Hon Speaker and hon members, like many people, I am one of those who learnt with shock that Minister Padayachie had been called to a better place, because at the Union Buildings on 27 April he went out of his way to congratulate me on the speech I had just delivered on that occasion. To me, he looked well then.
Roy was humility and modesty personified. He did not behave in a mercurial manner. He was down-to-earth and approachable. Who could imagine a microbiologist like him, all the way from Chatsworth in KwaZulu-Natal, going to Mantserre village in the North West province to address residents in the village about digital migration? Roy was at his best among the people in those distressed parts of the country.
In my party we are averse to saying someone's death was untimely, but I feel that in Minister Padayachie's case it was. South Africa was expecting more from him. There is no doubt that with his death the country has lost a worthy son, because no one can gainsay the fact that he was behind the transformation of the information and communication technology industry in the country.
He had a passion for community radio stations and believed that they gave marginalised communities a voice with which to articulate their aspirations.
The UCDP salutes this gentle giant and we believe that the sadness of this evening will result in joy in the morning. To his family, the greater KwaZulu-Natal, all South Africans and the ANC, on behalf of the UCDP I say: Take heart and accept this situation; he has "gone the way of all flesh", to quote Samuel Butler. I thank you.