Speaker Xhamela, hon Ministers present, and hon members of the Assembly, on 14 May, South Africa lost one of the best minds ever to have graced our national discourse. The passing of Dr Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert was met with a flood of tributes from politicians, academics and journalists, all singing the praises of a man who deserved every good word that was spoken about his life.
Today, we, in this House, honour the memory of a former colleague in the hope that what we say may capture the magnitude of our loss. I had the privilege of enjoying a long and sincere friendship with Dr Van Zyl Slabbert.
We first met in the 70s when he was a young lecturer at Stellenbosh University. At the time there was a group of businessmen and intellectuals who met to discuss current affairs since they were concerned about the situation in the country. Dr Van Zyl Slabbert was part of the study group called "Synthesis", to which I was also invited to participate.
My first impression was of a man of remarkable intellect, yet authentic humility. This humility spoke of a depth of character that I grew to respect and admire. More than anything, I was drawn to Dr Van Zyl Slabbert because of his integrity.
I was chatting with my son Ntuthukoyezwe - Zuzie to his friends - during the weekend. He said something about integrity which stuck in my mind. He said that if one has integrity, anything else doesn't matter; and if one hasn't got integrity, again, anything else doesn't matter.
When Dr Van Zyl Slabbert was elected leader of the PFP, I invited him to address Inkatha's conferences in Ulundi. Together, with members of our two organisations, we participated in many protest meetings in Durban and Johannesburg. We shared a vision for the liberation of South Africa, for which I nearly became ridiculed and vilified. Dr Van Zyl Slabbert and I both believed that the liberation of our country should be pursued through negotiations and not through the barrel of a gun.
In 1985, we formed the National Convention Movement which emphasised the need for government to negotiate with all political parties. The depth of our friendship became a cause for concern for the NP government at the time, which attempted to drive a wedge between the two of us. The government at that time released a transcript of a private conversation that Dr Van Zyl Slabbert had with the then Prime Minister, Mr PW Botha, in which Dr Slabbert was quoted as saying about me that:
He thinks that he is the only bull in the kraal
But to the government's dismay, this did not affect our good relations or our genuine friendship.
I respected Dr Van Zyl Slabbert's incisive criticism as well as his directness. He was a man who could always be trusted to speak his mind with sincerity and not tickle the ears with falsehood. This trait cost him the friendship of other leaders, but earned him my respect. He was a great asset to our country, which today is poorer for his passing. I was not surprised when, asked about his time as Chairman of the Van Zyl Slabbert Commission, he remarked that:
It was a disgusting and eminently forgettable experience.
As Minister of Home Affairs, I appointed Dr Van Zyl Slabbert to chair the commission which was established to redraft the Electoral Act. The Van Zyl Slabbert Commission brought together some of the best domestic and international minds - genuine democrats drawn from across the broader spectrum - because I understood that the Electoral Act is the contract between the politicians and the people, and thus cannot be written by the politicians alone.
The Van Zyl Slabbert Commission recognised that the present electoral system lacks accountability and proposed a system akin to the local government model, which combines constituencies and proportional representation. It was a well-considered recommendation based on comprehensive research, and Cabinet rejected it.
However, Cabinet committed itself to implementing the recommendations at a later stage. I regret that Dr Van Zyl Slabbert never lived to see that day, but I hope that his good intentions will not be forgotten.
On behalf of the IFP, I offer my sincere condolences to the family of Dr Van Zyl Slabbert and to the many who mourn his passing. He has left a tremendous legacy, and for that we thank him. We hope that he will forever rest in peace. To you, Van, I say "requiescat in pace" [rest in peace]. Thank you. [Applause.]