Speaker, I move that the House -
1) notes with a profound sense of loss that, on Friday, 18 September 2009, the hon Frans Ting-Ting Masango passed away after a long battle with illness;
2) recognises that hon Masango was a student leader of the 1976 generation that helped change the political landscape in our country forever and who devoted his youth and adult life in service to the struggle for liberation;
3) further notes that he started his freedom-fighting endeavours during the 1976 uprisings when he led as one of the student leaders and that after the June 16 uprising he was elected onto the student representative council;
(4) recalls that Comrade Masango was amongst a group of activists who vociferously campaigned against the hanging of a prominent youth freedom fighter, Solomon Kalusha Mahlangu, before his hanging in 1979;
(5) remembers that in 1985 as part of a specialised and disciplined MK unit he was sent back to the country by the commanders to carry out military operations;
(6) further remembers that Ting-Ting, together with his comrades, later appeared at the Delmas Four Trial, also known as the "silent trial", after which they spent 18 months on death row;
(7) recalls that he made headlines in 1991 when he, together with fellow freedom fighters, staged a 38-day hunger strike and were subsequently granted amnesty and released in June of that year;
(8) believes that he discharged his responsibilities with dedication, discipline, diligence and humility and that the life of this patriot epitomises heroism and commitment to the cause of the poor; and (9) conveys its condolences to the Masango family and the African National Congress.
Somlomo, ngithokoze bengilotjhise namalunga wePalamende woke. [Thank you, Mr Speaker, and greetings to all Members of Parliament.]
Speaker, I was shocked to learn of the death of one of the freedom fighters, Frans Ting-Ting Masango, after a very short spell in Parliament.
The last time I spoke to the late Ting-Ting Masango was on 6 May 2009 during dinner at the hotel. We had a short discussion - I can remember him asking me if we were the only two Masangos in Parliament. I said to him that this is a 100% increase because last time I was the only one! [Laughter.] We ended by saying that we still have five years to talk.
Akekho-ke phakathi kwethu obekazi ukuthi kuhlekuhle sikhuluma ngeenyanga ezimbalwa, hhayi iminyaka emihlanu njengokuba besicabanga. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[Neither of us knew that we were actually talking about a few months and not five years, which we initially spoke about.]
He started as a freedom fighter during the 1976 uprising when he led from the forefront as one of the student leaders in Pretoria.
After the execution of Solomon Mahlangu, he left the country in 1979 and went into exile in Mozambique. He received military training in various countries like Angola, East Germany and Russia. He was a news reader in Angola for Radio Freedom.
In 1985, the late Ting-Ting and his comrade Jabu Masina, Neo Potsane and Joseph Makhura were sent back to South Africa by their commanders to carry out military operations. Unfortunately, after a short time in the country, they were arrested by the apartheid regime police on 13 September 1986.
They were well known as the Delmas Four. Their trial was also called "the silent trial" because they did not participate in the trial for the reason that they did not recognise the jurisdiction of the court.
They were sentenced to death by a judge called Marius de Klerk and spent 18 months on death row before being released in 1991. He was given amnesty in 1999 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for political offences committed during apartheid.
The late Ting-Ting Masango joined the SABC in April 1992 as a bulletin compiler and a news reader for Ikwekwezi FM, formerly known as Radio Ndebele. He resigned from SABC after this year's general election after being elected as a Member of Parliament.
Umswa wakwaMrhali nakuyindima uyilimile, kusele kithi bona sithathe lapho atjhiye khona siragele phambili.
Somlomo ngithanda ukuswaphelisa ngokutjhiriya ihlangano yakhe ye-ANC, ngithi anikalahlekelwa nodwa. ITshwane namaphethelo nayo ilahlekelwe. Isitjhaba samaNdebele naso silahlekelwe. ISewula Afrika nayo ihlahlekelwe. Ngithi dudu emndenini wakwaMasango, akwehlanga olungehliko. Kumufi ngithi lala ngokuthula Mrhali, Mkungu, Dumako, Phondwelibomvu, nanyana lingakahlabi lihlabile, silahlela somlilo esaphuma kwaMabhoko, masunguban'ekosi! Ngiyathokoza. [Iwahlo.] (Translation of isiNdebele paragraphs follows.)
