It is in circumstances such as this that I remember the second President of our country - I here refer to the democratic South Africa's President Mbeki, who stood on this very platform, and Madiba was seated there and Mbeki said, "I am an African." The majority of
the people throughout our country and beyond the seas rose and clapped hands because he further went on and uttered these words that he had a dream and that dream was to take us back to 1955 when the people of our country said that we are Africans; we are united; we may be white in skin colour; we may be black in skin colour, but we are Africans from South Africa.
In this Springboks match that we had, there are other African people in skin colour that were able to score. It was not only Siya but then if you look at De Allende, you look at Kolbe, you look at Mapimpi - those people were able to deliver tries, and we of course rose and said that we are Africans. There it was not only those of us who are pitch black, or those of us who are lighter in skin colour - all of us rose and said, "We are Africans."
I therefore want to say that we as leaders - as the representatives of the people of our country, we need to be united just like all the people of South Africa were united and say that we are Africans; we are one; let's move forward and achieve that which we have fought for, that which we died for, that which we went to jails for,
so that indeed we can rise like we are seated here as one
- we are Africans.
So, "Springbokke", we want to thank them for everything. They have helped us to arrive where we are at this stage. Thank you. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Sepedi: