Hon Speaker, Xhamela, Ministers, colleagues, I move the draft resolution printed in my name on the Order Paper as follows:
That the House -
1) notes with great sadness the news of the passing of the former Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, Mr Joe Matthews, 81, who died of natural causes in Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg on 21 August 2010;
(2) further notes that Matthews was born on 17 June 1929 in Durban and that he was the son of African National Congress leader, Z K Matthews;
(3) acknowledges that after matriculating in Johannesburg in 1947, Matthews went on to obtain a BA degree from Fort Hare University in 1952, an LLB from the University of London in 1956 and a Masters Degree in History from the same institution 12 years later;
(4) recognises that his career in politics and the legal profession spanned six decades after he joined the ANC Youth League as a teenager in 1944 and that he and his father were among the 156 accused, along with Mandela, Walter Sisulu and other senior ANC leaders in the 1956 Treason Trial which ended in 1961 with the acquittal of all involved;
(5) further recognises that he joined the Inkatha Freedom Party in 1992 and served as Deputy Minister of Safety and Security from 1994 up to his retirement a decade later in the cabinets of both former president Nelson Mandela and his successor, Thabo Mbeki;
(6) remembers Joe Matthews as a great South African, a hero of the struggle for freedom and a man whose sharp intellect and keen understanding of South Africa's history, challenges and potential made him an invaluable resource to our country; and
(7) conveys its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and comrades of the late Joe Matthews, to the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party.
When a man passes away at a great age, the sense of injustice which often accompanies death is less acute than in the case of a younger person. Man is allotted three score and ten years as a lifespan. The ones who are blessed, like Joseph Gaobakwe Matthews and I, to live past this measure, are believed to have had and led a full life. People will say surely there is nothing more an octogenarian can still long to do. Surely regrets are far behind him and some will say he has had his innings.
But today, as I offer my message of condolence on the passing of one of South Africa's greatest sons, I do feel regret. I regret that I have been robbed of an opportunity to share another good conversation with my beloved friend, Joe. I regret that his sharp mind, a veritable library of knowledge, will no longer challenge mine as we explored ideas, theories, philosophies and dreams. I regret that his warmth and gentle humour will no longer brighten my days. I regret that South Africa had merely a lifetime of Joe Matthews because more certainly would have enriched us. Even to the end of his days, Joe's mind remained brilliant. There was nothing senile about him.
I know that the popular thing these days is the belief that old men can't lead. Last week we were enlightened by the Leader of the Youth that even in the ANC, not only in the IFP, their old men must be shown the door. [Laughter.]
Colleagues, I know that I am not alone in longing for more time with Joe Matthews; his daughter, the hon Naledi Pandor, has suffered a terrible loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I am grateful to the hon Minister for her kindness in keeping me informed of her father's brief illness and for contacting me, even from the hospital, when he passed into eternity. Joe was blessed to have such a daughter who would consider his friends in the midst of her own suffering.
There are many who will mourn the loss of Joe Matthews, but the deepest pain is reserved for his children and family. May God be their comfort and strength.
This afternoon I had the privilege of speaking at a memorial service in which we paid tribute to the memory of our former colleague. I noted then that his life, like that of any prominent leader, will be written into the history books in terms of accomplishments and regrets, mountain peaks and valleys.
History tends to record the pivotal moments of a human being's life, while friends and loved ones record through their memories the trivialities and daily witness of character that give a fuller and truer sense of a man. Even as I spoke this afternoon, I was aware that history is not a perfect record, because it is written by human beings - people. Every person has an agenda, a viewpoint, a belief and a motive. The record of Joe Matthews' life will not always be perfect and it will be up to us who knew him to challenge distortions and set the record straight.
The decisions that Joe Matthews made were closely watched and analysed, in part because he was a brilliant historian and lawyer, who wrote prolifically; and in part because he was the son of Professor Z K Matthews who had already earned the respect and admiration of black South Africans and the international community. He was also under scrutiny because he was a gifted political strategist who engaged in the struggle of our country.
When Joe Matthews entered the University of Fort Hare in 1948, he immediately joined those who established the Fort Hare branch of the Youth League, to which both of us belonged. Joe and I met at Fort Hare and we quickly became good friends. As students, we shared a passion for law, history and music; and we cut our political teeth together in the ANC Youth League. We also shared a passion for South Africa's liberation. We engaged in deep discussions with one another, late into the night. We often spoke about freedom and also about our teachers, our classes and our great loves.
