I will now afford hon members the opportunity to bid farewell to each other as this is our final sitting for the year.
You look very tired. You are looking forward to going home! [Laughter.]
Exhausted!
I can see that. There is constituency work to be done when you get there. It is waiting for you, but at least you will be sleeping at home every day.
Chairperson, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, in his play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare says: "Parting is such sweet sorrow," and this is exactly how I feel today. I, however, find solace in knowing that we are only parting to meet again. So, we will meet again very soon.
Now, hon delegates, as the 2009 parliamentary year comes to a close, I wish to pay tribute to all the people who contributed to the effective functioning of this House.
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the support of the colleagues that I worked with: the Deputy Chair, hon Memela, and the House Chairs, hon Magadla and hon Tau, as well as Chief Whip Ntwanambi, who have been great to work with and have never failed to perform when asked.
Secondly, I also acknowledge the tireless work of the NCOP. Thirdly, a big thank you also goes to all provincial Whips and chairpersons of select committees, as well as members of the NCOP for doing their part to make the business of this House run so efficiently thus far.
Fourthly, I also acknowledge the tireless work of the NCOP Secretariat under the leadership of Acting Secretary Adv Phindela for the support they gave to members of this House, as well as the staff in the office of the Chairperson of the NCOP.
Fifthly, I would like also to thank the staff of the entire Parliament, in particular the NCOP, for the professional and administrative skills in serving the House by compiling Hansard records, processing legislation, questions and petitions and serving select committees. Lastly, I want to thank you very much for all the wonderful work you have done.
As we approach the new year, it is a very appropriate moment to look back on the six months that have passed, where, among other things, the NCOP strategic plan workshop and the Whippery workshop took place that helped to chart the way for us this year as well as for the entire term of Parliament. These workshops have helped a lot as more than two thirds of NCOP members were new and were still finding their feet.
I must say I'm pleased at how quickly members have adapted. I never thought you would adapt so quickly, but I'm smiling: I didn't want to say it. You know, if you count the older members who were here for the last term, I think we are only seven. But I must congratulate you that you learned very fast. I can go back to all your parties and say you are doing a really wonderful job. [Applause.]
I can go back to all your provinces and tell them that they deployed people who are prepared to work and who are serious about making the work of this institution very effective and very prominent. I thank you very much for adapting and learning so quickly. [Applause.] [Interjections.] No, including hon Bloem. [Laughter.]
Ladies and gentlemen, I do not want to waste your time; all I want to say is thank you for the work you have done during the provincial week. Mr Watson, we investigated your matter and the letter is on its way; I don't want us to part in a sour mood. You must go home and enjoy. I have also investigated the matter, and you will be receiving your letter very soon in your office. But all of you have done a really wonderful job. Every delegation reported that it was wonderful work that you have done. Despite the challenging times this year, especially with our budget, the accomplishments were satisfying.
I want to express my personal and heartfelt thanks to all of you for maintaining your balance, your sense of humour, your fortitude and most of all your humanity throughout the challenges of the year. You kept your focus even in uncomfortable situations or circumstances, such as when you worked late into the evening, like last Tuesday, when we had to pass the National House of Traditional Leaders Bill and the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Amendment Bill.
I am sure that the people of South Africa, especially the traditional leaders, appreciate the work that you have been doing.
Now you should relax. Please! I emphasise this, relax and enjoy your well- earned rest as much as possible with your families. They need you because they haven't seen you for the past six months, because you've been packing your bags when you reached home and going to your constituencies which are far from your own homes.
I hope we will come back next year fully recharged and ready for the full year. I must warn you, though, that the programme for next year will be compact, as you know that we are hosting the Fifa World Cup. You must also go to the stadiums and watch the football. Do not just sit in front of your TVs; go there and clap and shout, at the stadium, to motivate Bafana Bafana so that they can move and win next year's Fifa World Cup.
