Speaker, I move the draft resolution printed in my name on the Order Paper, as follows:
That the House -
1) notes -
a. with great sadness the passing of Mrs Mavis Ntebaleng Matladi, a member of the National Assembly, the Chief Whip of the United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP) and the UCDP president and leader in Parliament;
b. that Mrs Matladi died in hospital in Johannesburg on 2 December 2011 and her funeral was held in Zeerust, North West, on 9 December 2011;
c. that Mrs Matladi had the following qualifications from the University of Bophuthatswana: a University Diploma in Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Bachelor in Education and a Masters in Education; and
d. that Mrs Matladi served as a teacher at Seabe High School from 1984 to 1986, was promoted to head of department in 1987 at Motswedi High School where she served until 1989, was appointed as a lecturer at Lehuruthe College of Education in 1990 until 1994, was appointed as an English specialist at the National In-service Training Centre in Mmabatho between 1994 and 1996, was appointed as a curriculum developer from 1996 until 1999 and served as a matric examiner from 1997 until 1999;
2) recalls that she joined the UCDP in 1991 and immediately became a staunch member of the UCDP Women's League;
(3) further recalls that Mrs Matladi was elected deputy secretary general in 1995 and in 1997 she became the first woman to hold the position of secretary general in the party;
4) remembers that Mrs Matladi was elected president of the UCDP in January 2011, a position she held until her passing, and she also served as national deputy president for the Women's League;
5) further remembers that she was a member of various committees and was passionate about her work in the Standing Committee on Public Accounts;
6) recognises that Mrs Matladi was elected one of the five members to represent Parliament at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), where she was further elected president of the PAP Women's Caucus in 2010, a position she held until her passing;
7) further recognises that she also sat on the National Assembly Programme Committee and Chief Whips' Forum and was an alternate member of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities;
8) acknowledges that Mrs Matladi married Jacob Mothibi Matladi in 1984 and that they were blessed with three children, two daughters and a son;
9) further acknowledges that Mrs Matladi is survived by her husband, three children, two grandchildren, both her parents and three siblings; and
10) conveys its heartfelt condolences to the Matladi family and the UCDP and assures them that its thoughts and prayers are with them.
Motion agreed to, all members standing.
Mr Speaker, we wish to say that we have not come here today to praise the hon Mavis Matladi, but to be part of the motion of condolence for her. May her soul rest in peace. I feel honoured that the ANC, the ruling party in the Republic of South Africa, the oldest liberation movement in Africa, requested me to participate in this motion of condolence for the hon Mavis Ntebaleng Matladi, the leader of the UCDP, who passed away on 2 December 2011. She was buried on 9 December 2011 at Lehurutshe and her funeral service was held at the Lehurutshe Civic Centre. I was present at that funeral.
In the run-up to the last local government election, we worked against each other as competing parties at the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality. I visited the UCDP offices in Zeerust, which are not far from the ANC offices, with the aim of challenging the UCDP in all wards. Unfortunately, I could not find her at the offices. Later on, I went to her house in Lehurutshe township, commonly known as Welgedacht, and found the gate open. I could not enter the premises because her well-trained dogs were there and fighting. [Laughter.] I met her only after the elections, in which the ANC had won all the wards in that municipality.
The hon Mavis Ntebaleng Matladi was a rising star, not only in the politics of the UCDP or the politics of South Africa, but also in the politics of the continent of Africa and the world at large. As a member of the National Assembly of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, she was one of the five members deployed to represent South Africa at the Pan-African Parliament, where she was elected president of the Women's Caucus. Though the UCDP is an opposition party, both in the National Assembly and in the North West province, the style of debate that has been left to the UCDP by the hon Matladi is that of not opposing for the sake of opposing, but using their platform to make the ruling party see the other side of the coin before making decisions. That is effective opposition-party activity. We call on the UCDP and all other parties in this House to continue recognising her style.
The hon Mavis Matladi was an effective, influential and smart political debater. I never gave up recruiting her to the ANC. I regret that she left us before I could win that battle. However, she went to join those South African leaders whose sweat, blood and spirit continue to nourish the freedom of both South Africa and Africans throughout our beloved continent. The ANC, as the ruling party in the Republic of South Africa wishes that you, hon Mavis Ntebaleng Matladi, rest in peace. We send our deepest condolences to the families of Matladi and Setou, as well as to the UCDP. I thank you. [Applause.]
Speaker, my duty today to pay tribute to a friend and colleague, Ntebaleng Mavis Matladi, is not an easy one. I remember her with fondness and love. What was initially passed off as a bout of flu suddenly developed into a more serious illness and she slipped into a coma, eventually succumbing to respiratory failure on 2 December last year. Her family, community and friends were devastated by her sudden passing, especially as she was relatively young.
