Hon House Chairperson, hon members, President Nelson Mandela is a giant of our nation, both in standing and in character. By honouring him, we honour the deepest well of our national character. He led us through triumphs and tragedies, disasters and setbacks. In his public life, he also bore down on the platitudes of society. His knowledge of human tragedy, fortified by the sacrifice of years of imprisonment, shielded him from self-deception and hollow praise.
This is something we should all reflect on. If he were here today, I believe former President Mandela would be disappointed that we have not done more to solve the problems that he highlighted in his last speech to this Parliament in May 2004. He opened his address with a question:
What do I wish for our democracy in this second decade that we have entered?
We are only two years from completing this second decade of democracy. The challenges, Mr Mandela said, were unmistakably clear: poverty, preventable disease and ill health, and other forms of social deprivation. It was significant that Mr Mandela placed these problems directly within the context of the work of this Parliament. Democracy, he insisted, "must bring its material fruits to all, particularly the poor, the marginalised and vulnerable". He went on: "Our belief in the common good ultimately translates into a deep concern for those that suffer want and deprivation of any kind."
On this occasion, Mr Mandela also said:
Let us never be unmindful of the terrible past from which we came - that memory not as a means to keep us shackled to the past in a negative manner, but rather as a joyous reminder of how far we have come and how much we have achieved.
Yet, too frequently, we open up the divisions of the past and seek to use them against each other.
In order to protect and promote Mr Mandela's vision, Parliament must play a bigger role and work to a much higher standard. His legacy is greater and more profound than the political contestation between the parties represented here. Despite our partisan differences, we have an obligation to work towards common objectives.
It is easy for us to stand here and deliver honeyed words, yet "sincerity is subject to proof". Why hold this debate here today if we do not heed President Mandela's injunction and his call to service? There can be no better tribute to him than if we take our task of representation and public service seriously. President Mandela elegantly said of the work of this Parliament: "Yours is the almost sacred duty to ensure government by the people under the Constitution."
Perhaps this is the time for each one of us to ask if we need to reacquaint ourselves with Mr Mandela's vision. When we weigh the gravity of each sentence of his speech, it is hard not to conclude that we, in many respects, have regressed.
The theme of constitutional democracy was woven into every line of Mr Mandela's 2004 address. It was based on the understanding that economic and social progress could not be made without being attuned to the content and spirit of democracy.
Last month, South Africans put aside 67 minutes to honour Mr Mandela's example of public service. We, in this House, however, are held to a much higher standard. We are expected to work unceasingly, every day and every hour, to make manifest the promises contained in the Constitution and to build our democracy.
Our former President did not allow power to use him; rather, he used power. Power especially corrupts those who think they deserve it. Yet, while power tends to corrupt, Mr Mandela's legacy demonstrates that public service cleanses. Every day, he observed, the opportunity to exercise leadership presents itself. He used the power of his office to challenge the frontiers of the mind, and of institutions. He questioned the difference between people's words and actions. Mr Mandela asked friends and strangers alike to face up to tough choices.
If we were fortunate enough to have President Mandela leading us today, I believe he would say that we cannot have reconciliation without education and jobs for the first generation of young people who have come of age since 1994. I have no doubt that getting the nation to work would be Mr Mandela's first priority today, and that job creation would be the overarching template of his administration.
President Mandela would, if he were in office today, seek to change hearts and minds so that South Africans, especially young people, start to ask what they can do to help create more opportunities for more people. He believed education and innovation would bring lasting change. Let this, and not self-congratulation, be the touchstone by which we measure our endeavours in this Parliament. I reaffirm the DA's commitment to upholding President Mandela's legacy in word and deed.
On behalf of the DA, it is my great honour to wish him a happy 94th birthday, here in the Parliament that he did so much to help build.
Veels geluk, Tata, met u verjaarsdag. [Congratulations on your birthday, Tata.] Mahlatse le mahlogonolo, Ntate Madiba. [We wish you all the best, Madiba.]
Mpilo nde, Tata. [May you have a long life, Tata.]
Unwele olude Kuwe, Tata. [May you have many more years to come, Tata.]
I thank you. [Applause.]