As you rest, please prepare for the coming year. Keep on supporting Bafana Bafana, starting with the match tonight against Jamaica. I hope a lot of you will be able to see that match. Shout at them from home, except that you must tell them to sing the right national anthem and not to do what they did when the Springboks were playing. [Laughter.] I don't know who motivated them to sing the way they were singing then.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and I want to invite you for a very light snack in the Queen's Hall and to enjoy yourself before you go home. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I must apologise to the House, I'm meeting the President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I'm actually late; I should have been there now, but I will be there in the next five minutes. If you could release me to go and join them there, I will be happy. They are waiting for me. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I hope that you are going to give me two more minutes. Let me take this opportunity, on behalf of Cope, to add my voice to the good and wise words of our Chairperson. Thank you, Chairperson, for the very beautiful words. I must mention from the outset that I have made very good new friends and others were not so good, but they are good, all of you are good. [Laughter.] One thing I really want to give to some members here in the House as a Christmas gift is tolerance.
You know, some are not so tolerant. We must listen to the views of others; we must respect that. Let me also convey greetings and blessings from our president, Mosiuoa Terror Lekota. [Applause.] He wishes all of you a blessed and prosperous New Year.
I have some tips for some of our members for the New Year. Hon member Chaane, you are first. Here is a tip: you are too fast when reading your speeches.
Ka puo ya setsotsi ra re: "wa spita, too much", Ntate. [In Tsotsi taal [language] this is expressed as: "You are too big for your boots", sir.]
But you are not alone, you have a twin brother and that is Gunda. Gunda is also very fast when he speaks. In Afrikaans we say: Jy is te haastig. Jy moet net 'n klein bietjie afkoel. [You are too hasty. You must slow down a little bit.]
The second tip is to our Chief Whip. Chief Whip, stop dreaming about Helen Zille, please! [Laughter.] Please stop because I can see that you dream about the Premier of the Western Cape and that will cause you to have a heart attack. [Laughter.]
I have a very serious proposal to make, which is that when we come back next year, the Chairperson must allow us to come into the House with vuvuzelas so that when any one of you is not speaking sense we will blow the vuvuzelas.
Let me wish all of you a merry and happy Christmas and a blessed New Year. Go well and come back with energy and steam and let us move on. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
It is an honour to stand here again today, taking part in this debate on this topic, for the sixth consecutive year in succession. This signals the end of our first session and a very new experience for most of our colleagues but that itself, I suppose, is emblematic of the changing face of politics.
I would have loved to reflect on many of you, both the old ones, like the troublemaking hon Freddie Adams, and the new ones, like hon Nzimande, who said he is a Catholic and Communist; or maybe hon Bloem, the old hand learning new tricks - and no, hon Bloem, you can't make a statement. [Laughter.]
Chairperson, that is not possible in the three minutes we have been allowed. So, as a liberal and a Protestant, I will have to single out only a few. But it seems that we cannot stop a meeting without referring to our Chairperson, hon Mahlangu.
It was a happy surprise for all of us that you chose to come back to us and not to go and rest on that farm you have been dreaming of for such a long time. Welcome back and thank you for being such a unique leader, and may you and the other presiding officers enjoy your well-deserved rest. I didn't copy Mr Bloem, but Chief Bloem, please find time to relax and meditate on ways to be less excited about the Western Cape. [Laughter.]
Helen Zille is here to stay, so just relax and accept the inevitable. It is good to observe that the winds of change for the better have at last blown amongst our officials and I trust that they too will find some time to rest. But Adv Phindela, you will all have to come back again early next year and every year thereafter until you do it completely right.
The colleagues from the other opposition parties are all new to the NCOP except, of course, hon Sinclair, who has been everywhere. [Laughter.] But I must say it has been a pleasure working with them all.
In my April speech I speculated that jostling for position was going to take place in the ANC, so all the newly deployed cadres that we see confirm my prediction 100%. It seems the battle of Polokwane is not yet quite over, so you will have to tackle the new problems and groupings within groupings back home.
Most of my colleagues in the DA are also newcomers but they have been a great team and have done a fantastic job. Thank you for your support and hard work, colleagues. Please have a good rest but always keep your eyes open to see what those others are contemplating.
