Agb Adjunkspeaker, Minister, dankie vir die uiteensetting wat u gegee het. U het vir die Huis 'n baie netjiese uiteensetting gegee van wat die wet beoog. Dit was baie goed. Dankie ook aan agb Moss vir haar bydrae. Dit het maar partykeer knyp-knyp gegaan. Die onderhandelingsproses se verloop was nie altyd so maklik soos wat agb Moss nou ges het nie. Hier en daar was 'n paar dinge wat ons moedeloos gemaak het, maar op die ou einde het die saak reg verloop vir almal in Suid- Afrika.
Ek het as radio-omroeper die totale demokratiseringsproses van A tot Z meegemaak. Die vraag wat elke dag in die proses opgeduik het, was: hoe gaan ons, te midde van die wonderlike demokrasie wat ons verkry het, die mense van Suid-Afrika bymekaar hou? Die politieke ontleders het gepraat van die middelpuntvliedende kragte en die middelpuntsoekende kragte. Daar is gepraat van ``the high road and the low road [die regloop en die skeefloop.] scenarios''. As ons kyk na die afgelope tyd se politiek, oor die jare vanaf 1994 heen, was daar oomblikke toe ons gedink het dinge gaan verkeerdloop. Gelukkig het Suid-Afrika 'n wonderlike leier gehad: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Madiba het Suid-Afrika se mense bymekaar gehou en toe dit soms gelyk het asof sake kan skeefloop, was Madiba daar om ons deur die driwwe te dra. Hy het ons elke keer moed gegee wat die toekoms betref.
Ons was en is almal bang vir die middelpuntvliedende kragte wat ons hele samelewing uitmekaar kan skeur. Ons is bang vir die kragte wat mense uitmekaar dryf - soos die rasgedrewe politiek wat die ANC vandag handhaaf, geskep deur mnr Thabo Mbeki.
Die DA-beleid is eenvoudig. Ons is middelpuntsoekend. Ons bring mense bymekaar te midde van diversiteit; oor taalgrense heen. Dit is waar mense welkom voel. Hulle voel veilig by die DA.
Ons het nou die dag 'n beraad gehou om versoening te bereik. Daar is gepraat van nasionale kohesie. Dit was wonderlik om te luister na wat al die mense daar ges het. Daar is nog baie woede en haat in mense se harte, maar dit was goed om hulle te hoor. Nasionale kohesie is 'n proses. Dikwels wil ons hier in Suid-Afrika van hierdie nasionale versoening en kohesie sommer net 'n dag-uitstappie maak. Dit is nie 'n dag-uitstappie nie. Dit is a permanente proses waaraan jy elke dag moet werk.
Ek is baie dankbaar vir die konsensus wat ons bereik het in die debat oor die wetgewing oor tale. Wat die toekoms betref, is dit maar net 'n enkele bousteen in die geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika wat ons nou in hierdie muur van Suid-Afrika vasgemessel het en waaroor almal saamstem. Ons moet elke dag in ons lewe meer aktief soek na wat ons bymekaar hou, wat ons bymekaar trek en waaroor ons konsensus het. Dan gaan ons die toekoms met groot vertroue instap.
Versoening hou nooit op nie, net soos 'n mens elke dag aan liefde moet werk. Madiba het ons bymekaar gehou. Hy was regtig ons rots van Gibraltar. Hy het ons geleer om te vergewe, mekaar lief te h en te respekteer en om trots Suid-Afrikaans te wees.
Die vraag is nou: (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr N J VAN DEN BERG: Hon Deputy Speaker, Minister, I thank you for the explanation given. You gave the House a very precise explanation of what the Act intends to achieve. It was done extremely well. Thanks also to hon Moss for her contribution. At times things did not go that smoothly. The course that the process of negotiation took was not always that easy, as hon Moss just mentioned. At times a few things made us despondent, but in the end the matter turned out well for all of us in South Africa.
As a radio announcer, I experienced the entire process of democratisation from start to finish. The question which surfaced every day during the process was: How are we, in the midst of the wonderful democracy we inherited, going to keep the people of South Africa together? The political analysts referred to centrifugal and centripetal forces. High road and low road scenarios were mentioned. If we look at the politics of recent times, the years 1994 and hence, there were moments that we thought things would go wrong. Fortunately, South Africa had a wonderful leader: Nelson Rolihlala Mandela. Madiba kept South Africa's people together and at times when it appeared matters would go wrong, Madiba was there to pull us through. Every time he gave us courage with regard to the future.
All of us were and are fearful of the centrifugal forces which can tear our whole society apart. We fear the forces that tear people apart - as is the case with the racially inspired politics which the ANC upholds today, initiated by Mr Thabo Mbeki.
The policy of the DA is simple. We are centripetal. We bring people together amidst our diversity; beyond language barriers. This is where people feel welcome. They feel safe within the DA.
The other day we held a conference aimed at conciliation. National cohesion was mentioned. It was wonderful to listen to everything all the people there had to say. There is still much anger and hate in people's hearts, but it was good to listen to them. National cohesion is a process. Often we in South Africa simply want to deal with the issue as if this national conciliation and cohesion are similar to a day excursion. This is not a day excursion. It is a permanent process which you ought to work at every day.
I am very grateful for the consensus we achieved in the debate about the legislation regarding languages. With regard to the future this is but one building block in the history of South Africa which we have laid in this wall of South Africa and on which we all agree. Every day we should look more actively in our lives at that which holds us together, which pulls us together and about which we have consensus. Then we will approach the future with great confidence.
