Chairperson, on behalf of the Chief Whip, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) notes -
(a) the sad passing away of the embodiment of our continent's struggle for freedom and heroine of the people of Africa, Miriam Makeba, who was born in Johannesburg on 4 March 1932 and died at the age of 76 after a concert in Italy;
(b) that for more than half a century Mama Africa, as she was affectionately known around the world, became ''mother of our struggle'' and ''South Africa's ?rst lady of song'' who brought the intricate rhythms of her protests against the apartheid regime to millions of listeners around the world and remained our country's spokeswoman against the brutality of the apartheid government;
(c) also that Mama Africa was forced to go into exile in 1960 when South Africa banned her from returning to her birth country as she was deemed to be ''too dangerous'' and a ''communist revolutionary who was galvanising the world'' against the then white apartheid government of South Africa;
(d) that Mama Africa was a legend who, for many years, preached peace, compassion and goodwill through her music and continued to inform the people of the world about the brutality of the apartheid regime and its forces;
(e) her exceptional personal and artistic pro?le, which embodied her creative spirit borne out of love for her country and the determination for a better South Africa which has earned her many accolades and the hearts of many people across the world, making Miriam Makeba a living legend; and
2) takes this opportunity to convey to the Makeba family and the music fraternity its deepest condolences and wishes them strength in this trying and difficult moment.
May her soul rest in peace and her music and loving memory console us!