[The man from the Mrhali clan has played his role and now it is upon us to take over where he left off and carry on.
Mr Speaker, I would like to convey my condolences to the ANC and say that you are not the only ones who have suffered a loss. The whole of Tshwane and its surroundings have suffered a loss. The Ndebele nation and the whole of South Africa have suffered a loss. I would like to convey my condolences once more to the Masango family. To the late member I say rest in peace, Mrhali, Mkungu, Dumako, Phondwelibomvu, nanyana ngakahlabi lihlabile silahlela somlilo esiphuma kwaMabhoko, masunguban' ekosi! [Clan Praises.] Thank you. [Applause.]]
Hon Speaker, we are deeply saddened by the untimely passing away of the hon Frans Ting-Ting Masango. He was, as we can all testify, brave where so many others trembled. He was resolute where many others wavered. He fought in the streets and inside the committee rooms. He campaigned against the hanging of Solomon Mahlangu, who was on death row, and later was himself an occupant of that same death row.
The hon Masango was prepared to pay any price, undergo any privation and suffer any consequences so that all of us could be free. It is sad today to observe how the struggle, amongst many of his former comrades, is not to give all, as he did, but to take all, in whichever way possible.
Today we are deeply mourning the passing away of this comrade who actually fought for all of us in this country. The crass materialism, the brazenness, the careerism and the soullessness of corruption that we see so prevalent among many of those who once identified with the struggle, go against all he stood and fought for.
If this evil is not rooted out now, another oppressive regime will begin to take root in our recently freed soil. It would be very sad if we were just offering platitudes today, and then tomorrow we forget what this brave, incomparable man did in his short existence.
He would want to be remembered in a good manner. Would any of us perhaps remember him in that way? The way he led, is the way we should lead. The way he saw things, is the way we should see things.
We too should show utmost bravery in what we do, and in particular we should be brave in opposing those who are bent on reversing our gains in terms of corruption and values that are actually not needed. I appeal to all hon members to use this occasion to reflect deeply, so that when we return to this honourable House again, we should be honouring the hon Masango.
We commiserate with his family; their loss and our loss is irreparable. He was a giant amongst us. Today is our chance to say to his family that it was a privilege for him to serve. I thank you. [Time expired.]
Angithokoze Somlomo, ngibingelele abahlonishwa bonke eNdlini. I-IFP izithole ngokukhulu ukudumala nobuhlungu benhliziyo izindaba zokudlula emhlabeni kwelungu elihloniphekile leSishayamthetho, umfowethu uFrans Ting-Ting Masango.
Sithi emndenini wakwaMasango, nakozakwabo kuKhongolose, kumalungu aleNdlu akwehlanga olungehli. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Mr B W DHLAMINI: Thank you, Speaker, and greetings to all the hon members in the House. The IFP received with great sadness the news of the passing away of a member of our Parliament, our colleague Frans Ting-Ting Masango.
We send our condolences to the Masango family, his colleagues in the ANC and the members of this House.]
Ka Sesotho ba re ke ngwetsi ya malapa oohle. [In Sesotho it is said that death can happen to anyone.]
Sicela niduduzeke. Okusiduduza kakhulu thina njenge-IFP ukuthi njengoba sezishilo ezinye izikhulumi ngaphambi kwami ukuthi wayeyisishoshovu somzabalazo olwela inkululeko njengoba sesikhululekile. Okuhle nokusiduduzayo ukuthi ugcine ehambe emhlabeni eyilungu lesiShayamthetho sona lesi esashaya imithetho ayelwa nalo aze angene emajele. Umndeni siyawududuza ngalawo mazwi , akwehlanga olungehli, iqhawe leli elihambile.
