Deputy Chair, let me first thank the Chairperson of the Council, without whom all of us here wouldn't be able to work. He tried every possible means to make sure that as Members of Parliament and as parties we all agreed. Sometimes I disagreed with Mr Watson, he would plead with me saying, "Leave that". You know how difficult I am, Mr Watson, as you yourself have said.
Deputy Chair, today marks the last day of session of our Council in the second year of our fourth democratic Parliament. We are aware that this year was a very momentous one; it was one of the busiest for our hon members and select committees. It was also a year in which we have seen the expansion of our select committees from 11 to 13 since the third democratic Parliament.
We have also seen the involvement of our hon members in various statutory bodies and commissions, as well as continental and global institutions and structures. We are indeed proud and we would like to sincerely thank our hon members for doing their work in great strides and for showing their commitment to advancing the lives of our people. But I must also say that I have noted those who really do not attend to parliamentary work. I know who they are and maybe very soon we will name and shame them.
This year we had more motions passed than in any other year of the Council, more committee meetings were held and we undertook a very successful Provincial Week and two Taking Parliament to the People programmes.
We have seen many Bills being passed by the NCOP. More questions were asked and we witnessed our select committees taking on issues that affect the daily lives of our people - a true indication of the dedication and hard work of our hon members.
We are indeed humbled by the fact that many of our hon members are heeding our call to build an activist Parliament that proactively responds to the challenges facing our people. As the NCOP, we have taken the call to build an activist Parliament very seriously. We say this because we are aware that the NCOP has specific functions with regard to building a better South Africa. Our work must give voice to the perspectives of the country's nine provinces and provide a platform for local government to participate in legislative deliberations. This provides Parliament with a mechanism to ensure that a centralised, national government perspective does not dominate the development of legislation that needs to serve the diverse needs of the country as a whole.
As the Whippery, we hosted a very successful workshop where the leadership of the NCOP and provinces convened to look at better ways of enhancing our collective responsibility in the implementation of the mandate of the NCOP.
I also want to say that I am humbled by the support, co-operation and understanding of all political parties. It is not easy to work with Mr Watson, but I must also say I won his heart and I know very well that his wife should be careful lest I overtake her! [Laughter.]
The most important role of the NCOP in the evolution of our young nation is reflected in the advances that our Council is making in the deepening of our democratic systems and ensuring that more people, especially those in our provinces, become involved in our parliamentary processes. Our committees have visited various communities and conducted oversight over many issues that are imperative to our commitment to ensure a better life for our people.
We are also grateful for the participation of the various political parties in putting the needs of our people first and making sure that we continue to work together despite some of the political differences that we have.
Our Council hosted delegations and dignitaries from many parts of the world, who are drawn by its uniqueness. We recently hosted a delegation from Namibia, which came to learn about the unique way in which the NCOP carries out its mandate. We were humbled by the feedback that they gave us on their last day.
Chairperson, I know that while we have come to the last sitting day of the Council for the year, many of our hon members, as the servants of our people, will be hard at work in their constituencies. Your outstanding work and dedication demonstrate your courage to work tirelessly for our people, who have been ravaged by centuries of apartheid underdevelopment and systemic exclusion.
The week marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against gender- based violence and, of course, violence towards girl-children in particular. We must all join the various activities organised in our communities, make a call on our communities to speak out and stand up and commit them and ourselves to preventing violence against women and children in our communities. We must encourage themselves not to look away but to act and speak out against violence and abuse of women and children.
As we continue to communicate the message of hope to our people, we must take the opportunity to rest, recuperate and re-energise our rigour and determination to be the servants of our people.
Allow me to pass on our profound appreciation to our staff members for their tireless efforts to support us in their work. But I will be failing and dishonest if I don't specifically thank the two ladies and the gentleman who work with me directly in my office.
As we depart from the precincts of Parliament and drive to our various destinations, let us be safe and continue to preach the gospel of safety on our roads. As the Irish blessing and farewell toast says:
May the road rise up to meet you ... May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
I wish everyone a happy Christmas and a year full of successes. I thank you, Chair. [Applause.]