Our long friendship, which eventually spanned 62 years, offered us an insight into each other's character. I will not hesitate to say that Joe was an exceptional man, honest, warm and delightful to listen to. I think it was because Joe knew me so well that he was able to support me when I rejected the armed struggle, which the ANC in exile brought to South Africa.
Joe recounted in his interview about the book: The Long Walk to Freedom, how His Excellency, Nelson Mandela, came to him with the idea of an armed struggle and they discussed its potential as a tool of liberation. He recounted how the idea was posed to other leaders and was accepted. Joe knew that I could never have agreed to bloodshed and loss of life, even as a means to gain political enfranchisement. To my mind, it was too high a price to pay, considering that we would eventually reach the same goal through passive resistance and negotiations.
As a Christian and a patriot, I could not lead, at the time when I was in charge of KwaZulu-Natal only, to take up arms, because our country would have been reduced to ashes with no spoils of war for anyone to inherit. Joe, although he was a member of Umkhonto Wesizwe, supported my stand and never withdrew his encouragement or his friendship.
In the same way Joe understood and supported my rejection of nominal independence for KwaZulu-Natal during apartheid. Had I been honey-trapped into seeing KwaZulu-Natal become a Bantustan, millions of black South African would have been deprived of citizenship once liberation was achieved. It was a decision that looked to the long-term future of our people. I thank God for vindicating that decision many years later, as former President F W de Klerk admitted before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that it was this decision that finally made the grand scheme of apartheid untenable.
Because of this history, I must confess that it angered me to read in last week's Sunday Times that a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee, NEC, the hon Dr Pallo Jordan, told the newspaper that Joe Matthews' legacy had been stunted by two of his decisions: to support Bantustans and to join the IFP. Dr Jordan said this as if these things besmirched the memory of Joseph Gaobakwe Matthews. To me, it was a distasteful utterance, to say the least, and a cheap political pot shot.
I was angered on behalf of my late friend and also saddened for his daughter, our hon Minister, to have an insult levelled against her father, coming from within her own party. It is not the first time she has suffered because of foolish words, hastily spoken within her own party. I cannot help but think of the ANC Youth League President's attack on her beautiful accent, acquired because of her father's exile during the liberation struggle. How insulting, when her own father founded the ANC Youth League!
I know that grief can so easily take the disguise of anger. My frustration at seeing history falsely recorded is amplified by the pain I feel at Joe Matthews' passing. I cannot stomach the idea that the immense contribution that my friend made to the liberation struggle, the field of law, our democratic negotiations, to safety and security and to remembering our country's past the way it actually happened, may now be diminished just because he gave his allegiance to the IFP and his friendship to Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
I became used to unjust vilification myself, but it pains me to see my friends suffer by association with me. Let us not allow the truth, my dear brothers and sisters, to be painted over. Joe Matthews began in the ANC Youth League, briefly joined the SA Communist Party in the fifties, and fell out with the ANC in the seventies. He joined the IFP in 1992, and served in the Government of National Unity for the first ten years of democracy. After he retired, the ANC-led government sought out his wisdom and advice. Joe's brilliant intellect was always in demand.
When he returned from exile in 1991, Joe returned to a country on the brink of change. In my view, it would have been a loss for South Africa to forgo his contribution as we negotiated a democratic dispensation. I had no qualms whatsoever in sending him to Kempton Park as a key part of the IFP's team. When we reached the point where international mediation was required, the IFP sent Dr Frank Mdlalose and Mr Joe Matthews for discussions with Mr Thabo Mbeki, Mr Jacob Zuma and Mr Penuel Maduna. Agreement was then reached on the terms of reference for mediation.
When the interim Constitution established a Government of National Unity, I again had no qualms in putting Joe Matthews forward for the position of Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, which His Excellency, Mr Mandela, gave to him. It was in this position that some of us in the House had the privilege of interacting with the hon Joseph Gaobakwe Matthews. It is right that we remember him in this House today and honour the contribution that he made to Parliament and the government of South Africa.
His memory will remain alive in the hearts and minds of those who loved him; which is most of us, across all parties. May history remember him as he was - a brilliant historian, gifted leader, patriot, and a hero of South Africa's struggle. Amandla! HON MEMBERS: Awethu! [To the people!] [Applause.]
We would like to thank the hon Shenge. Hon members, before I proceed with the list of speakers, I wish to recognise and acknowledge the presence of members of the Matthews family in the Chamber. May you please stand up so that they can all see you? [Applause.] You are warmly welcomed.
