Hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP and hon members, it is a great honour for me to deliver this tribute and these words of appreciation for the life of a respectable, motivated, strong believer in God and a person chosen as a leader by the people, the hon Theodorus Barnardus, called Theo, Beyleveldt.
Firstly, I give praise to our Heavenly Father who granted us the opportunity to share in the wisdom of Theo Beyleveldt. Theo's death on Sunday, 3 July 2011, came as a huge shock to us because he was relatively strong and healthy. He was hospitalised for an organ biopsy after complaining of fatigue. Subsequent tests pointed to a genetic disease.
Hon Beyleveldt was a person who made a success of everything he did, as a soldier, sportsman and politician. He joined the army in 1966 and obtained a Bachelor of Military Science degree from the Military Academy in Saldanha in 1969. In 1999 he retired as brigadier-general after 34 years of service.
He also completed an International Command and Staff Course in Spain and learned to speak Spanish fluently. He was awarded the Southern Cross Decoration for exceptional service of the highest order and excellent dedication, and a few other awards and medals for service excellence.
After he retired he became involved in politics as a ward representative in Hermanus and in the local management of the DA in 2004. Under his leadership the DA achieved an outright majority in the 2006 local government election, and he became the Mayor of the Overstrand Municipality. As mayor he led the Overstrand Municipality with success, and the municipality received numerous awards and prizes and was singled out as a model municipality.
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Theo Beyleveldt was called upon by the DA to serve in the NCOP in 2010 and, as the Western Cape Whip, he served with honour and dedication.
As the DA, we want to assure his wife, Marianne, his children and their family that we appreciate their compassion for children, the aged and the needy. They should rest assured that God will grant his mercy and blessings on their lives as the clouds are in the sky. I thank you.