Hon Deputy Speaker, I move the draft resolution printed in my name on the Order Paper, as follows:
That the House -
1) notes with great sadness the death of Mr Nelson Noko Ramodike, on Thursday, 3 May 2012, at Tzaneen Mediclinic in Limpopo;
2) further notes that Mr Ramodike began his political activism in the 1980s and was a member of the Lebowa People's Party before joining the African National Congress (ANC) after 1994; 3) remembers that he played an important role during the pre-democracy negotiations as part of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa) multi-party negotiations which brought about the new democratic dispensation in the country;
4) further remembers that he served as an ANC Member of Parliament before joining the United Democratic Movement, Pan Africanist Congress and the Alliance for Democracy and Prosperity;
5) recalls that Mr Ramodike was forced to leave active politics in 2007 due to ill health and later rejoined the ANC in 2010;
6) acknowledges his important contribution during the struggle for democracy; and
7) conveys its deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Madam Deputy Speaker, today I stand before this House to pay tribute to former Member of Parliament Nelson Noko Ramodike. Mr Ramodike retired from active politics in 2006 due to ill health. He passed away at 70 years of age in the Tzaneen Mediclinic. He is survived by his two wives and ten children.
Mr Ramodike had, to say the very least, a full and colourful political career. He was the former Chief Minister of the Lebowa homeland. He was a member of the then ruling party in the now defunct Bantustan, and in 1987 was made the Chief Minister following the death of Cedric Phatudi.
As resistance grew to apartheid minority rule in the 1990s, he formed the United People's Front and closed down the Lebowa People's Party. As a member of the United People's Front, he took part in the Codesa multiparty negotiations for a democratic South Africa.
Mr Ramodike certainly exercised his right to freedom of association, and then joined the ANC. The ANC included him on their party list for the first democratic election. He was, however, removed at the eleventh hour at the insistence of some party supporters from the Lebowa area. In response, he joined the PAC. Five years later, in 1999, he defected to the UDM and got his chance to serve in a democratic Parliament.
As a member of the UDM, he served as their spokesperson for minerals and energy and later for labour. He then formed the Alliance for Democracy and Prosperity. During the 2004 election, the new party formed a pact with the IFP. After the election, Mr Ramodike was not happy with the situation and left. He did, however, carry on life as a public representative by winning a seat in his home municipality, the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality. He served there as a councillor, but announced his retirement from politics in 2006. During his retirement, he announced proudly that he had returned to the ANC.
Madam Deputy Speaker, allow me to conclude by offering the family and friends of Nelson Ramodike my deepest condolences and those of the DA. Allow me to offer these words which, I hope, will bring some comfort:
Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn's rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush, I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die.
Thank you. [Applause.]
Deputy Speaker, we are witnessing in quick succession the passing of those stalwarts who played a role in our freedom and the establishment of a constitutional democracy. Comrade Nelson Ramodike was a pragmatist who balanced what was possible with what was desirable so that, incrementally, and by bold leaps, the people of our country could move forward and realise their full potential.
The political choices he made reflected the dilemma of people in our country regarding the best vehicle for the most effective transformation of our society. He was not afraid to try different political homes because he was not conflicted about the necessity for change that mattered. He fully appreciated where political change had been driven from and where success came from, but it was the lack of economic change in the lives of the people that really caused him anguish.
To his wives, children, grandchildren, friends, supporters and colleagues, we extend our condolences and pray that the solutions that Nelson Ramodike was seeking for his community and South Africa will be taken up within the Ramodike family so that what he strove for in life does not end with his passing away. We are all runners in a relay and the baton must be passed on so that somewhere in the future, the race is run and won. Rest in peace, Nelson Ramodike. Thank you. [Applause.]
Somlomo neNdlu ehloniphekile egameni leNkatha Yenkululeko, okokuqala, ngifuna ukukhalela iqembu likaKhongolose ngokulahlekelwa nguNelson Ramodike. Okwesibili, ngifuna ukukhalela umndeni wakhe. Kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi ubeyilungu lale Ndlu.