The late hon Matladi entered local government politics for the UCDP in 1995 and steadily progressed through the party structures until she became the first woman president of the UCDP on 29 January 2011.
We came to be good friends when we were both elected to represent our Parliament at the Pan-African Parliament. We spent many evenings chatting about life in general, our families and our jobs as parliamentarians. I found her to be confident and unafraid to take on challenges. Her decision to stand as president of the UCDP was a tough but necessary one, and she threw herself into this position with passion and enthusiasm.
The late hon Matladi placed great emphasis on education and was herself highly educated. She instilled the same passion for learning in her three children. Today, Dineo is a biochemist, Karabo is an accountant and Keitumetse is a lawyer, bearing testimony to her values.
I had the privilege of visiting her family at their home in Zeerust recently. Her husband, Jacob, spoke with pride of his wife and her many achievements. We also all shared a laugh as we fondly remembered how she loved to dress up. Her husband said that when he came to pack up her home in Cape Town, he just sat on the bed and looked at her wardrobe and remembered how beautiful she looked in her many outfits.
I myself remember during PAP sittings that the MPs from Ghana would arrive with the most exquisite fabrics, and we would get together after the sittings and choose patterns and fabrics for her outfits. Although she has been called to rest early in her life, she has left a legacy of note.
I would like to dedicate the words of Flavia Weedn, entitled "Some People", to Mavis:
Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same. Some people come into our lives and quickly go ... Some stay for a while and embrace our silent dreams. They help us become aware of the delicate winds of hope ... and we discover within every human spirit there are wings yearning to fly ...
This is how I will remember her. The DA offers strength to the Matladi family and to the UCDP at this time of loss.
Robal Ka Kagiso Motaung. [May your soul rest in peace, Motaung.]
May her soul rest in peace. [Applause.]
Somlomo, ngexesha sonke besixakekile yimigidi neziyolo zokuphela konyaka, kuyimitshato kuyinto nje yonke, umama uMavis Ntebaleng uye wathatyathwa kuthi; kwasuka kwee shwaka kwangathi kudala. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Mrs Z B N BALINDLELA: Mr Speaker, at the time we were all busy with end-of- the-year traditional ceremonies, celebrations, weddings and everything, Mrs Mavis Ntebaleng was taken away from us. She departed as quietly as she lived.]
In 2009, she took her seat in this august House as a representative of the UCDP. She was party leader. In addition, as my neighbour in our offices, we were friends - very funny friends ...
... ngoba umama uMaNtebaleng ebengumntu ongangxamiyo xa ehamba, engagxanyi koko eyintokazi ekwakusithiwa ngela xesha ngu ... [... because Mrs Ntebaleng was a person who used to strut carefully when walking, a person who, back in the day, used to be called ...]
... kyk hoe mooi ... [... look how nice ...]
... ngoba ebehamba ngokuzithanda engcambaza kwaye kubonakala ukuba yinzwakazi yokwenene. [... because she used to walk in a very confident manner and you could see that she was indeed a lady.]
I bear personal testimony also from working with her in the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa. She was a remarkably focused woman. She loved her work and, more than that, she understood very clearly that what she was doing in Parliament was for the poor and the marginalised people who had sent her here. She had a mission and this was so powerful that whenever I met her I was overawed by her passion and commitment.
She loved her people so dearly and she loved Setswana. She tried to teach me Setswana but my tongue was a bit stiff ...
... ndiqinelwe lulwimi noko andakwazi, kodwa ndandimana ndimhlekisa ngezinto endandimana ndiziva ziculwa ndithi, "Uyayazi laa ngoma ithi tlakantshintshi, tlakantshintshi, rhatina dinela." Ndizama ukuzenza ngathi nam ndiyasazi isiTswana. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[... I couldn't speak well because my tongue was a bit stiff, but I used to make her laugh with the songs that I used to listen to. Do you know the song that says, "Tlakantshintshi, tlakantshintshi, rhatina dinela"? I was trying to act as if I knew Setswana.]
She was a wonderful teacher, an activist, a politician, a leader, a mother and grandmother. Not only will the political party she led miss her, as we who knew her will, but her husband, her two girls and her son will miss her even more. Her two grandchildren will miss her sorely. She doted on them so much. There will also be a considerable void for her parents and three siblings.
For me, too, there will be an emptiness whenever I go to a Scopa meeting. Her familiar smile greeting me will never again light up the committee room. Her sense of purpose to get things done, however, will remain with me and I will strive harder than before to remember that we, as a country, must get full value for our rand. We cannot allow leakages that compromise services for the poor and the marginalised people of our country.
