Hon Speaker, hon members, guests in the gallery, I came to Parliament in the middle of 2010, following the retirement of the hon Dr Mosibudi Mangena. By the time I arrived, other members had been here for more than a year. Comrade Mangena did his best to show me around and orientate me. He spent the whole week with me, making sure that I settled in.

My first priority was locating the venues of meetings. I had difficulty knowing what each letter before a room number meant - NCOP, Old Assembly or New Wing. On more than one occasion I had to abandon the search and go back to the office. With time I settled in. In this House and in the committees on which I served, I met strangers who later became friends, comrades and, in some cases, brothers or sisters. I have enjoyed my time here. I am grateful to Azapo for giving me this opportunity and privilege. This is not a task I took lightly.

I want to extend my thanks to the parliamentary staff for the support that they render to all members. I extend special thanks to the staff in our parliamentary office, Miss Nomgcobo Soxutywa and Comrade Nkutshweu Skap Motsawa, and to the staff in our constituency offices. Some of you may not know that Skap Motsawa was involved in an accident that rendered him a quadruplegic, but he continues to serve the party with distinction.

On behalf of Azapo, I thank the people of our land for the mandate. We hold the view that we did our best in everything we did and that at all times Azapo always punched above its weight. Azapo has been faithful in the small things given to it and we believe that our people will give us a bigger responsibility.

I say thank you to the chairpersons in the committees on which I served, the hon Peter Maluleka, the hon Hope Malgas and the hon Adv Malale, and former chairpersons the hon Chohan and the hon Fransman. To all members, thank you very much for your friendship. Thank you for being who you were in my life.

I want to end by also quoting Shakespeare: "Fare thee well. If we meet again, we shall smile. If we don't, it was a parting well made."

Re a le boga Afrika borwa. [Thank you, South Africa.] Thank you. [Applause.]