Hon Deputy Speaker, I move without notice:
That the House -
1) notes with great sadness the death of ANC Member of Parliament, Nontsikelelo Mavis Magazi, on Friday, 11 November 2011;
2) further notes that Ms Magazi, after a lengthy illness, succumbed to cancer at the Clinton Clinic in Thokoza, Johannesburg at the age of 48;
3) remembers that Ms Magazi, who joined Parliament in 1999, served in a number of parliamentary committees, which included the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, and on Communications, while displaying great passion for her work and making quality contributions to parliamentary debates;
4) further remembers that Ms Magazi was a long-standing member of the ANC, participating in various structures of the organisation and its alliance partners, the South African Communist Party and the South African National Civic Organisation, Sanco, always serving with diligence and commitment;
5) recalls that Ms Magazi was a passionate women's rights advocate and community activist and was instrumental in the establishment of Sanco national women's desk in 1993;
6) acknowledges that she also served as a volunteer in the office of the ANC Women's League in the 1990s;
7) further acknowledges that at the time of her death she was a serving member of the Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC Women's League and devoted herself to serving her constituency in Benoni;
8) appreciates her contribution to furthering our democracy, her energy and enthusiasm as a public representative, her work ethic and vibrant leadership; and
9) extends its heartfelt condolences to the family of Ms Magazi, friends, colleagues and members of the ANC, the South African Communist Party and the South African National Civic Organisation.
Thank you, Deputy Speaker and the Table staff, for reminding me to finish my work.
Adjunkspeaker, namens die DA, ons innige simpatie aan die familie en vriende van Mavis Magazi en ook die moederorganisasie, die ANC, waar sy vir soveel jare gedien het. Die agb hoofsweep van die ANC het mooi netjies uiteengesit waar sy oral betrokke was.
Ek is oortuig daarvan dat ons mekaar se huislike nie geken het nie. Ons het hier in die komitee saamgewerk en, soos u almal weet, is die kontak wat 'n mens daagliks met mekaar het maar kort en saaklik. Dit gaan alles oor die werk wat in die komitee afgehandel moet word, maar ons vertrou dat diegene daar by haar huis, haar kinders en die res van haar familie, deur ons Hemelse Vader gekoester sal word en dat hulle in die dae wat kom weer gelukkig sal wees. Ek weet dit is verskriklik moeilik om onder hierdie omstandighede enigsins gelukkig te kan voel. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr N J VAN DEN BERG: Deputy Speaker, on behalf of the DA, I offer our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Mavis Magazi, as well as the mother organisation, the ANC, which she had served for so many years. The hon Chief Whip of the ANC has clearly indicated all the areas where she had been involved.
I am convinced that we did not know what each other's domestic circumstances were. We worked together here in the committee, and, as you all know, the daily contact we have with one another is brief and to the point. It is all about the work that needs to be finalised in the committee, but we trust that those at her home, her children and the rest of her family, will be cherished by our Heavenly Father and that they will be happy again in the days to come. I know it is incredibly difficult to feel happy at all under these circumstances.]
May God help you during these terrible days, and don't be shy to cry.
Om te huil en smart te toon het helende eienskappe. Dit is 'n wonderlike balsem vir die siel. Dit help die geliefdes wat agterbly en moet aangaan met hul lewens om te genees. 'n Wond wat nie 'n rofie maak nie, word nie gesond nie. Dit bly 'n oop, smetterige wond. Dit word nie gesond nie; dit word later gangreen wat 'n mens net sieker en sieker maak tot jy later nie meer kan nie.
Een van die Afrikaanse sangers, Robbie Wessels, vra in een van sy liedjies: "Hoe plak jy 'n pleister op 'n siel?" Huil is 'n pleister vir die siel. Huil proe mos so souterig. Dis die helende eienskappe wat die siel heel maak. Moet nooit smart wegsteek en koester nie. Ons vertrou ook dat die familie en vriende van Ntsiki, soos ons haar geken het, goed versorg sal wees deur die familie. Ek weet die agb Ma Storey was baie lief vir Ntsiki, en ek het vandag ook by die huldigingsdiens gesien dat Ma Storey daar by die kinders sit. Ek dink sy is 'n ware ouma, ook vir die kinders van Ntsiki. Dankie dat u ook so naby aan hulle is om hulle ook te versorg en hul trane af te droog. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Crying and showing sorrow hold healing qualities. It is a wonderful ointment for the soul. It helps to heal the loved ones who are left behind and have to continue with their lives. A wound that does not form a scab does not heal. It remains an open, festering wound. It does not heal; it later turns into gangrene, making you even more ill, until eventually you cannot go on anymore.
