Chairperson, let me deal with a few issues, starting with the statements by the hon V B Ndlovu and the hon Nkabinde and then coming to those raised by hon Mfundisi and hon Trent. Let me start with the hon Nkabinde ... when I have her attention, Chair ...
Hon Nkabinde, there's a response to your statement.
We serve in Cabinet, and I have done so for the past 13-odd years. We serve as a matter of choice and we serve in the letter and spirit of the Constitution. We take an oath of office and we respect the Constitution and one of the things in the Constitution, in section 91(2), is the right of the President to appoint and dismiss members of the executive. It is there.
We have no other legal protection - we serve at his pleasure and part of serving at his pleasure means we accept collective responsibility. There is no place in any Cabinet anywhere in the world for people who won't accept the collective responsibility.
So, to try and convert those who refuse to accept discipline into heroes, is to destroy democracy anywhere. And I would ask you, hon Nkabinde, be careful of what you wish for. And in the same spirit, I would like to express my fullest appreciation for the statement by the hon Ndlovu because, indeed, we must be judged on the service we render and we ask that the private lives of individuals be excluded.
That is the letter and spirit of democracy it applies almost anywhere and people who seek to undermine that, seek to undermine democracy.
Turning to the issues in relation to Zimbabwe; the hon Mfundisi says different government departments deal with people differently. Yesterday, I heard the Minister of Safety and Security deal at length with the question of the right to citizen's arrests and the right to the protection of private property. We can't treat people as a group, because their entry into South Africa is different, their conduct is different and I think that we must allow time and circumstance to deal with the issue.
In respect of that which has been raised by the hon Trent, I say without fear of contradiction that I and a number of my other colleagues have been in more meetings with both the ZANU-PF and the MDC trying to resolve issues than anybody in the DA could ever dream to be. We have a commitment to the resolution, but that commitment is something that must be expressed by Zimbabweans as and when they are ready.
I don't need to apologise. I will stand by the right of Zimbabweans to elect their democratic government and what you have in Zimbabwe is an elected government, elected on universal franchise by all the people of Zimbabwe. [Interjections.] That is a fact. [Interjections.] Anybody who seeks to distort that has never read anything, doesn't understand democracy and refuses to listen. [Interjections.] There is no point in trying to convince them otherwise anyway. [Interjections.] Thank you Chairperson. [Applause.]
Chair, will the hon Minister take a question?
No, you had your chance. You made a statement.
Yes, but now I want to ask him a question.
And questions were yesterday. Sorry, Mr Trent, take your seat.