Mr Speaker, it is particularly significant for me to be able to follow the hon Buthelezi on this sad occasion as we pay tribute to the late Mr Joe Matthews. The hon Buthelezi has certainly paid a remarkably warm tribute to both a friend and colleague and it is therefore a great privilege for me to follow him on this podium.
I had the pleasure and honour of knowing Joe Matthews during his years in Parliament. I wish I had known him before that because, from all accounts and according to his CV, which I had the great pleasure of reading in some detail, he was a remarkably interesting and very accomplished person. His whole life history indicates a man who from his young days cared deeply about the rights of people. Likewise, his political history shows a man deeply committed to fighting for those rights, often at great personal risk and compromising his own freedom in the fight for the freedom of others.
His long period of exile from 1960 to 1991 must have been very difficult and frustrating for him. He achieved a great deal during those years, serving the ANC from afar in many different capacities, as well as using the opportunity to improve his academic qualifications and writing quite extensively on a number of subjects and in particular on South Africa. It is obvious that, as soon as he was able to, he jumped at the opportunity to return to his home country, the country of his birth and the one that he had fought for, for so long.
There can be no doubt that, despite his personal successes overseas in the UK, Botswana, Canada and the Netherlands, South Africa was his passion, and returning to his country for him was a moment of huge significance. What is equally significant was that he retained strong relationships with so many people in this country, both in the ANC and the IFP while he was in exile.
His return to South Africa saw him immediately involved with his old colleagues, especially his friend of many years, the hon Buthelezi, the President of the IFP. Consequently for many of us it was not surprising therefore that, despite his intense loyalty to the ANC for decades, he then became a member of the IFP in 1992 where he played a very prominent role in the run-up to the first democratic elections in 1994 and thereafter.
From a personal point of view, during his time in Parliament, Joe Matthews was always a gentleman. His tenure as Deputy Minister of Safety and Security in the Government of National Unity was very successful. He was forthright in his interventions, but understood the importance of his work and certainly did not tolerate shoddy work, either from Members of Parliament or officials. What has really made him as a human being was the fact that he was a compassionate person, but at all times very firm.
Mr Matthews did not look for popularity. He was his own person and he was dedicated to his work. At times, as I remember him, he was fairly taciturn. But certainly, that never overshadowed a steely determination that both his political enemies and friends fully understood and respected. At the same time, as the hon Buthelezi has mentioned, his sense of humour was excellent, sometimes dry, sometimes dour, but it was excellent. As I have said, he was a very warm and caring human being.
I do believe that he will be long remembered in the South African political history as a man of great integrity. It is for these reasons that on behalf of the DA, I offer our sincere condolences to his family, especially on this occasion, his daughter, the hon Naledi Pandor, and all his political friends and allies, both within the IFP and the ANC, who, no doubt, will miss him greatly. I thank you. [Applause].
Mr Speaker, dear colleagues, today we bid farewell to one of South Africa's greatest sons and freedom fighters. Although Joe Mathews came from a family of stature in South Africa's history, he became a revolutionary in his own name and right. His record of performance speaks for itself. From early in his life as a student and member of the youth of the premier liberation organisation of our country, he made his mark amongst his peers across the length and breadth of South Africa.
The records of written and oral history abound of his exploits. Many of our generation, certainly my generation, learned of his work amongst cadres of the movement in jail on Robben Island, and from those who had returned from exile. We were always very proud to hear of his exploits, of how he narrated the plight of our people on platforms and under the cruel rule of apartheid.
When he had joined us in Cabinet or rather in the democratic government, his inputs in Cabinet and in other committees were scholarly and inspiring. But it was away from these formal meetings and in casual analytical discussions that the greatness of the man came out. I came to realise then, in a very small measure perhaps, how much South Africa had lost during the years of rejection of the full contributions of the darker skinned sections of her population.
The late Joe also played a positive role in assisting Raproshma between the liberating movements and other parties in the country, at a time when our country was torn with tensions, in particular along the East coast of the country. He made a number of diplomatic interventions among leaders of our different parties and worked assiduously to undermine tension.
Today our country has one less of the best of her sons. While we celebrate the greatness of his life, we cannot regret his departure. Our sympathies from Cope go to the IFP and to all of those parties, the ANC, Members of this House and others who have had the opportunity of sharing time and work with him. We particularly extend our very deep sympathy to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, the UDM offers its sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the late hon Mr Joe Matthews. He is one of the class of 1994, which was a first crop of the democratically elected members of this Parliament to depart us. It is also worth noting that he too, like many other significant political players of this country, studied at the University of Fort Hare.