One of the Afrikaans singers, Robbie Wessels, asks in one of his songs: "Hoe plak jy 'n pleister op 'n siel?" Crying is a plaster for the soul. Crying has a salty taste to it. That's the healing qualities that heal the soul. Never hide and harbour sorrow. We also trust that the family and friends of Ntsiki, as she was known to us, will be well taken care of by the family. I know that the hon Ma Storey loved Ntsiki very much, and today at the memorial service I also saw that Ma Storey was sitting close to the children. I think she is a grandmother in the true sense of the word, also to Ntsiki's children. Thank you for being so close to them so that you can also take care of them and dry their tears.]
I have known Ntsiki, as she was fondly known among friends, since the Fourth Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. I think the biggest compliment you can give someone after his or her death is to say that he or she was a good person. Simple words - but I think we can say this of Ntsiki. She was a good person, a good mother for her children, a good family member and, if you listen to all her accomplishments during her life, she was a good person in her community and in the ANC Women's League. Everywhere she worked, she was a hard worker, and she was very dedicated. That I saw in the committee meetings.
Sy was 'n wonderlike, liefdevolle omgeemens, 'n versorgende mens wat aandag aan die sielheil van haar medemens gegee het. Dit was agb Ntsiki Magazi. [She was a wonderful, loving, caring person, a caregiving person who tended to the spiritual welfare of her fellow human beings. This was hon Ntsiki Magazi.]
Ntsiki always had problems with my name, Niekie van den Berg. I'll miss her broad smile in the committee meetings, and she always greeted me as "Niekie van die Berge" - coming from the "berge" [mountains]. Maybe it is my hairy face that reminded her of some or other animal, I'm not sure, but I was "Niekie van die Berge". [Laughter.] Then she would smile as broadly as you can imagine. To all my ANC colleagues in our committee, we, and especially hon Storey Morutoa, will all miss Ntsiki's slowly formulated questions. I know you were very close, and Ma Storey, you are the "ouma" of our committee. Sometimes when I drove along the N1, I would hear the hooter of a motor, and then it would be Ntsiki and Storey in Ntsiki's white Polo. Then they would be waving and making big fun of it. It was always nice to see them.
Helaas, Ntsiki is dood, en ons wat hier sit, lewe - almal van ons wat hier sit. Die dood het ook 'n ander voordeel: dit herinner ons aan ons eie verganklikheid. Hier is net 'n fragment uit die oeuvre van die Afrikaanse digter N P Van Wyk Louw se Ballade van die Bose:
Wanneer jy wil vlug uit die stad wat brand, dan vlug ek saam soos 'n vrou aan jou hand.
Die veles meen hulle ken my gesig, maar ek skuil te glansryk, te na aan die lig, en as hul wil waarsku en wysheid gee, dan praat ek reeds in die woordklank mee ... ... Ek is in jou gevleg, gerank soos 'n wortel in die donker bank, en van voor die daeraad se blank begin straal ek by albei jou o in ...
... Ek is jou wese se ondergrond en ek trap in jou spoor soos 'n goeie hond.
Hierdie is slegs enkele fragmente uit Ballade van die Bose deur N P Van Wyk Louw. Die werklikheid is dat die dood op my en jou spoor is. Leef mooi. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Alas, Ntsiki is dead, and those of us sitting here are alive - all of us sitting here. Death also has another benefit: it reminds us of our own mortality. Here is just a fragment from the oeuvre of the Afrikaans poet N P Van Wyk Louw, Ballade van die Bose:
Wanneer jy wil vlug uit die stad wat brand, dan vlug ek saam soos 'n vrou aan jou hand.
Die veles meen hulle ken my gesig, maar ek skuil te glansryk, te na aan die lig, en as hul wil waarsku en wysheid gee, dan praat ek reeds in die woordklank mee ...
... Ek is in jou gevleg, gerank soos 'n wortel in die donker bank, en van voor die daeraad se blank begin straal ek by albei jou o in ...
... Ek is jou wese se ondergrond en ek trap in jou spoor soos 'n goeie hond.
These are only some fragments from Ballade van die Bose by N P Van Wyk Louw. The reality is that death is treading upon my heels and yours. Live well.]