Sishilo isikhulumi sokuqala ukuthi ungene kumaphi amaqembu kodwa ugcine eseyilungu likaKhongolose. Ukuhanjelwa yilungu noma ngabe linhloboni noma ngabe linjani kubuhlungu kudlula konke okunye. Ukushona komuntu emhlabeni yinto okungelula ukuba uyikhohlwe futhi ayinambitheki noma ngabe iqhamuka ngayiphi indlela. Ngakho sithi umufi akalale ngoxolo, aphumule, umndeni wakhe uthobeke amanxeba. Sonke siyamlandela. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Mr V B NDLOVU: Speaker and this august House, on behalf of the Inkatha Freedom Party, firstly, I wish to convey my condolences to the ANC on the passing of Nelson Ramodike. Secondly, I wish to convey my condolences to his family. We all remember that he was a member of this House.
The first speaker indicated which parties he had belonged to but in the end he was a member of the ANC. Losing a member of any kind is more heartbreaking than anything else. The death of a person is something that you cannot forget and it is never accepted no matter how it happenened. With those words we are saying, may the deceased rest in peace, and his family be comforted. We will also follow him. [Applause.]]
Deputy Speaker, we are gathered here once more to bid farewell to one of our outstanding South Africans, whom death has taken away from us. It feels like we are meeting far too often for this purpose, and this fills me with sadness.
Morena Ramodike re mo tseba gabotsebotse ka ge re got?e le yena. Nna ke thaka ya ka. Gabotsebotse re mo tseba ge a be a sa le molaolasephetephete, wa go ba le kgang, wa go emi?a makgowa mo tseleng nakong ya ge makgowa a be a sa emi?we. Bao ba bego ba ?oma le yena ba mo laet?e gore a emi?e bathobaso fela eup?a yena ge a fihla kua tseleng o be a emi?a le makgowa. Re a e tseba taba yeo. Ka fao taba ya gagwe ya go lokolla naga ye, ga se ya thoma ka nako yeo go bego go lwelwa ditokelo t?e dingwe, yena o lwet?e le ditokelo t?a gore batho ka moka ba swarwe ka go swana. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[We knew Mr Ramodike very well because we grew up with him. He was actually my peer. In fact, we knew him from when he was still a stubborn traffic officer. Then he would pull the white motorists over, and it was against the law. His seniors ordered him to pull only African motorists over, but he would not bend. That much we know. His fight for liberation - that all the people must be treated equally - therefore started long ago.]
On behalf of the UDM, I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues and to the ANC. As the former Chief Minister of the Lebowa homeland, the late hon Ramodike worked hard to serve the people of Lebowa. He was one of the few homeland leaders who embraced the Codesa negotiations and worked hard to ensure they were a success. In the new South Africa, the late hon Ramodike became a Member of Parliament for the United Democratic Movement in the period 1999 to 2004.
We are saddened by your loss, "Noko". We hope you will be somewhat comforted by the fact that you reached the highest pinnacle of legislative service for the country. Now his name will forever be recorded among the names of those democrats who served the nation with distinction. "Noko" actually means porcupine in English. A porcupine, for those who don't know, is a very small animal with thorns. He was thorny; very, very thorny.
Robala ka khut?o, Noko, re re o re ?omet?e ngwane?o; ga go be bjalo. [May your soul rest in peace, Noko. You fought for the nation. Let it be.]
Deputy Speaker, the ACDP was sad to learn of the passing of former UDM Member of Parliament, Mr Nelson Ramodike, who died after a long illness. Our sincere sympathy and condolences go to his family, friends, the people of Tzaneen and his fellow comrades.
Mr Ramodike, who I am told joined at least about seven political parties in his lifetime, was also the last Chief Minister of the former Bantustan Lebowa. The National Council of Provinces Chairperson, Mr Mninwa Mahlangu, who served in Mr Ramodike's Cabinet in the last years of the homeland system, in a recent news report recalled him as a political visionary.
