePhalamande, akulona lelo Phalamendel leli. Siyayazi imikhuba yenu. Niyanqumana lapha. Ngeke-ke nisinqume thina, siyizinkalakatha. [Uhleko.] [Ihlombe.] U-ANC inggqungqulu.
Sengathi i-CNA.
Yingqungqulu le. Yigama lakho-ke lelo ozibiza ngalo. Siyabonga, CIA. Siyabonga uma uyi-CIA. Ubuntu-ke mabungene lapha, mabungene nakule ndoda evungama lapha. Ake niyincenge impela. Ake nincenge le ndoda evungama lapha. Ayinabuntu, ihlushwa ukungabi nabuntu njengoba niyizwa ivungama nje.
Lapha sithi kunina yibani abantu. Umuntu ungumuntu ngabantu. Ngiyabonga, Sihlalo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Mr J P PHUNGULA: Do you understand, we are talking about ubuntu here? There is a party there that doesn't like ubuntu. There is a party that is perturbing everything that we do here at Parliament, but you are quiet even though you have the power to talk with this party. Do you hear, it's confident? [Interjections.] We were not concerned about you, sir, because we know that you are there for food. Now that we don't care about you, you want to be a boss. There is no boss here. This is Parliament.
You beheaded Verwoerd here at Parliament; it is not the then Parliament now. We know your habits. You behead people here. You will never behead us; we are the boss. [Applause.] [Interjections.] The ANC is ruling.
Like CNA.
This is the boss. That is your name that you are calling yourself. Thank you, CIA. Thank you if you are CIA. Have humanity; the man, who is mumbling there, must have ubuntu. Let us beg him. He doesn't have ubuntu.
We are saying to you, be humans, a person is a person through other people. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]
Chairperson, ours is a very diverse society, thus there'll be different approaches to one and the same issue. The subject for debate this afternoon reads as follows: "The values of ubuntu botho, as it dictates our approaches to and conduct towards others who may find themselves in difficult times." It's quite a mouthful, I must say.
You will notice that I have appended "botho" to "ubuntu" in an attempt to convey a sense of a wider spectrum to adherents or practitioners of the philosophy and ethics of human behaviour: botho/ubuntu. Depending on specific circumstances, I think it is wise to append the description to such concepts in order to break the false notion of a sectional or mono- ethnical interpretation of an all-embracing concept and practice. It is no section's monopoly.
Furthermore, whilst it is good to be amenable to the dictates of ubuntu/botho in our approaches to and conduct towards others who may find themselves in difficult times, we should actually be thinking of the other side, other people who are victims of malpractice because ubuntu/botho is an all-embracing concept; it is not sectional.
The individual is as good as the collective; which collective is only as good as a chain that's dependent on the strength of each link. Botho/ubuntu is an inculcated system of belief and conduct regularising human conduct and interaction. It doesn't fall from heaven. Botho/ubuntu should also regulate and temper human behaviour thereby placing humans at a higher level than other creatures.
Given what the world is today, and we've seen part of it today, one wonders if some humans really behave better than other creatures normally regarded as subhuman. One wonders whether our modern rat race and dog-eat-dog life needs a heavy dose of what we call botho or ubuntu in all walks of life. Our conduct in general towards all people, irrespective of their cultural, linguistic or social standing should be guided by the simple dictums of the very concept of botho. To name a few of these dictums, I'd like to remind members that "Motho ke motho ka batho - umntu ngumntu ngabantu" [A person is a person because of other persons]. Motho ga a latlhwe. [You cannot jettison a person like you cast away debris.] Matlo go ?a mabapi ... [We should be each other's keepers] ... whether we like it or not.
The foregoing, amongst many others, touch on the intrinsic worth and dignity of each and every individual. The philosophy seeks to instil a sense of compassion and caring, reaching out to the less fortunate, those less endowed with power and even influence for that matter, that human beings are, as they say, "the jewel of creation." Nowhere does ubuntu or botho stipulate differentiation of compassion. [Interjections.] [Time expired.]
Chairperson, I want to thank the members who participated in the debate. I think that we still need to continue to engage on these matters.
However, I must very briefly respond to the matters Madam Semple raised here. I will do this by raising only two things: Firstly, we have been here for 12 years now. If you read about something in the paper, please spend some time just to find out whether what you have read in the newspaper is true - as a member and because we are each other's keeper. You can then pass judgment after you've made an effort to understand what is being said. Secondly, Parliament can never be reduced to a haven for debt collectors. People who must serve others with a summons without any attempt ... [Interjections.] Can you please give me a chance! Proof must be provided that someone has been looking for this member and couldn't find him; and that it's known that this member works here in Parliament but couldn't be found.
For the purpose of the record, I live in Cradock at number 97A Hospital Street. That is the place for my private, personal things and this is the National Assembly. [Interjections.] I just wanted to say, again, that I would insist that we do not discuss personal family matters in public. We won't do that.
Now, I want to restate what we have said in this debate. We have said that contemporary South Africa is ruled by a Constitution underscored by ubuntu. This has been the case since the emergence of the Interim Constitution. When we supported Comrade Yengeni, we were starting to redefine prison as a community space in which the worth and dignity of an individual are to be respected.
Our redefinition of prison is part of remaking South Africa into a liveable world, within the context of ubuntu. Your own brother and sister can be charged with whatever heinous crime there is under the sun, but he remains your brother, she remains your sister and your child remains your child. We need to respect that and extend it consistently in the way we interact with one another.
Even regarding these artificial barriers that divide people according to political party affiliation etc, at some stage, for the sake of ubuntu, we need to rise above those barriers. If we then do that, we will be a nation in the making that will have a bright future. I thank you very much, Chairperson. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.