Ntsiki, I salute you. I thank you. [Applause.]
Deputy Speaker, on this sad day I rise to express the sincere condolences of Cope to the family and the loved ones of the late hon Ntsiki Magazi, and also to the ANC as an organisation for losing a dedicated and devoted Member of Parliament.
Conflicting ideas and interests in policies between the governing party and opposition parties are inherent to political life. This could lead to conflict in debates and beyond and also to the harbouring of judgmental opinions of one another. However, this was never true for hon Ntsiki Magazi. She was a lovely person who took everybody as a person and as a friend.
Some of our Cope Members of Parliament who are here today served with her in ANC structures before and all of them have so many good memories of their interactions with her. It was a real privilege for me to work closely with her in the Portfolio Committee on Communications since the beginning of the Fourth Parliament. Her institutional memory and insight into the complex world of communications technology and related challenges assisted the committee in general and me in particular.
As a mature and very accomplished politician, she could stand up for her cause and fought fearlessly to get her point across. Yet her dignified manner and lovely smile earned her the respect of all who came into contact with her. Outside of the political arena, hon Magazi was a great colleague, a friend and a fun person to be with.
I shall never forget how the two of us, after a long and tedious day of highly technical submissions and discussions that overwhelmed us on the study tour to Brazil last year, discovered a shared urge for retail therapy in one of the malls in the Brazil capital. We shopped our way through one of the malls in a few hours of delightful fellowship and laughter. Eventually, we rewarded ourselves and our tired feet with some of Brazil's famous footwear. It was lovely to come back to Parliament and spot each other wearing the Brazilian footwear.
Now she is no longer with us and all of us are really saddened because we were not prepared for this. We visited her in hospital but it just came too soon. However, our memories and our love for her will never pass on. We pray that her loved ones will find solace in the knowledge that she was a wonderful person who made a great contribution, not only to our beloved country but also to the many people whose lives she touched here in Parliament, as well as in her community. Hambakahle Ntsiki. [Go well, Ntsiki.] We will surely miss you. [Applause.]
Deputy Speaker, hon members ...
... njalo nje uma kudlula emhlabeni umuntu osemncane njengo mhlonishwa uMagazi, thina benkolo yobuKhrestu ikakhulukazi thina amaRoma, siye sizibuze ukuthi empeleni yini eyayenza uJesu ukuthi angawavusi amakhehla nezalukazi ekufeni, kodwa avuse izintombi nezinsizwa ezingangathi nje. [Uhleko.]
Impendulo yalokho sithola ukuthi, ebuhlakanini bakhe uJesu wayevusa izinsizwa nezintombi ngoba ebona ukuthi kuningi okusalindelwe kulaba abasha ukuthi bakwenze emphakathini. Ngineqiniso, Somlomo, ukuthi ukuba umhlonishwa uMagazi waphila ngalesi sikhathi uJesu evusa abafileyo, wayezoba ngomunye wabantu ayezobavusa, ngoba kuningi ebesisakulindele kuyena umhlonishwa.
Sizobhonga emswaneni njengeqembu lenkululeko yesizwe sibuqonda kahle ubuhlungu obuzwiwa umndeni wakhe kanye nenhlangano yakhe ye-ANC ngokudlula kwakhe emhlabeni. Ngisho mina uqobo ngiyabuzwa lobu buhlungu. Sengathi sengiyambona umhlonishwa, mina uma engibingelela wayengasho ukuthi sawubona Mpontshane, kwakuthi uma ngihlangana naye bese emamatheka ethi: Sawubona mhloli wami, nami bese ngivumela phezulu.
Sotswebhu omkhulu, siyi-ANC, ngokwenkolo yethu yesintu, siyakholwa thina ukuthi umuntu akashoni, uyaphila. Ngakho-ke, siyakholelwa ukuthi umhlonishwa uMagazi lapho ekhona uyaphila, uyasizwa. Ngalesi sizathu, uma sengibhekisa kwinhlangano yakho uKhongolose, siyawunxusa umphefumulo wakhe ukuthi lapho usuhlanganile nabafileyo kodwa esikholwa ukuthi bayaphila bakaKhongolose, ikakhulukazi oMongameli bonke bakaKhongolose kuqala kuDkt uLangalibalele, uMafukuzela onjengempisi, kuze kufike kuBaba u-O R Tambo, ukuthi akhulume nabo banxusele le nhlangano yabo ukuba isimame. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[... every time a young person like hon Magazi passes on, we Christians, especially us Roman Catholics, ask ourselves what really made Jesus to not raise the old men and women from the dead, but rather to raise young maidens and young lads who are of my age? [Laughter.]