Conciliation never stops, just as one should work at love every day. Madiba kept us together. He really was our rock of Gibraltar. He taught us to forgive, to love and to respect each other and to be proudly South African.
The question is now:
Ke mang ya tla emang ka sebete ho kopanya le ho bopa setjhaba, hobane poelano ke seo re se hlokang? Empa ke DA e ka etsang sena! [Who will boldly stand up to unite and build the nation, because reconciliation is what we need? Yet it is only the DA that can achieve this!]
In die geskiedenis na 1994 sal di talewet nog gesien word as 'n triomf vir nasiebou en 'n saluut vir ons Grondwet. Afdeling 6 van die Grondwet het hierdie wetgewing deurgetrek en die Grondwet was baie duidelik oor wat ons komitee moes doen.
Die DA se wekroep in di onderhandelingsproses was eenvoudig: Ons het geveg vir die gelykberegtiging van alle tale. Die DA het vir alle tale in Suid- Afrika geveg, ook vir die minderheidstale in Limpopo. Ek het nie in die komitee net vir Afrikaans geveg nie. Vir my is Afrikaans belangrik, maar net so is die minderheidstale in Limpopo. Vir die mense wat dit praat, is dit hartsgoed. Ek het vir hulle ook baklei. Ek het baklei dat hierdie wet nie in so 'n ding moet ontwikkel wat ook daardie mense se tale kan skaad nie.
Die wet is dus 'n triomf vir tale. Die ANC bedryf sy politiek volgens ras- en taalgrense. Die DA is versoenend en kyk by taal- en kultuurgrense verby. Die DA soek na faktore wat ons bymekaar hou en in die toekoms bymekaar sal hou. Die DA het die leiers wat dit kan doen.
Dit gaan oor die toepassing van die wet. Ons almal weet die Pan-Suid- Afrikaanse Taalraad is 'n totale fiasko. Die Minister het die raad van die Pan-Suid-Afrikaanse Taalraad ontbind en nou l die toekoms voor. Al wat ek hoop, is dat daar nie 'n klomp burokratiese amptenare iewers in 'n kantoor gaan sit en dan sommer tale kies, sonder om die demografie in elke provinsie in ag te neem nie. Ons moet versigtig wees om nie t populisties te wees nie.
Verlede week in Groutville, die hartplek van Hoofman Albert Luthuli, het ek ouma Faith Nwango ontmoet. Dit was by die Congregational Kerk, net langs Luthuli se graf. Sy het vir ons gebid. Sy het saam met Albert Luthuli aanbid. Ek vertrou dat di gogo se demokratiese ideale lewendig gehou sal word, soos ons almal se demokratiese ideale. Dit is die taak wat hierdie Huis elke dag moet doen. Ons moet hand uitsteek na mekaar en mekaar se geskiedenis leer ken. Ek was dankbaar om by die graf van Hoofman Albert Luthuli te wees en te leer watter wonderlike dinge hierdie man gedoen het in die bereiking van vryheid in Suid-Afrika, soos ander leiers - mense soos Josiah Gumede en dr John Dube. Hulle was wonderlike mense met pragtige gedagtes wat stukrag gegee het aan die demokratiseringsproses. Laat ons lief wees vir mekaar. Praat jou taal, want elkeen se taal is die mooiste in die wreld. Alles wat ons aan moedersknie geleer het, moet ons bewaar, want dit gee vir elkeen van ons 'n identiteit. Ons moet mekaar se tale waardeer en vir mekaar lief wees. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[In the era after 1994 this law regarding languages will be seen as a triumph for nation-building and a salute to our Constitution. Section 6 of the Constitution facilitated this legislation and the Constitution was very clear about what was expected of us as a committee.
The DA's call to the nation during this process of negotiation was simple: We fought for the equality of all languages. The DA fought for all languages in South Africa, including the minority languages in Limpopo. I did not only fight for Afrikaans in the committee. Afrikaans is important to me, but so is the case with the minority languages in Limpopo. For the speakers who use them they are dear to their hearts. I also fought for them. I fought in order that this Act should not degenerate into something which could harm those peoples' languages.
This Act is therefore a triumph for languages. The ANC practises its policy along the lines of racial and language barriers. The DA is conciliatory and look beyond language and cultural barriers. The DA seeks factors which bind us together and will keep us together in the future. The DA has the leaders capable of doing so.
It is about the application of the law. We all know that the Pan South African Language Board is a total disaster. The Minister dissolved the board of the Pan-South African Language Board and now the future lies ahead. All that I can hope for is that a group of bureaucrats won't get together somewhere in an office and then just choose languages without taking into consideration the demographics of each province. We should take caution not to be too populist.
Last week in Groutville, the very seat of Chief Albert Luthuli's soul, I met grandma Faith Nwango. It was at the Congregational Church, just next to the grave of Luthuli. She prayed for us. She worshipped with Albert Luthuli. I trust that this grandmother's democratic ideals will be kept alive like the democratic ideals of all of us. This is the task each day of this House. We need to reach out to each other and learn each other's history. I was thankful to be at the graveside of Chief Albert Luthuli and to learn which wonderful things this man did in the achievement of freedom in South Africa, like other leaders - people like Josiah Gumede and Dr John Dube. They were wonderful people with exquisite ideas that gave momentum to the process of democratisation.
Let us love one another. Speak your language, because everyone's language is the most wonderful in the world. Everything we learned from our mother should be protected because it gives each one of us an identity. We should respect each other's language and love one another.]