Chairperson, I know my time has run out but, please, I want to leave you with a special lesson that the pencil maker teaches the pencil. Firstly, the pencil maker taught the pencil never to forget that everything you do will leave a mark. Secondly, however, remember that your mistakes can be corrected. Thirdly, therefore, never forget that what is most important is what is inside you. Fourthly, know that in your life you will undergo many painful sharpenings which will make you a better pencil and, lastly, remember to be the best pencil you can be.
To be the best pencil you can be you must allow yourself to be guided by the hand that holds you. May the Almighty further hold you and guide you, Chairperson and hon members, especially our Chair of the House, and may the wonderful message of Christmas find its way into your hearts and homes. Bless you all! [Applause.]
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, amalungu ahloniphekile ngithi nginifisela ukuthi neshwame kahle lonyaka. Sisebenze kahle sisonke ndawonye njengabantu abamele izifundazwe eziyisishiyagalolunye zaleli lizwe. Ngithi ngiyabonga kakhulu kuSihlalo waleNdlu, kwiPhini lakhe kanye nakubo bonke labo abamele izifundazwe zonke ngokusebenzisana okuhle.
Ngithi sesibheke phambili, sengathi uNkulunkulu angasigcina kulezi zingozi ukuze sikwazi ukuphepha sibone lonyaka ka-2010 ukuthi usiphatheleni. Bese ngithi kumama uSotswebhu Omkhulu kumele nibengabazali nikwazi ukusiyala kahle nabanye obaba laba abasebebadala ukuze sikwazi ukusebenza kahle ngokuya phambili. Besengithi ukuphikisana kwethu kukonke lapha kufuneka kusakhe ngoba kuyizinsika zentando yeningi ukuba kubekhona abantu abaphikisayo kodwa kuphikiswe ngokwakhayo. Ngibonge kakhulu ukuba ngisebenze nani ngifisa sengathi uBaba O mkhulu angangigcina mhlawumbe ngibuye ngonyaka ozayo ngisaphila. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson and hon members, I hope that you begin the new year well. We worked well together as the representatives of the nine provinces of this country. I say thank you very much to the Chairperson of this House, his deputy and to all those representing the provinces.
As we march forward, may God protect us from accidents in order for us to see what 2010 has in store for us. I say to you, Madam Chief Whip, you have to be a parent and admonish us well - these experienced gentlemen too in order for us to work progressively.
Let me also say that our debates here in totality should be constructive because they are the pillars of democracy, as is having these people who engage themselves in these debates, but in a constructive way. I am grateful for having worked with you; my wish is that the Almighty protects me, so that I may return next year. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Chair, hon Chief Whip and Chairperson, in absentia, allow me to say to you that it has been a wonderful journey this past seven months. It is a pleasure to have worked with the people here. I appreciate it, and I have learned a lot in these past few months.
Let me say this one thing: I believe what John C Maxwell said - that people who are leaders can only lead when they can lead themselves. If you are not able to understand a difficult person, you will never be able to lead that person. You must learn to lead yourself and understand difficult people, knowing that we can do our best.
I would like thank the hon Chief Whip for teaching me a lot in a short span of time. To the Chairperson, M J Mahlangu, it is not the first time that I have met him. Since being in the legislature in the Northern Cape, since I met the Chairperson, he has been an absolutely unique leader. You see, you must give credit where credit is due and don't be jealous, because all of us are unique. All of us can learn from one another.
I would like to say today that it is a privilege for me to meet people like Gamede and Nzimande, the people who always say that they are from the province with the name and the surname. So, people, I would like to wish you a merry Christmas, a prosperous and a blessed New Year, and I hope that when we come back ...