We find that the answer to that is that Jesus in his wisdom realised that the young lads and the young maidens still had so much to do in their communities. I am certain, hon Speaker, that if hon Magazi had lived in those times when Jesus was raising people from the dead, she would have been one of the people raised from the dead, because there is so much that we were still expecting from her. We are here as the Inkatha Freedom Party to convey our condolences as we understand very well the pain her family and her organisation the ANC are feeling. I personally feel this pain too. It is as if I am seeing the hon member - when greeting me she did not say greetings, Mpontshane, but used to smile and say greetings, my inspector, and I would gladly respond.
Chief Whip, as the ANC, and according to our indigenous religion, we believe that a human being does not die, but rather that they live on. Therefore, we believe that hon Magazi is living on where she is, and that she can hear us. For that reason, when addressing the ANC, your organisation, we are pleading with your soul that when it meets with the leaders of the ANC who passed on before you, but whom we believe are living on, especially all the ANC Presidents starting from Dr Langalibalele Dube, Mafukuzela onjengempisi [praise name], to Mr O R Tambo, that it speaks to them to pray for their organisation to be stable.]
May her spirit help the organisation to revive those hallowed values of the struggle on which the ANC was founded, values such as unity and co- operation.
Sengathi umphefumulo wakhe ungalala ngoxolo futhi uphumule ngokuthula. [May her soul rest in peace.]
O robale ka kgotso. Ke a leboha. [Mahofi.] [May your soul rest in peace. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Deputy Speaker and hon members, we are gathered here once more to undertake the sad duty of bidding farewell to a fellow Member of Parliament, this time the hon Mavis Nontsikelelo Magazi. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and colleagues of the late hon Mavis Magazi.
The late hon Magazi is credited for playing a very important role in the Portfolio Committee On Higher Education and Training, in which she served. We will forever be grateful to her for her contribution to South Africa's education system. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who share in her family's grief during this time of bereavement.
A robale ka khutso. O re nyamisitse. [May her soul rest in peace. We are extremely saddened by her passing on.]
May God bless her soul. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker, I rise on this sad occasion on behalf of the ACDP to convey our sincere condolences to the family of the late hon Ms Nontsikelelo Mavis Magazi, her friends, relatives, the ANC and, more particularly, the ANC Women's League, SACP and Sanco. We have noted with interest that throughout her life she always emphasised benevolence to cultivate social relations, both in the workplace and in the community. She was talented, vibrant and always went out of her way to get things done.
She did not shy away from responsibility. Known for her strength, bravery and selflessness, Ms Magazi wanted to see the people of South Africa, particularly women, enjoy a good life of quality and dignity. She also served the Benoni constituency with great devotion. Ms Magazi's life serves as an example of how we should serve one another. Although she was still in the prime of her life when she died after battling with cancer, she leaves behind her a legacy for others to follow. We honour her for that today.
May the God of peace and comfort bring comfort to her family, friends and members of the ANC and heal all our broken hearts.
Hon Deputy Speaker, once again dreaded death has robbed us of a reliable servant of the nation. The PAC of Azania commiserates with the Magazi family and the ANC in this hour of loss and pain. Through her devoted service to the people, Comrade Ntsiki has erected her own monument in our collective memory. She was a champion of gender equality, as demonstrated by her trail-blazing role in Sanco in the 1990s.
In fact, people like her never die; they live forever in our folklore. As the saying goes, those who live for themselves, live until they die; those who live for others, live forever. Long live Bhelekazi Khuboni! [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker, there is no doubt whatsoever that the late Mavis Magazi made an incredible contribution to South African politics. There are two important cycles in a human life and for one to begin, the other has to come to an end. Indeed, we all exist through the grace of God Almighty. Let us never forget that we can achieve all things through the Lord who strengthens us.
On behalf of the Minority Front, I convey heartfelt condolences to the friends and relatives of the late hon Mavis Magazi, who has been called to rest. The parting of ways is a sad occasion, especially if a person had such a great spirit of humility, an amazing personality, and a remarkably warm and caring character as the late Magazi.