I want Mme maNtebaleng to know that we say ...
... robala ka kagiso, mme Matladi. Re tla nna re go gopola. [Legofi.] [... rest in peace, Mrs Matladi. We will always remember you. [Applause.]]
Ndiyabulela, Somlomo. [Thank you, Mr Speaker.]
Mr Speaker, Deputy President and colleagues, as I look at the clock, it is quite predictable that in about 150 seconds or so you will say: "Hon member, your time is up. Please take your seat."
It is not up yet, so continue. [Laughter.]
However, Mr Speaker and colleagues, they say of the clock of life that it is wound but once. And no person has the power to tell just where the hands will stop - at a late or early hour. Now is the only time you have. Live, love and toil with will, for tomorrow the clock may be still.
In the case of our hon colleague, the hon Matladi, that clock stopped too soon, because her untimely passing came as a great shock to her parents, to her husband, to her children, to her grandchildren and to all of us, her colleagues, in this House.
However, her legacy will not die with her. Her legacy will live through us and in the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa. I have a few recordings of what she used to say in Scopa. As the previous hon member said, she was such a smart dresser that her pleasant disposition sometimes belied the fact that here was a member who would relentlessly ask questions of officials on irregular spending and unauthorised expenditure.
I remember an official came to us and said that the SA Social Security Agency, "never paid any supplier without supporting documentation". That's what the official said. But Mrs Matladi said that the only fact was that it was a pity that Mr ... I won't give his name ... did not have the notes from the Auditor-General that stated that Sassa had paid line-supporting documentation. Her question was: Why? This was the kind of questioning that the hon Matladi used to follow in our committee.
As members have said before me, we will miss her in our committee. We will miss her for upholding her dignity, for upholding the fact that she wanted government to operate in a way where there was no wasteful and fruitless expenditure.
I share a birth date with her, which is 5 September, and Ms Dudley follows a few days later. I understand that she was the only leader of her party who died in office. As I mention this, I think we also have to recall the fact that the hon Rajbansi, the leader of the MF, also died in office.
To the Matladi and the Rajbansi families and to the MF and UCDP, on behalf of Prince Buthelezi and the IFP, we extend our heartfelt condolences. To our sister, we say, "Lala ngokuthula sisi." [Rest in peace, our sister.] I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker, unfortunately I cannot be as poetic as some of my other colleagues who spoke today. The sudden passing away of the UCDP MP Mrs Mavis Matladi came as a huge shock to many of her colleagues and fellow Members of Parliament. It was with great sadness that the ID learnt of her passing on 2 December after a short illness.
I interacted with Mrs Matladi in the Chief Whips' Forum and I found her to be a very warm person who was very committed to the work at hand. She was a hardworking, dedicated and principled Member of Parliament, who strove to make positive contributions to South African politics and her community. At the time of her death, the 53-year-old Mrs Matladi was a Member of Parliament and president of the UCDP. She had been a member of the North West provincial legislature until the 2009 elections before joining the National Assembly. She served as the chair of Scopa in the North West provincial legislature and the Pan-African Parliament's Women's Caucus.
On behalf of the ID, I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to all our colleagues in the UCDP, as well as to the surviving family and loved ones of the late Mavis Matladi. Her voice will be sorely missed in this House. I thank you. [Applause.]
Sepikara, re re mahloko go ba ga Matladi. [Mr Speaker, we are conveying our heartfelt condolences to the Matladi family.]
Once more, we are gathered here to undertake the sad duty of bidding farewell to a fellow Member of Parliament, the late president of the UCDP, the hon Mavis Ntebeleng Matladi, who passed away on 2 December 2011. On behalf of the UDM, I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and colleagues. The late hon Matladi led her party, the UCDP, with dignity until her death. She passionately advanced the cause of women and their struggle for gender equality. We will forever be grateful to her for her contribution to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in particular.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who share in her family's grief during this time of bereavement.
Re re mosadi wa Modimo a robale ka khut?o. [Legoswi.] [May her soul rest in peace. [Applause.]]
Mnr Speaker, ek het vir Mavis in 1999 leer ken en was vir twee jaar saam met haar in die provinsiale wetgewer van Noordwes. Ek het onmiddellik besef dat sy 'n formidabele vrou is wat 'n bepaalde passie vir kinders en hul opleiding het.
Gesien in die lig van haar agtergrond en haar akademiese kwalifikasies, kan 'n mens verstaan dat kinders na aan haar hart gel het. Hulle het nie net na aan haar hart gel nie, maar sy het ook vir hul belange geveg en dit met passie uitgeleef.
