Mohl Spikara, Ditona t?e di lego gona mo, Maloko a Palamente kamoka go t?wa mekgatlong ye e fapanego, ke a le tami?a, ke re khut?o ga e be le lena. [Greetings to you, hon Speaker, hon Ministers and all members from the various political parties. May peace be with you.]
It is a great honour to be placed in the position of serving the people, especially when those people come from slavery, dispossession and marginalisation, and are now free and looking forward to a great life for themselves and their progeny.
This has been a fruitful session for me personally and the Pan Africanist Congress, PAC, of Azania. The co-operation I have enjoyed and the friends I have acquired are an indication that the next session will be a friendlier one. Gone are those days when a party like ours would be booed and degraded in this House. Our Parliament is truly coming to maturity and the PAC will continue with efforts to build co-operation and friendliness in this House.
Although we are composed of several parties, we are, in fact, representatives together of all the people of South Africa, making one set of laws for the people of South Africa. For this reason, we cannot afford to show division amongst ourselves. We must inspire our people with a common vision, as that will generate social cohesion, without which the unity of a country such as ours, coming from violent divisions, cannot be sustained.
Politically we have differences, of course, but socially we need to encourage cohesion even among ourselves as role models.
We are approaching a different set of circumstances after the elections. In the next session, there will be a new advent of political realignment right across the board. We therefore have to change our mindsets, knowing that there will be new opportunities to build new friendships and a more compact shared vision.
I wish you all a fruitful time during the elections and call not only for tolerance, but also for acceptance of one another as compatriots.
Ka mant?u ao, ke re a re yeng go ?oma. Mokgatlo wa PAC o tla ?oma le lena, bjale ka ge le tseba gore selokene sa rena se re: "Khut?o gare ga MaAfrika, ntwa kgahlanong le lenaba!" [Let us go and work. The PAC will work with you, as you know our slogan of "Peace among the Africans, fight against the enemy".]