In this time of bereavement, let us continue to pray that the Lord will bestow strength, courage and fortitude on the Magazi family to deal with their irreplaceable loss. Our condolences also go out to the ANC for the loss of a vibrant, hardworking member and a true citizen of humanity. May peace be granted unto her through the grace of God Almighty. May her soul rest in peace. Thank you.
Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Members of Parliament, there are things in life that are very difficult to accept, such as death. However, I would like to start by reminding us all of what was said by a wise man like Moses in Psalm 90, verses 3 to 5:
At your command we die and turn back to dust, but a thousand years mean nothing to you! They are merely a day gone by or a few hours in the night. You bring our lives to an end just like a dream. We are merely tender grass that sprouts and grows in the morning, but dries up by evening. Your furious anger frightens and destroys us, and you know all of our sins, even those we do in secret.
Moses goes on to say in verse 9:
No one knows the full power of your furious anger, but it is as great as the fear that we owe to you. Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.
This is what Ntsiki did.
Nontsikelelo Magazi was born in 1963, on May 17, to Annah Girly Magazi and Morris Mbikazi Magazi. They named her Nontsikelelo Mavis Magazi. As the ANC and Parliament, we thank the Magazi family for lending us their beautiful, intelligent flower for all the years she spent as their beloved child as well as a dedicated member of the ANC and Member of Parliament.
Nontsikelelo Magazi became a member of the SA Communist Party at a time when it was not fashionable to do so. She also spent many years as a foot soldier in the SA National Civic Organisation. She fought for the rights of all citizens. Today we have laws that made drastic changes to improve the living conditions in our society. These were made possible by people like Ntsiki Magazi.
Ukuqala kwam ukumazi uNontsikelelo kungeminyaka esasisebenzela ukuba nenguqu. Sasifuna ukuba i-ANC iphathe kweli laseMzantsi Afrika. UNtsiki, njengaye wonke umntu okhulele phantsi kwengcinezelo yaloo minyaka, wabona ukuba akonelanga ukulwela izakhamzi zodwa. Wathatha isigqibo sokulwela amalungelo oomama waze wangena kwiqela le-ANC Women's League ngomnyaka ka- 1990.
Le ntokazi isebenze kulonyulo loorhulumente basemakhaya nakulonyulo lwesizwe jikelele ukusukela ngo-1994 ukuza kuthi ga ngoku. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[I first met Nontsikelelo during the years when we were working towards transformation. We wanted the ANC to be in power in South Africa. Ntsiki, like the rest of us who grew up under the then apartheid regime, realised that working for the citizens only was not enough. She took a decision to fight for the rights of women and she then joined the ANC Women's League in 1990.
This lady worked for the local government elections and the national government elections from 1994 to date.]
She served in the regional structures of the ANC and ANC Women's League. She facilitated the launch of the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa in Gauteng. She also served in the structure that led and facilitated the local elections in Ekurhuleni in 2011. The structure was called the Regional Interim Leadership Core, Rilc.
Thina apha ePalamente silahlekelwe, ingakumbi kwikomiti yonxibelelwano. UNtsiki wasebenza kule komiti ukusukela oko wafika apha ePalamente ngo- 1999. Apha kule komiti ... [Parliament has suffered a great loss, especially within the Portfolio Committee on Communications. Ntsiki started to work in this committee when she arrived in Parliament in 1999. In this committee ...]
... we knew what all the entities that came to Parliament to make presentations on their strategic plans and budget reviews were in for with Ntsiki, when it came to corporate governance and universal access. She was passionate about universal access for the underprivileged and those in the rural areas.
Mna ke bendiqhathwa kakhulu yile ntombi yam. Ibisithi yakubona ukuba ingathi ndiyandweba indiqathe ngokundenzela iti. [She was cheating on me quite a lot. She would make me a cup of tea whenever she noticed that I realised what she was doing.]
I loved you, Ntsiki. You have really left me out on a ledge.
Lala ngoxolo ke ntombi yasemaBheleni. Siza kusala nabo abantwana, uTumi noKarabo. Bhele, Langa, Qunta, Mafu, Nombikazi, Nontandakuphakanyiswa, nguKhuboni ke lowo. [Rest in peace daughter of Mabhele clan. We will look after your children, Tumi and Karabo. Bhele, Langa, Qunta, Mafu, Nombikazi, Nontandakuphakanyiswa, that is the Khuboni clan.]
Thank you very much.
Debate concluded.
Motion agreed to, members standing.