As a Member of Parliament, he contributed greatly to parliamentary debates, and as UDM spokesperson for Minerals and Energy he will be remembered for his contribution to the Minerals Development Bill. That would have been during 2001, when I was also a member of the Minerals and Energy committee. I always think of that committee, the Chairman, Duma Nkosi, the committee clerk and the committee members as being some of my first and most memorable mentors in the oversight work of Parliament.
We pray that family and friends will experience God's presence and peace at this time. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker and hon members, the late Nelson Ramodike was a conformist who disbanded his Lebowa People's Party and formed the United People's Front to pave the way to participate in the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, ordinarily known as Codesa, because he believed in change.
It is history that he made radical decisions, such as paying salaries equal to those paid to civil servants in the then central government of South Africa, to the chagrin of the De Klerk administration. It is unfortunate that despite the concessions Ramodike made to pave the way to usher in the new dispensation, the doors to entering Parliament were slammed in his face, owing to pressure from some members of the ANC. This, while he had the admiration of the leadership to the extent that he was among the entourage that toured the greater part of Europe with former President Mandela.
His never-say-die spirit saw Ramodike surface in Parliament in 1999 as a member of the then new kid on the block, the United Democratic Movement. As an alternate in the Portfolio Committee on Minerals and Energy Affairs, where he was a full member, I sourced much from the late Nelson. His passion for the subject and issues connected therewith always surfaced during the discussions. Mr Ramodike had his full run in politics and there is no doubt that he completed a 360-degree journey by ending up a member of the ANC again.
We in the UCDP extend our condolences to his family, all those close to him, the community he lived in and the ANC as his political home. May his soul rest in peace. [Applause.]
Mohl Motlat?asepikara, lehono re tlile mo go wa mabupudu go ba lapa la ga Ramodike. Mokgapa wo mogolo o wele. Noko ye kgolo ke kgale e dukologwa ke phiri. Re le ba mokgatlo wa PAC re re sepela ka khut?o ngwana wa mobu; ya gago tema o e hlagot?e. Re tla go gopola ka mediro ya gago ye mebotse.
Ge ba bangwe re ipha mpa ya naga, wena le bagale ba bangwe le ile la ?ala gae ganong ga tau,la ?ala le hlaba kgolomodumo ka marumo le mesebo le le ka gare ga mpa ya yona.
Ba rile ba go fa tokologo ya mantlwantlwane, wa e gana o hloname, wa re tokologo ya makgonthe e tla ba gona mohla bagolegwa ba dipolotiki ba et?wa goba ba lokollwa sehlakahlakeng le dikgolegong nageng ka moka. Wa re tolologo ya nnete e tla tla mohla bafaladi ba boile gae.
O be o le gona go la Norway, Oslo, mohlang mainakago a bego a fiwa sefoka sa Khut?o sa Nobel. Se ke bohlatse bja gore o be o le gona ntweng ya tokologo.
Re be re lakat?a gore o ka re phelela nako ye telele. O sepet?e re sa go rata. Bjale re tla ?ala re ipot?i?a dipot?i?o di gana go fela, re re ke mahlatse mang a morwa mogwane, a rema molamo wa mogwane a itia phuti ya wela mogwaneng. Noko re hlokile mahlatse ka go fulara ga gago. Ka mant?u a latelago, sepela gabotse:
Mogale'a makwa molwa ntwa ya marumo. Agee Mogoboya Noko'a Mphela'a Ranthana'a Malatji! Phutimothokwe noko ga e na beng, Noko o ka mphala ka boromo ka bo?weu ke a hlaba Ke t?haba baditi batho ba le?aba.
Ke a leboga. [Legofsi.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)
[Mr L M MPHAHLELE: Hon Deputy Speaker, we are gathered here today to pay our condolences to the family of Ramodike. A great hero has fallen. Noko had been ill for quite some time. As the PAC we say, "Son of the soil, rest in peace; you have played your part. We will always remember your good work."
When some of us were not brave enough to stand against the tides of the struggle, you and other stalwarts remained committed to the struggle, no matter what difficulties you encountered.