Die destydse premier, Popo Molefe, het menigmaal nie antwoorde gehad op die vrae van Mavis Matladi nie.
Dit is soms 'n wonder - en 'n mens verstaan nie altyd hoekom dit so is nie - dat 'n persoon wat met soveel ywer en passie haar doelwitte in die lewe nagestreef het, dan so skielik te sterwe kom.
Sy het ook nie geskroom om haar Christenskap uit te leef nie. As nietige wesens besef ons ook dat die lewe nie veel werd is nie, maar dat dit wel so is dat die mens wik, maar God beskik.
Die VF Plus wil sy medelye en simpatie met die familie en die gesin met die afsterwe van Mavis uitspreek. Soos alreeds ges is, glo ons dat sy in hul harte sal bly voortleef en dat haar werk vir die bemagtiging van kinders en vroue sal voortgaan. Dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Mr Speaker, I first got to know Mavis in 1999 and served with her for two years in the North West legislature. I realised almost immediately that Mavis was a formidable woman who had a particular passion for children and their training. When she is viewed against her background and her academic qualifications, one can understand that children were close to her heart. Not only were they close to her heart, but she also fought for their interests and passionately lived this to the full.
The former premier, Popo Molefe, frequently had no answers to the questions asked by Mavis Matladi.
It is sometimes strange - and one does not always understand why this is the case - that someone who pursued her goals in life with such dedication and passion should pass away so suddenly.
Neither did she hesitate to give effect to her Christian convictions. As insignificant creatures we realise that life is not worth much, but that it is indeed the case that man proposes but God disposes.
The FF Plus wishes to express its condolences and sympathy with the relatives and family at the passing of Mavis. As mentioned earlier, we believe that she will continue to live on in their hearts and that her work for the advancement of women and children will continue. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Mr Speaker, the ACDP expresses shock and tremendous sadness over the death of UCDP president Mavis Matladi at the close of 2011. Our friend and colleague will be sorely missed. As the leader of the ACDP, Rev Kenneth Meshoe, said at the time:
Mrs Matladi will be missed for her wise counsel and lively contribution in Parliament. We have come to respect Mrs Matladi for her diligent commitment and her exceptional ability to co-operate closely with members of all political parties.
As we sat together in the National Assembly, Mavis was for me both serious and fun. She had strong principles and worked diligently, but always knew how to enjoy those around her and to lighten matters up with a laugh. I will remember her as an energetic and powerful presence, a stunning woman who dressed beautifully - a tribute to both the dignity of women, and of Parliament.
The ACDP extends condolences to the Matladi family and to her friends and colleagues in the UCDP. We are grateful that she knew Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour. So, we can be confident that she is at home with her Father in heaven.
Mavis Matladi was only 53 when she died and, as her colleagues pointed out at her funeral in Zeerust, which I attended, this was not even two months after the death of another colleague and friend, the UCDP's former deputy president, Paul Ditshetelo. This was a double tragedy, which was very disturbing, to say the least. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker and hon Deputy President, the PAC joins Mme Ntebaleng Matladi's family and the UCDP in mourning the untimely death of a political giant.
Mme Matladi was honest and spoke out on what she believed in, even at the risk of becoming unpopular. Her life was navigated by her conscience. When the whole House - in fact, the whole nation - was united behind South Africa hosting the Fifa World Cup, Mme Matladi differed strongly. She was an extraordinary leader who could brave the tempest of popular opinion. When the Cabinet decided against bidding for the Olympic Games, it was perhaps a lesson learnt from Mme Matladi.
I will forever treasure those golden memories I shared with her and other passengers on the Acacia Park-bound bus. We shared jokes and filled the bus with laughter, like the one happy family we were, we are and will always be.
Farewell, Mme Matladi, on your eternal bus ride. Tsamaya sentle Tshwene. [Go well.] Thank you. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker, when a person passes on, it is undoubtedly a sad moment, especially if one had the amazing characteristics of a true citizen of humanity, like the leader of the UCDP, the late hon M N Matladi. On behalf of the MF, I convey our heartfelt condolences to the Matladi family, friends and relatives.
Those who enjoyed a close association with the late hon Matladi will know that, apart from being a wonderful personality she was extremely passionate about the education fraternity and matters pertaining to women, children and people with disabilities. We pray that God Almighty will continue to give strength and courage to all who are suffering emotional pain and sorrow for the irreplaceable loss of the late hon Matladi.
The late hon Matladi was very concerned about good, clean governance and strongly believed that the knowledge industry was pivotal in the advancement and the development of a progressive and sustainable democracy. This is precisely why she embarked on a career in the education profession, serving first as an educator and then holding various critical positions in that fraternity. She strongly believed that knowledge gave you power, power gave you strength and strength motivated.