Maningi amaqhawe aseNingizimu Afrika alwele inkululeko okutholakala ukuthi umlando wawo awubhalekile kahle. Ngiphosa inselele ikakhulukazi kuNgqongqoshe Wezobuciko Namasiko ukuthi aqinisekise ukuthi umlando wabantu abalwela inkululeko ubhalwe ngendlela eyiyo kungabi sengathi owabambalwa. Ngiyathokoza. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Please be comforted. What comforts us most as the IFP is that, just as the other speakers before me have said, he was a freedom fighter, who fought for freedom so that we can be free now. What is comforting is that he passed away as a Member of Parliament, the one that passed the legislation he fought against and ended up in prison for. We comfort the family with these words: What has befallen you is nothing unusual; the one who has passed on is a hero.
We have discovered that there are many South African heroes who fought for freedom, whose history has been incorrectly captured. I challenge especially the Minister of Arts and Culture, to have the history of the freedom fighters rewritten and it should not appear as if it is being done for a chosen few. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Mr Speaker and hon members, on behalf of the UDM, I would like to extend our condolences to the family and colleagues of the late hon Frans Ting-Ting Masango. He played a leading role in the 1976 student protest and was most famous for being one of the four men who were sentenced to death in the notorious Delmas Trial.
In the year 1991, he and his three comrades were released. After a life spent in service to his people, the hon Masango was recently elected to Parliament, a democratic institution which, many would argue, exists because of the efforts of people like him. We are bidding farewell to him and hope that his family will find consolation in the words spoken here today. May his soul rest in peace!
Robala ka khut?o, monna wa banna; senatla sa dinatla. [Rest in peace, man of men; hero of heroes.]
Hon Speaker, the ACDP is saddened by the passing of hon Masango, who was one of the Delmas Four trialists. The ACDP recognises hon Masango's contribution to the liberation of this country. We note the fondness and pride with which hon Masango's colleagues referred to him, and convey our deepest sympathy to family and friends at this time. We pray that they will experience the peace and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, we went to Vienna one day in 1982. Vienna was a transit camp outside Luanda, where we slept over for a day or maybe more before we were trucked off to our training camps in Angola. I distinctly remember that it was on a Thursday, because all cadres converged at the swimming pool for what we used to call the jazz hour, to listen to the sounds of "Ayeza amalori, siyohamba noTambo" [The trucks are coming, we are going to go with Tambo], to "Siyobashiya thina abazali bethu" [We are leaving our parents behind.] - revolutionary songs that spoke to the selfless heroism of the youth of the 70s and 80s.
Bells, as he was known, was not at the jazz hour, as I would later learn and understand, where we were listening to morale-boosting songs, to solemn pieces, depicting our resolve, resilience and love for fellow South Africans. In the morning, during parade, there was this comrade, distinct with his lazy eye, reading news and leading discussions on the news of the world events and what was happening back home.
Bells, Ting-Ting Masango's combat name, was not at the jazz hour because he was compiling a news bulletin for the camp for the following morning. He spent a lot of his time radio-hopping the whole day between Voice of America, Radio Deutsche Welle, Radio South Africa, BBC World News, Radio Freedom and many other radio stations, to ensure that he delivered an informative bulletin every morning that would lead quality input on the form of analysis, debate and discussions.
I only discovered how strenuous his job was when I assumed the same position in 1985, when I was doing the news and youth feature programme for Radio Freedom, broadcasting from Radio Nacional de Angola. Short-lived as my stint was, it was hectic.
Bells carried out his task with revolutionary zeal. He was a commissar of note. With no newspapers, television or radios, Bells brought the world to us every morning, having worked silently in his tent every day. He never complained.
He was the same Bells, Monday through to Sunday. He never delivered an inferior product. He would point you out in your section to share with the camp what you had used from a particular item of news he had just read to us. You had to be attentive and apply quick analysis as he would point you out randomly.
There are comrades you just never forget, and the late hon member Ting-Ting Masango was one of them. He was forever humble, exemplary and intelligent. He was a product of the bushes of Angola, the training facilities of the generous internationalists of the former Eastern Bloc countries and the dusty streets of Mamelodi.