They tried to give you Mickey Mouse freedom, but you denied it, in favour of genuine liberation. For you, liberation was only valid when political prisoners were released from Robben Island and other prisons countrywide, and those in exile returned home.
You were there in Norway, Oslo, when a Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to someone who shares your name. This proves that you were a participant in the liberation struggle.
We wished you a long life. You have left this world while we still love you. Now we have endless questions. Noko, we are saddened by your passing away. We pay tribute to you with the following praise poem:
Mogale'a makwa molwa ntwa ya marumo. Agee Mogoboya Noko'a Mphela'a Ranthana'a Malatji! Phutimothokwe noko ga e na beng, Noko o ka mphala ka boromo ka bo?weu ke a hlaba Ke t?haba baditi batho ba le?aba.
I thank you. [Applause.]]
Deputy Speaker, first I want to thank the Members of Parliament seated on my right, as that is the last home where Mr Ramodike decided to reside. I met Mr Ramodike in 1991. When I met him I knew that I had to drive carefully because what he was doing then was checking people who were speeding.
The hon Ramodike was one of the homeland leaders in Tzaneen. There were three of them: one for Lebowa, one for Gazankulu and one for Venda. When the time came for change it was easy to speak to Mr Ramodike in particular, because he understood that change was coming.
What was very interesting, as has been said here, is that Mr Ramodike joined a lot of parties. It was a worrying factor for us as the ANC. We realised that this leader was joining a lot of parties. As a leader you advise and influence your people, especially if you are a person who calls yourself the leader of the people. So we didn't know if people were going to copy him.
What's interesting is that Mr Ramodike embraced change. After joining all these parties, the ANC had to visit him. This was because the ANC was very active during those years - from 1991 until the time of the election. We visited him to explain to him that these particular changes were going to unite us; that there wouldn't be a need for him to join all the parties he was joining - to think properly and join the party that would drive this vehicle.
Mr Ramodike realised that we were not lying, and of course joined the ANC. He then called the people he called his people together. He informed them that change was here and that the only party that would take us forward was the ANC. More than half of the people that were governed by Mr Ramodike, we believe, followed him when he came to the ANC. [Interjections.] So, I want to thank ... [Interjections.] Okay, the ANC party is something that is copied from us. You see we are the first, so you don't have to worry too much about the party stuff.
What I want to say to the family of Mr Ramodike is that as the ANC we are going to miss him. We acknowledge that he worked very hard and was instrumental in change. He knew that the homelands did not have a future in this country as they were dividing us. There is a story that I want to share with you before I take my seat. There was a time when there was a war between the former Lebowa and the former Gazankulu. Mr Ramodike and his people were on the one side of Khujwana and those from Nkowankowa were on the other side. This is not a joke. People were fighting; throwing stones.
Mr Ramodike assisted a lot on that particular day. He spoke to the group that were throwing stones at the people from Nkowankowa. He said the ANC was going to be a home for everybody. I was part of that throwing of stones anyway. [Laughter.]
As he continued talking to them, something we picked up as the ANC was that he realised that the throwing of stones had to stop. But it couldn't stop if we belonged to all these other small parties that were there then. Through him it was clear that the people who believed in him should join the ANC. Trust me, from that day onwards the ANC was very big. He contributed a lot, and that is why I am thanking his family. I know one cannot speak to people who have passed on, but I say:
Etlela kahle, Tatana Ramodike. U pfune ngopfu; u pfule mahlo ya vanhu. [Rest in peace, Mr Ramodike. You have been of great help; you have opened the eyes of the people.]
Batho ba bangata ba a tseba hore ANC ke lapeng. [Most people know that the ANC is like a home]. Lava nga ala va ha khomelele kun'wana va lo ka va nga ku twi kahle. [Those who are still holding on to something else have not heard you properly.]
We will continue to tell them, like you, after you had joined all these other parties, please come to the ANC. I thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
Agreed to, members standing.
Thank you very much. The condolences of the House will be conveyed to the Ramodike family and the ANC.