Chairperson, hon members, whenever this House debates a resolution on the passing of one of the people who had the distinction of serving this House, the search begins for the contribution of that individual to the country. Even so, it is also a moment for us to contemplate our own mortality and the legacy that we will leave behind for others to remember us by, to cherish our memories of the departed and to continue with the work that we had begun.
Chief Thobigunya Everson Xolo is now no more. All he could have done is done. Reflecting on his life and the political issues that he was passionate about, we recall his unwavering commitment to free political activity and the need to deeply root our constitutional democracy in the soil of our country.
Chief Thobigunya Everson Xolo was a democrat in practice as in articulation. Democracy in our country, as in most countries, is paid for in the blood of its martyrs and nurtured through the sacrifices of its adherents and promoters. Talk of democracy is easy, but manifesting democracy in practice is difficult. Democracy goes hand in glove with the continued preaching of peace and the promotion of tolerance, not only in the face of turmoil but even in the exercise of power. Such a proponent of democracy was Chief Thobigunya Everson Xolo.
Governments come and go, and politicians rise and fade. However, in the end it is what we do for our people, for their security and their freedom, that is of lasting value. Today is a good time to do retrospection and ask ourselves whether the promotion of mutuality, tolerance and democracy was the function of the generation that is now passing, with no commitment on our part to take the baton and race ahead. The best way we can remember Chief Thobigunya Everson Xolo is to take up where he left off and add further dimension to his good work.
Hon Dennis Bloem, the then Chairperson of the Committee on Correctional Services, who worked closely with Chief Thobigunya Everson Xolo, remembers how passionately he used to speak about parents playing the role of parents in serving as worthy role models and instilling discipline in their children. This was such a cardinal article of faith with him.
To Chief Thobigunya Everson Xolo, values meant everything. He was a custodian of traditional values and he therefore understood how important it was for the preservation of society to inculcate and preserve values.
Cope wishes to say to his wife, his six children, his friends and colleagues in the ANC that they should strive to live by the values that Chief Thobigunya Everson Xolo espoused. Those values are immutable and for all times. Cope also takes this opportunity to extend its condolences to the family and all those who were close to Chief Thobigunya Everson Xolo.
Lala ngoxolo qhawe lamaqhawe, olwakho ugqatso ulufezile, eyakho indima uyigqibile. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] [Rest in peace, hero of heroes, you have finished your race, you have completed your mission.] [Applause.]