Our condolences also go to the UCDP for the loss of a vibrant, committed and dedicated leader. Good leaders are those who add value to society, as indicated in the opening of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature by the honourable King Goodwill Zwelithini, who also paid tribute to the late leader of the MF, Mr Amichand Rajbansi, referring to him as a skilful and impeccable leader who made incredible contributions to South African politics. I therefore feel the pain and sorrow of the UCDP and the predicament it finds itself in. May peace be upon her and, through the grace of God Almighty, may her soul rest in peace. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon members and the family of the late Mrs Matladi, we were saddened by the news of the untimely death of our colleague, sister and friend. I use the term "untimely", conscious of and painfully aware of the fact that it is God who knows the time, because for us there can never be a right time for our loved ones to pass on. We had heard that she had not been well, but had hoped that she would recover and come back to continue with the work that she loved: that of serving her party and the nation.
I had known Mrs Matladi as a strong, hardworking person and a determined leader. The passing away of Mrs Matladi is a loss to the country and the continent and represents a setback in the struggle for the emancipation and empowerment of women. On behalf of Azapo, I convey our sincere condolences to the Matladi family, her friends and her party, the UCDP. May her soul rest in peace. Thank you, Mr Speaker. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker, Comrade Deputy President, comrades and hon members, I join the House in expressing the APC's heartfelt condolences to the Matladi family and her colleagues on the passing of the hon Mavis Matladi.
The hon Matladi, as everyone can attest, was a great woman and a dedicated member of this House. She is greatly missed as a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, which she served with admirable distinction. Her passing was shocking and disturbing. She was indeed an asset to the work of Parliament. She was passionate, persistent and probing in her oversight work. As we pay our last respects to our late colleague, we can only agree with Robert Sobukwe's immortal words, and I quote: "It is meet that we speak the truth before we die", for we are nothing but tools of history. When we are gone, history shall find new tools. Thank you.
Mr Speaker, hon Deputy President and hon members, we in the UCDP and the Matladi family would like to express our gratitude, though sadly, to all who have joined us at our time of bereavement on the loss of our leader, our mother, our first to die in the harness while in Parliament since the democratic dispensation came into being.
Mrs Matladi was a tenacious Xanthippe who would leave no stone unturned in her quest for excellence in all she did. In her short life, she saw it all in politics. She felt the pain of being removed from chairing the Standing Committee on Public Accounts at the legislature where she served before, because she would not join the ruling party during the floor-crossing. She had to go to court to claim back her membership of the party after she had been unfairly expelled.
The fact that she took leadership positions - at work, while a teacher and a lecturer, as a member of the women's prayer group in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Africa at its Western Diocese, in the party and here in Parliament, where it was felt that she could represent the institution at a continental level - is proof that she was a woman of substance.
We take consolation that, while she could not be promoted while still on this side of the Jordan, she has gained promotion in glory. We thank all those who joined the UCDP in sorrow when they learnt that Mavis had been called to higher service. Among them we count the Presidency - there was a special message from the Office of President Jacob Zuma - the Speaker's Office, for the special message that the Speaker sent, all political parties in Parliament, the service officers, some of whom still ask about her, and all South Africans of goodwill for all the tributes and messages of comfort to us as a party and, more so, to her dearly beloved family.
We thank Parliament for all the support provided during this sad period, even succeeding in sending a delegation to the funeral. We thank them too for the support they gave the family even after the occasion. We salute this descendant of the royal family of the Batlokwa ba ga Sedumedi [Batlokwa of the Sedumedi clan] and the Barolokogadi ba ga Maotwe [Barolokogadi of the Maotwe clan].
There is a verse in Hymn 120 of the Sesotho Zion hymn book, which goes as follows:
Seo o nkadimileng sona, ha o re ke se busetse, le teng ke tla leka hore ho lokile ho lokile. (Translation of Sesotho hymn follows.)
[What You have lent to me, when You say I should return it I will try to say that it's fine, it's fine.]
The emphasis is on "ke tla leka", [I will try] because it is difficult to part with anything that we as people hold dear. Let us all, nonetheless, take solace in that, even though we feel it was untimely for her to leave, she will have found eternal peace. After all, we are all sojourners on this earth. I thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
Motion agreed to, all members standing.
The condolences of the House will be conveyed to the Matladi family and to the UCDP.
Hon members, you probably heard a sound at the back earlier on. It was due to a burst tyre on Mrs Bhengu's car and nothing serious. It was not an explosion or a bomb.