... gaan ons so 'n bietjie Afrikaans praat en dan gaan ons 'n bietjie bua [praat] en dan gaan ons weer thetha [praat] en khuluma [praat] en avuxeni [groete]. Dit gaan lekker wees in die nuwe jaar, maar daar gaan baie harde werk wees vir ons almal. Ek wil graag sien of die Parlement, hierdie NRVP en die Parlement as geheel, nie weer 'n slag daardie netjiese baadjies kan kry met die wapens, as die Lede van die Parlement, om net 'n verskil te maak en te wys ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[... we are going to speak a little bit of Afrikaans and bua [talk] a little bit and then we are going to thetha [talk] and khuluma [talk] and avuxeni [greetings] again. The new year is going to be enjoyable, but there will be lots of hard work for all of us. I would like to see if Parliament, the NCOP and Parliament as a whole, can obtain those neat blazers with the Members of Parliament badges again, just to make a difference and to show that ...]
... these are Members of Parliament.
Nog iets wat ek vandag vir u wil s is dat in die nuwe jaar ... [Something else that I want to mention today is that in the new year ...]
... we must do more oversight to see that service is being delivered to the people.
There must be a better budget for the committees to go and do the work. They have been elected to do oversight. They have been elected to see to it that service reaches the electorate. We have been elected to be their ears, to be their eyes, to be their mouthpieces, so next year, all chairpersons of select committees, you must speak your mind to get us into an oversight role, so that there must be money for us to go and see that the people have to be serviced.
I thank you, Chairperson. Enjoy your holidays and enjoy your kids. Those who are married men, enjoy your wives. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
House Chairperson, hon members and comrades, I must say, for the first time I have worked very well with a member from the DA, who is also my provincial Whip. This says that in the NCOP we are able to work with one another. I must also say that there are members here who really ... [Interjections.] Continue that sentence. I didn't say that.
I also want to say that as we come to the end of 2009, we must look back and all agree that it was a greatly challenging year. We all participated in the election campaign, each party hoping to get the 50% plus one, but there always be only one victor, and we will always be that.
Whether you agree or you don't, you have no choice on this one. You have to agree with me. I also want say, Chair, as we go back to our constituencies, let's engage our communities, educate society about the laws that we make, about the laws that empower them and about the laws that protect them.
We will begin our new year with the workshop that we have postponed. Remember, tomorrow we were supposed to have a workshop. We have postponed that until next year, together with other matters. Of course, we have to plan for what we will do next year and how we will take our work forward for the whole of next year.
House Chair, we rise at a time when the world is observing the 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. I want us to make sure that, together, we work with the police to protect their lives. It is such a bad and heartbreaking thing to see young children being killed by their fathers.
When a husband doesn't agree with me, the mother, then he makes sure that he'll take the child's life. Because I am the mother, I must feel that pain. It is the responsibility of all of us to protect our children. That problem knows no race; it knows no colour.
I also want to say that as we mention the 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children, we will mention World Aids Day, but we don't speak about 3 December. We don't speak about that, so next year, as we continue with this debate, we have to make sure that people with disabilities hear us speaking about them, those of us who are not yet disabled, because sooner or later, we will be joining that club. I know Mr Watkins is slowly moving there. You know, Mr Watson has changed his surname. The unfortunate thing is that you all don't know that I am the only one who knows it. So, don't be surprised when I call him Watkins. He has two names now. Today he is Watson, and on another day he is Watkins.
Chair, I want to thank the provincial Whips, the political parties and all members for their good co-operation. I know that in the process I might have trampled on your toes. You must know that it was not deliberate. It was because I wanted us to be taken as a House, not as a hokkie [little cage]. We are a House here.
Lastly, I want to thank the support and advisory staff of the NCOP, under Adv Phindela, and thank the staff in my office, without whom I wouldn't have been this successful a Chief Whip. It is due to them that I have been able to work.
Lastly, on behalf of the ANC and on behalf of myself, as the Chief Whip, I wish you a good and enjoyable rest. May God Almighty be with you all till we meet again, but remember: Arrive Alive. Don't drink and drive. Drinking doesn't apply to men only. May all of us not drink and drive. May you have a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2010, and we hope that, for the first time in our lifetime, of course, Africa will bring the World Cp home. Thank you very much. [Applause.]