The late hon Matthews was an active participant in politics for many decades and participated in some way or another in the many tenacious events that shook our country in the latter half of the twentieth century. He therefore leaves a legacy of considerable proportions. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you.
Agb Speaker, ek dink as almal in die Raad na die lewe van mnr Joe Matthews luister, sal hulle saamstem dat hy die voorreg gehad het om 'n vol lewe te lei. Ons het wel polities van hom verskil, maar hy was altyd 'n voorbeeld vir daardie politieke partye en daardie politieke bewegings waarvan hy lid was. En ek dink altyd as 'n mens op die ouderdom kom wat hy bereik het en jy kan terugkyk op jou lewe, dan kan jy ook s dit was 'n voorreg.
Ek het die voorreg gehad om saam met hom te werk toe hy die Adjunkminister van Veiligheid en Sekuriteit was. Hy was altyd beleefd, hy was altyd hulpvaardig, en wat my veral ook opgeval het, is die goeie en perfekte Afrikaans wat hy gepraat het. In daardie opsig het hy ook 'n voorbeeld gestel.
Die VF Plus wil aan sy gesin, sy familie en sy vriende ons innige meegevoel meedeel. Dit is altyd 'n groot verlies en dit is ook altyd hartseer om 'n geliefde te verloor, daarom spreek ons ons innige meegevoel en simpatie uit teenoor hulle almal. Dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr P J GROERNEWALD: Hon Speaker, I think that when everyone in the House listens to the life that Mr Joe Matthews led, they would all agree that he had been privileged to have led such a full life. We may have differed from him politically, but he set an example to those political parties and those political movements of which he was a member. And it has always been my belief that if a person has reached the age that he has, and you are able to reflect on your life, then you would also have to admit that it has been a privilege.
I had the privilege to work with him when he was the Deputy Minister of Safety and Security. He was always polite, he was always ready to help, and what also struck me, in particular, was the excellent and perfect Afrikaans that he spoke. In that regard he also set a good example.
The FF Plus would like to extent our heartfelt condolences to his family, his relatives and his friends. It is always a great loss and it is also very painful to lose a loved one and, therefore, we would like to convey our heartfelt condolences and sympathy to all of them. Thank you.]
Speaker, on behalf of the ACDP, I want to express our sincere condolences to the family, friends, IFP and ANC members for the loss of this great son of the soil, Joe Mathews, who passed away this past week. During my short interaction with him, as a then Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, I found him to be a warm, yet firm leader and an intellectual that loved his work and his country dearly. He was a man who paid dearly in his contribution to the liberation and freedom of this country.
The ACDP will honour him, his leadership, his contribution and his great mind for many years to come. To the family, I wish to confirm what all the members have said and say that our prayers are with you. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you. [Applause.]
Speaker, the UCDP would like to pass its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Joseph Matthews. The nation has lost a frontline stalwart and a veteran of the struggle. He will always be remembered for his unfaltering zeal and commitment to be part of the delegation in the pre-1994 elections. We shall also miss him for his services as Deputy Minister of Safety and Security. Go well, son or grandson of African stalwarts.
Go mmarona mme Naledi Pandor ra re tshedisega, re le UCDP re na le wena. Re a leboga. [To our mother, Naledi Pandor, we convey our condolences; the UCDP is with you.]
Motsamaisi wa dipuisano, re le ba mokga wa Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, thapameng ya letsatsi lena mmoho le ba lelapa la Ntate Joe Mathews re bina kodiyamalla hobane re lahlehetswe ke mohale hara bahale, sekwankwetla hara dikwankwetla. Ntate Mathews e ne e le mohlalefi ya neng a le sehlohlolong se hodimodimo nalaneng ya naha ya rona. Ka dithuto ebile senatla sa monna wa Moafrika. Lefu la hae le re amme bohle. Bokgabane ba hae bo re tswalletse melemo e mengata. Ho ntwa ya tokoloho le topollo Ntate Mathews e ne e le makatolle a kgoro dikatilwe. Lejwe la moremaphofu. Motheo wa moralla. Mohlabani ya sebete sa tau. Tabatabelo ya rona ke hore, e ka re kgweding ena ya bomme, bomme ba Afrika ba ka re tswalla bahale ba kang enwa ntate Mathews.
