Sihlalo ohloniphekile, Ngqongqoshe wesifundazwe kanye nozakwethu, eqinisweni, thina be-IFP sikholelwa entweni eyodwa: ukusinisa amahleza nokunqakulisana akusiyisi ndawo ngoba kuthunuka imizwa yabantu. Lolu daba lwe-N2 Gateway, okunguhlelo lwezindlu, empeleni lungene ngesinxele ngoba abaningi bethu bebengazi ukuthi kuzokhulunywa ngani, ngoba kutheni, kusukephi, kukhale nyonini?
Ake sithi lapha, uma sikhuluma ngezindlu sikhuluma ngento eseyaba yinsakavukela umchilo wesidwaba, noma undabuzekwayo ngoba phela siqhamuka laphaya kudala, lapho kwakukhona ukuthi siyizifikanamthwalo endaweni yethu yokuzalwa, lapho singumnsinsi wokuzimilela khona. Sasibizwa phecelezi kuthiwe singama-temporary "sojourners".
Sabe sakhelwa izindlu esasingazange sizikhethe ukuthi sifuna ukuhlala kuzo; sakhelwe amahostela okwakuthi uma uthi uyakhuluma uma ungumZulu kuthiwe, "Hamba uye KwaZulu." Babethi, "Hamba uye eZululand." Uma uthi, hhayi bo, angazi muntu ngoba ngazalelwa endaweni ethile, bona bathi "Uzothola okhokho bakho khona le KwaZulu." Kwakuthiwa iya kuleyo ndawo ehambelana nolimi olukhulumayo.
Manje sesifikile-ke lapho sithi khona abantu abazikhethele izindlu abafuna ukuhlala kuzo. Iminyaka seyithe ukuqhela kancane ngoba manje sekuyi-12 leminyaka. Ingakho-ke i-IFP ithi ayifuni ukungena odabeni oluthinta imizwa yabantu. UNgqongqoshe ubekhuluma lapha ethi iGateway izobe ivulwa, inikezwa abantu. Senikhulume kakhulu abantu bengakafiki laphaya. AbeSuthu bathi: le tsosa dibata masene.
Abantu bayofika laphaya izinhliziyo nemimoya sekuphakeme ngoba senikhulumile lapha ePhalamende. Esikukhethayo thina njenge-IFP ukuthi kwakhiwe izindlu ezizonikeza abantu bakithi isithunzi nokuhlonipheka. Asingabe silokhu sikhuluma ukuthi iGateway yayitheni, kuphi nalaphi. Sizokhuluma thina siyi-IFP uma nje sekwakhiwe izindlu, sesibona nabantu bengena ezindlini, hhayi uma sisalokhu sinqakulisana lapha.
Ngike ngaxakeka nxa sinikezwa amabhola lapha kodwa sengiyabona ukuthi bekuluphawu lokukhahlela uhlelo lwezindlu i-Gateway, kusengathi kudlalwa ibhola likanobhutshuzwayo. IGateway asiyiyeke; nokuthi uMeya uZille noma uMfeketho utheni asikuyeke. Kuphela nje lezo zindlu ngoba zikhona, asizinikeze abantu. Asiyeke ukukhuluma kodwa abantu abathole izindlu.
Uma ningathi nabaya abantu bayongena ezindlini, ngingacela mina ngithi ngiyahamba ngiya kokwenanela lolo daba, ngithi ngiya kohalalisela abantu bengena ezindlini. Siqhamuka laphaya ezindlini zomxhaso. Mina ngihlala laphaya eThokoza. Maqondana nalezi zindlu zomxhaso, kukhona omunye umame oke washo ukuthi kwakukhona osuthakuname. Laphaya eThokoza kosuthakuname, phecelezi ama-single room, uma kudlula isitimela ngendlela iyanyikinyeka indlu, ungaze uphume ubaleke nawe.
Uhulumeni akakhe izindlu ezisezingeni lokuba zingakhonwa abantu. Uhulumeni akabonelele imindeni yethu ukuze sihlonipheke, singalali nezingane zethu - ubaba nomama nezingane. Kunendawo laphaya eThokoza ababeyibiza ngokuthi idunusa ngoba naniqulusa nje omunye adunuse abheke le nomunye alale abheke le.
Bakwethu, uhulumeni akalethe izindlu, alethe isithunzi kubantu. Maqondana neGateway, ngithi phambili, mfowethu! Vula izindlu lezo abantu bangene phakathi bese niyeka ukunqakulisana ngebhola lapha. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Mr M A MZIZI: The hon Chairperson, the MEC, and colleagues, in fact we, from the IFP, believe in one thing: playing childish political games and politicking will not take us anywhere, instead these things rub salt in the people's wounds. The story of the N2 Gateway, which is a housing project, was wrongly put because many people did not know what we were going to talk about. No one bothered to explain why we have to discuss this topic in particular, what the reasoning behind it is.
Well, let us say here that if we discuss the issue of housing, we are discussing the daily issue, the daily bread, and a thorny issue for many people because we have come a long way as far as housing is concerned. Initially we were called settlers in our country of birth. We are the indigenous people here. We were even called temporary sojourners.
Those were the days when houses were simply built for us without us being asked what sort of houses we needed; we were put in hostels where, when you spoke and people realised you are talking isiZulu, you were unkindly told, "Go to KwaZulu." They would say: "Go to Zululand." If you tried to plead with them and explain that you did not know any person in that place because you were born in a certain place, you were told in no uncertain terms: "You will meet your ancestors there in KwaZulu." You were told to go to the place that matches the language you speak.
And now we are in an era where we say: Let the people themselves choose the houses that they want to live in. We are now many years away from the old era; 12 years to be specific. It is for this very reason that the IFP says it does not want to get involved in a matter that hurts the people's feelings. The Minister said the N2 Gateway project will be opened and people will be given houses. A lot has been said here regarding this housing project and the people have not yet even started occupying the houses. The Basotho would say: "Discretion is the better part of valour".
When people start occupying these houses they will be very angry because a lot has been said here in Parliament. What we, as the IFP, are saying is that houses should be built for our people, which will give them the dignity and the respect they deserve. Let us stop talking and deliberating too much on the issue of the N2 Gateway Housing project or what was supposed to have happened to it, how and why. We, in the IFP, will only discuss the matter as soon as we see the houses being built and the people occupying those houses, not when we are still bickering here.
I was a little perplexed and surprised when we were given balls here, and at least I can now see that it was an introduction to the issue of the N2 Gateway Housing project. It looks as if we are playing football here. Let us leave the question of the N2 Gateway Housing project alone; and forget about what Mayor Zille said or the then mayor Mfeketo. What we should do, instead, is to give those houses to the people because they are already there. Let us stop talking and give houses to the people.
If, for instance, you can point them out to me and say to me those people are going to occupy their houses, I can ask permission to go and witness that and also congratulate those people who would be getting the houses. We are in subsidised houses. I, for instance, stay in Thokoza. Regarding these subsidised houses, there is one woman who called them single rooms. When a train in Thokoza goes past these houses, for instance, they wobble and shudder to such an extent that if you are inside you start thinking of getting out and running for dear life.
The government must build houses that are affordable to our people. The government must subsidise our families so that they can be respected, and give us houses in which we do not sleep together with our children - the mother, the father and the children, all in one room! There is a place in Thokoza that the residents call "Dunusa". It was so named because people would stick out their buttocks when sleeping with other people, and each person slept facing a different direction.
Dear people, the government must bring houses to the people and restore the dignity of people. Regarding the issue of the N2 Gateway Housing project, I say: Forward, my brother! Open the houses and let the people occupy them and stop playing hide and seek.]