Mnr die Speaker en agb lede, ek het nie die agb Minister Padayachie geken nie, maar ek was baie genteresseerd in hierdie man wat die leiding van die Departement van Kommunikasie oorgeneem het tydens 'n uitdagende tydperk vir hierdie departement.
Hy het vir my voorgekom as 'n aangename man wat maklik toeganklik was. In gesprekke met mense wat hom geken het, blyk dit dan ook so te wees. Hy het op 'n keer self ons partyleier, Dr Pieter Mulder, geskakel om sy advies te vra oor kommunikasie-aangeleenthede. Hy was dus 'n baie oop man wat sy werk betref, en het almal gekonsulteer.
Weens my eie belangstelling in die mediawreld, en aangesien ek self spesialiseer in mediareg, het ek Minister Padayachie se werk in die Departement van Kommunikasie met belangstelling gevolg, alhoewel ek nie self in die komitee gedien het nie. Ek was bendruk met hoe gou hy die vakgebiede van sy portefeulje bemeester het, en sy ywer om oplossings te vind.
Die uitdagings van die Departement van Kommunikasie is van groot belang vir Suid-Afrika se ekonomiese ontwikkeling, en dit het inderdaad gelyk asof Minister Padayachie daarvoor teruggedeins het nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Adv A D ALBERTS: Mr Speaker and hon members, I did not know hon Minister Padayachie, but I was very interested in this person who took over the management of the Department of Communications at a very challenging stage for this department.
He appeared to me a pleasant person who could be easily approached. In discussions with people who knew him, this also seemed to be the case. On one occasion he even phoned our party leader, Dr Pieter Mulder, to get his advice on matters concerning communications. Therefore, he could be easily approached with regard to his work, and he consulted everyone. Due to my own interest in the world of the media, and since I specialise in the rights of the media, I followed Minister Padayachie's work in the Department of Communication with interest, although I did not serve on the committee myself. I was impressed by how quickly he managed to master the specialist fields within his portfolio, and his fervour to find solutions.
The challenges for the Department of Communications are of great importance to the development of South Africa's economy, and it seemed indeed as if Minister Padayachie did not shy away from them in the least.]
Minister Padayachie was one of the Ministers our country could be proud of. We offer our condolences to his family and pray that they will find solace in the fact that he was a well-liked man who had a full and fruitful life. Thank you. [Applause.]