Ho mokgatlo wa IFP re re tshedisehang hle, ba mphato. Le thobe bohloko bo le ammeng, ka tsebo ya hore lefu ke ngwetsi ya malapa ohle. Helehelele! baheso Maafrika, enwa motho ha se sebata fela, ke sebatahadi sa nnete ya koma. Se le dinaleng tsa baikgapedi setjhaba, sa e bona pholoho ka enwa thaka mphato ya Maafrika. Ho bua ho feta mona ka ntate Mathews e ka ba ho qhaqha mabitla. Ya kgaola ya ya! [Applause.] (Translation of Sesotho speech follows.)
[Mr L M MPHAHLELE: Speaker, we, as the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, together with the family of Joe Matthews, are mourning this afternoon because we have lost a warrior amongst warriors, a hero amongst heroes. Hon Matthews was a wise man who was well placed in the history of our nation. He was an achiever in his studies, a great African man. His death has affected all of us. His greatness has made it possible for us to have many opportunities. In the fight for freedom, hon Matthews was the one who opened closely guarded doors. He was as solid as a rock. He was the eye of the storm. He was a fighter who was as brave as a lion. Our wish during this Women's Month is for African women to give birth to heroes that are like hon Matthews.
We pass our condolences to our colleagues in the IFP. Nurse your pain knowing that death can happen to anyone. Indeed, fellow Africans, this person was not just a hero, he was a great hero indeed. When the nation was in danger, it was freed by this great African. To talk more about hon Matthews than I already have will be like a desecration. Thank you!] [Applause.]
Speaker, the MF would also like to endorse the sentiments expressed by all previous speakers. However, we would like to extend our heartfelt condolences and messages of strength to the friends, families and relatives of the late Mr Joe Matthews.
True leaders are those who add value to society and must lead by example for the youth to emulate and Joe indeed has been one remarkable, impeccable leader. It is noted with great respect that, at a very young age, Joe was very witty and was already a mature politician.
Undoubtedly, Joe, with the greatest spirit of humility, made some incredible contributions to the South African government and politics - an impeccable leader, a freedom fighter, a man of courage and charisma.
There are many sorrows in life and one of the greatest sorrows that no one would like to experience, is the sorrow of death. For all those who are mourning the death of Joe Matthews and are experiencing emotional pain and sorrow, the MF would like to pray that God Almighty give them the strength, courage and fortitude to deal with the irreplaceable loss.
May peace be granted unto Joe and may his soul rest in peace, through the grace of God Almighty. Thank you.
Mr Speaker, hon members, and the family of the late Comrade Joe Matthews, yet another stalwart of our struggle for freedom has left us.
The passing away of uncle Joe Matthews adds to the procession of veterans of our long and arduous liberation struggle who are leaving us one after the other.
In his 81 years on earth, uncle Joe devoted his energies and talents to serving our country. He did it with dedication and distinction. He was an accomplished intellectual who employed his vast knowledge, capacity and insight to contribute towards the building and advancement of a better country for all of us.
He was a walking encyclopaedia of knowledge in law, political theory, history and other areas, and yet humble and completely approachable. Uncle Joe shared his vast wealth of knowledge with ease and pleasure. We will remember his service to the country as Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, a task he fulfilled with dignity and dedication.
We in Azapo salute this great son of our soil and express our condolences to his family, to his political organisation, the IFP, and to his friend, Shenge. Thank you.
Hon Speaker, hon members of this august House, on behalf of the ANC I want to join the previous speakers in saluting the contributions of the late Joe Matthews, Gaobakwe, as he was better known in Alice before he went elsewhere. That little town of Alice, one of the most beautiful in the Eastern Cape, has two landmarks. One is a house in Gaga Street, and that is where Joe grew up. To this day it is called the Matthews House because the municipality decided to retain it as the property of the Matthews'. The other landmark is a small church in Ntselamanzi, a Presbyterian Church called John Knox Bokwe, named after the grandfather of the late Joe Matthews.
These were not by accident retained under those labels, but were rather a product of the contribution that those families have made towards the liberation and the formation of the mindset of nationalism, African nationalism, in South Africa. Bhuti Joe was born of a very great pedigree of African nationalists and academics. John Knox Bokwe preceded the ANC in the 19th century already, in discussing very important issues of Africanism, African nationalism and nonracialism. This debate was recorded already in 1857 when he was still a student at Lovedale Mission.
