Hon Speaker and hon members, we in the UCDP learnt with shock of the death of Mr Dlali at the hands of the prowlers that are all over the country.
I came to know Mr Dlali with his trademark walking stick. He was a jolly and ever happy man as he trundled along the corridors of Parliament.
He served on the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, amongst others, with the late Mr Ditshetelo, our leader then, and this allowed me greater access to him.
These meetings paved the way for greater interactions between him and me, as I later came to serve on the board of the Parliamentary and Provincial Medical Aid Scheme, Parmed, with him. I found him already a member, and he held a responsible position as he served on the executive of the board.
We used to have discussions and more often than not he would say he wanted to get me Umrabulo, and I would squeal but, diplomatic as he was, Mr Dlali prevailed upon me to subscribe to the magazine New Agenda, which he and Prof Turok, a doyen of this House, worked on. It was an academic and informative publication that dealt with contemporary issues, particularly of an economic nature.
It is unfortunate that David Dlali died the way he did. Our hearts in the UCDP go out to his family, the department where he was an adviser, and his political fort, the ANC. May his soul rest in peace. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Speaker, hon members and the Dlali family in the gallery, I stand here today to celebrate the life of a loyal servant of the people of South Africa - a comrade, friend, brother, father and committed cadre of our movement, who devoted most of his adult life to the service of his people. He was a humble yet fierce defender of the gains of our democracy and freedom.
Many of us are still struggling to come to terms with the shock and pain of the passing away of this great patriot, whose real contribution to our government and our people is still to be fully acknowledged and recognised.
He clearly understood the aspirations of the people of South Africa, and the great sacrifice that is necessary to achieve the goal of liberation. He contributed immensely to the downfall of apartheid and was one of the architects of our new democracy.
I stand here to pay tribute to one of the unsung heroes of our struggle for liberation, who served our young democracy with selfless dedication. Those in our country who are committed to the vision of a better life for all will sorely miss his passion and commitment to serving the poor and vulnerable masses of our people.
I have no doubt that David Dlali's name will be mentioned alongside those of the best sons and daughters of our country who passed away in the service of their people. All those who worked closely with him will treasure his memory as one of our most distinguished sons, who consciously chose a dangerous path that naturally invited personal suffering and sacrifice, state brutality, callous oppression, torture and police harassment.
He pursued this path with single-minded purpose, for he knew that, indeed, there comes a time in the life of every nation when it is faced with two choices: to fight or to submit. David chose to fight and dedicate his life to the struggle for freedom and democracy.
The people of our country will treasure his memory as one of our most distinguished sons, who consciously chose to fight a cruel and inhumane system at a time when it was extremely dangerous to do so. From a young age he demonstrated his commitment to the liberation of our people. He joined the uMkhonto weSizwe underground structures, as part of the liberation movement's objective to intensify the people's war against the tyranny of apartheid.
He joined the trade union movement and served as the National Union of Mineworkers, NUM, legal officer, where he first worked with Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa, now an ANC National Executive Council, NEC, member, and later with Comrade Gwede Mantashe, now ANC Secretary-General. Comrade Dlali also worked for the SA Municipal Workers' Union, Samwu, as well as the Food and Allied Workers Union, Fawu, as their legal officer. He never resigned as a trade unionist.
In the department he always fought for the underdog - junior staff and workers. He once told me about a problem concerning the women who cleaned in the department. I don't know how he found out about the fact that they were having problems with their supervisor, but he was soon in the forefront of the dispute with that supervisor. Whenever he felt that the people were being marginalised or their rights were being abused, he would stand by their side.
He was also elected a councillor in the Cape Metropolitan Council, where he became the chair of a committee of the Cape Metropolitan Council, CMC, with 60 councillors reporting to him. He was part of the formation of the SA Local Government Association, Salga, where he chaired the committee responsible for drafting Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
He served Parliament selflessly for almost 10 years, because he knew that it was a critical institution for our democracy and a crucial pillar of transformation. In Parliament he served in the following portfolio committees: Provincial and Local Government, Minerals and Energy, Defence, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Land Affairs. He was always up to date and ahead of every director-general and official in this Parliament. He read every document that was put before him. He understood that it was through this institution of public accountability that we would be able to realise the vision of "The people shall govern".
Even up to his last day he placed his life and service in the hands of the ANC and the people of this country. Beyond the 1994 breakthrough he continued to serve the ANC with loyalty, to ensure that it continued to be a movement of transformation and a disciplined force of the left.
Adv Duminy, who was his next-door neighbour on the farm, informed me that David had mobilised most of the farmers in the area to ensure that they understood the mass democratic movement. He was always engaging them on this.
At the time of his death he was serving the people in the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities with unparalleled commitment and loyalty. In his own humble way he taught all of us about patriotism, accountability and loyalty to our country and its people.
He did not resign as a Member of Parliament, but continued to play an oversight role over the officials in the department. He always called them functionaries. He always agonised about corruption in the civil service, and was very sad that public funds were not reaching the poor and vulnerable who were the rightful beneficiaries of these funds.
As a cadre of our movement and a servant of the people of South Africa, his contribution was not aimed at seeking personal glory, fame or material rewards. His was a genuine commitment to building a future for our people that was qualitatively better than our ugly past. He was dedicated to building a nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous South Africa. Indeed, his was a selfless contribution to the advancement of all the people of our country.
To David I would like to say: Go on your journey with courage, my dear comrade and colleague. Those of us who remain behind will be forever grateful for the sacrifices you made. You left us a proud legacy, and it is this legacy that will propel us on as we confront the challenges that lie ahead. In you many of us saw the personification of patriotism, dedication and selfless service.
As we struggle to come to terms with the reality of David's untimely death, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and with all who grieve over his passing. To the family we wish to say: We are with you in your hour of pain and darkness. Your pain is our pain in the ANC. We hope that you will find solace in the knowledge that you are not the only ones who have lost a loved one. Indeed, the whole country and the entire democratic movement have lost a committed and loyal servant. You must find comfort in the knowledge that his life touched and influenced so many of us.
We shall leave no stone unturned in ensuring that those responsible for this dastardly deed meet the wrath of the law.
As a tribute to Comrade David Dlali let us continue to work tirelessly in pursuit of the kind of society for which he sacrificed most of his life. In his memory let us build a society that enables all its citizens, including women, children and people with disabilities, to taste the fruits of our liberation. This will be a fitting tribute to Comrade David Dlali, who dedicated his entire life to these ideals. Let us pick up his spear and continue where he left off.
Hamba kahle Mkhonto! Lala ngoxolo, Duma! [Rest in peace, Duma!]
May his soul rest in peace. I thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.