I stand here in this House to pay tribute to a revolutionary. I remind you never to forget when he was admitted hospital, a fellow fighter who was ready to give up his life, so that you, I and generations to come could be free; a fighter who was a constant inspiration to the other trialists among the Delmas Four; and a child of Africa who refused to be reduced to being a criminal, but fought to be recognised as a prisoner of war.
In the statement of January 8, 1982, President O R Tambo gave a directive to the commanders and commissars of the people's army, Umkhonto weSizwe, to attack, advance and give the enemy no quarter. Bells did just that. He advanced from all flanks, attacked in a frontal fashion and refused to be cowed by the military and judicial might of the apartheid regime. He literally gave the enemy no quarter.
He walked in the footsteps of Mary Mini, Comrade Caroline, Solomon Mahlangu, Jerry Mosolodi, Bobby Tsotsobe, the G5, Butterfly Unit, Special Ops and many other heroic individuals and units of Umkhonto weSizwe. He delivered telling blows on the enemy until his arrest in 1986. When faced with the situation where he could have succumbed to the gruesome torture that was visited on him, he refused to expose a fellow unit member when he was brought to retrieve a pistol at a hideout in Mamelodi.
I followed part of what was going on while doing training in Moscow. They would later be dubbed the Delmas Four. Their conduct was inspiring. What he wanted at that point was news of a daring operation to spring them from the jaws of a beastly system.
If you have not grasped how special this patriot was, allow me to illustrate more to you by reading an excerpt from Peter Harris's In a Different Time. That was a story he told of the Delmas Four trialists. These are Ting-Ting's words: I know there is still a lot of work to be done, but we want you to be aware of our thinking. We want to ask a question: What is the consequence of us not giving evidence? We ask this because we have a problem in that we are not prepared to take the stand and deny that we have done the things we have done. I say this because the acts described in the charge sheet were committed by us as soldiers of Umkhonto weSizwe, and we will not distance ourselves from what we have done.
Ting-Ting continued:
We have had long and hard discussions about all the options you have presented to us. We have taken each one, worked it through and in each case, we have rejected the possibility of using this type of defence. We cannot plead guilty. Firstly, because we will not allow them to place us on trial according to their rules for fighting to liberate this country, they have no right to do that; and secondly, we did the acts alleged, mostly on the instructions of the ANC and we will not back away from that.
He continued:
At the same time, we could not plead guilty, although we are in fact guilty. Our acts cannot be seen in purely criminal terms, just as those who killed the enemy in the fight against fascism in the Second World War. The acts we committed were carried out against an enemy that made us victims in our own country and has taken any rights that we had away from us - our rights to land, to move freely, to work in a free manner, to be educated, and a range of others.
This government is murdering our youth and has our leadership in prison. The people we killed were at the forefront of the apartheid regime's attack on black people, and they deserved what happened to them. While we have killed, and each of us has to deal with that inside ourselves, we are not murderers, and are not normal criminals. Do you follow me? This is a war in which they hold most of the cards and we cannot simply play their game when we have no part in forming the rules.
Ting-Ting said:
Look, let's be honest here, we know that probably we cannot avoid the death sentence; we have to face the fact. We need to conduct our trial and go our way in a manner which does not compromise our beliefs and the reputation of the ANC. This is why we like the last option that you presented to us. It may be radical and not the norm in ANC trials, but it is the one we would like to follow. By doing so, we get the same conclusion as the other defence options, but in a way of our choosing and which also highlights what we are doing and the nature of the conflict we are involved in.
This was a tribute to a brilliant patriot and freedom fighter; a soldier of our former people's army, uMkhonto weSizwe, a true revolutionary and a son of the soil. Comrade Bells, hon Frans Ting-Ting Masango, may your revolutionary songs rest in infinite peace. Lala ngoxolo sotsha lomkhonto. [Rest in peace, MK soldier].
Debate concluded.
Motion agreed to, members standing.