John Knox Bokwe had two very important siblings, umama ka bhuti Joe, makhulu Freda, as well Dr Bokwe, the younger of the Bokwe academics. Therefore, it cannot surprise us that at a very young age, this brilliant South African, gentleman, academic, intellectual, man of great integrity, and indeed this patriot and nationalist, had to steep himself deep into the well of political thought and political activism.
Although he was born in Durban and went to school at Adams College, at a very early age his parents came to Alice, where he went to school at Lovedale Mission and the University of Fort Hare. He met great people there. Robert Sobukwe was the president of his student representative council when he was at Fort Hare. Of course, he met Chief Buthelezi, and he met other people - brilliant minds of our liberation movement - who were participants in the Youth League of the ANC.
Brother Joe was also a founding member of the Youth League together with the likes of utata Sisulu, utata Madiba and a whole range of others. But then he met with O R Tambo, and he also met with other very brilliant analysts and political thought framers of our country. It is during this time that he, like many other young minds, got quickly absorbed in the leadership structures of the revolutionary movement. You will know that Brother Joe succeeded Madiba in 1952. When the latter had to step down from the leadership of the African National Congress Youth League he became the next chairperson in 1952-53, in order to allow Madiba to go and lead the defiance campaign.
He also served in the various levels of the ANC senior party. He was living in New Brighton at one stage; he ended up in the executive committee of the then New Brighton branch under the chairpersonship of Oom Ray, the late Raymond Mhlaba. He was involved in politics together with the robust revolutionaries and stalwarts of our organisations, including the likes of Raymond Mhlaba, Vuyisile Mini, Nangoza Jebe and all those people. I was telling one comrade here that if you think our conferences are robust, you should have attended the meetings of the ANC at T C White or Emakhaleni in Port Elizabeth and see what robustness and being physical meant in the debates and activities of the ANC.
Boet Joe was also a veteran of the revolutionary movement. He joined the SA Communist Party at a young age and grew to become a member of its central committee. He was very active in the drafting of the Freedom Charter in 1955, active in the promulgation of the programmes of the defiance campaign and, of course, he was also very active in drafting some key documents of our revolution, one of which is a seminal strategy and tactics in Morogoro in 1969. That document continues to be the anchor of our political thought and direction.
South Africa has lost a very revered activist. South Africa has lost a very gentle person, gentle giant if you like, because Brother Joe was very gentle, and he spoke like an angel, but when the occasion arrived, he could be robust and very combative in his debating stance. When he came back to South Africa in 1991, he attended a conference in Pietermaritzburg. Because he was not a delegate, he could not remain in the conference. He was assigned the status of an observer, together with Allan Boesak, by the way. That decision was taken at the same time for both of them.
He joined the IFP, because he thought that if nobody was looking in his direction, he could still be a very important member of the African transformation machinery. It didn't matter what label he carried on his back, such was the man. Indeed, in 1994 he came to this Parliament, and he sat there where hon Shilowa is sitting. That was his seat. He used to sit there and debate with us in this House.
Hon Speaker, we always whispered amongst our ranks in the ANC about how this man has remained an ANC activist par excellence. He could not cut his umbilical cord from the ANC. In word and in thought, he continued to give that kind of guidance in communities and in community development initiatives.
Comrade Joe Matthews will be buried, I do not know by which organisation, because Joe Matthews, you see ... [Laughter.] People who do not know these things say "by his family". It does not work like that in the revolution, but I believe it will be a "toenadering" [rapprochement] of the IFP and ANC, the parties that he was a member of until his death. We salute his contribution. Of course, until his death, Comrade Joe Matthews - and this is not a claim - was not a member of the SACP. He left the SACP in 1973. I believe that this is the time when we will begin to come together and bury a freedom fighter who is a product of our organisations, who was a beacon in the direction which our people should follow.
Joe Matthews is not a loss to any political party; he is a loss to South Africa in general. He is a loss to Africa as a continent, because that is where his contribution was always felt throughout his lifetime. We dip our banners down for his family and with his family, with his friends and broader family, the Bokwes, the Maqubelas and all of them. It is a very big family, by the way, the extended Matthews family. May his soul rest in peace. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
We thank the hon Reverend Stofile. We can confirm, hon Mfundisi, that Uncle Joe will be buried by the people of South Africa, his family and the international community. Hon members, that concludes the speakers list on this matter. I take it there are no objections to the resolution being adopted.
The Presiding Officers associate themselves with the motion. The condolences of the House will be conveyed to the Matthews family, the IFP and ANC. A book of condolences has been opened just outside the Chamber and members are urged to sign it as they go out. Thank you.
Motion agreed to.