Speaker and hon members, only two hon members of the DA, that I am aware of, have been afforded the honour of a farewell debate in this House, that being Douglas Gibson and our previous leader, Tony Leon.
Now we pay tribute to hon Mike Ellis who today read his last and final motion without notice in his inimitable way. There was a slight glitch, no doubt influenced by the sumptuous luncheon we had with the Speaker that he so graciously hosted in hon Mike's honour today.
The fact that Parliament has granted this honour to the Deputy Chief Whip of the DA is a fitting honour indeed. This House always, and quite rightly, pays its respects to deceased Members of Parliament, but very few are recognised for their contributions while they are still here.
My friend, you can leave Parliament with your head held high, knowing that you have made a difference and that this whole House recognises this.
Hon Mike Ellis and I have spoken at length about his retirement and I have anticipated his departure for some time. This, however, did not prepare me for the day I received his formal letter of retirement.
We all know exactly what it means to be a Member of Parliament, what it took to get us here, the personal sacrifices it takes to be a Member of Parliament, and just how lonely an existence it can be for all of us, especially our family members.
When I think that Mike Ellis has done this for 24 years and that he has commuted from KwaZulu-Natal to Cape Town literally thousands of times, and that he can probably drive blindfolded from the parliamentary precinct to Acacia Park, I realise just how committed and dedicated his public representation and service has been.
Mike Ellis made his maiden speech in the old South African Parliament in the old House of Assembly Chamber on 26 May 1987, when he was serving his constituency of Durban North at the time. When the previous government's grip on political control was waning, he witnessed the death of apartheid and the birth of democracy. He helped bridge the divide between the past and the present. This was confirmed today by the Speaker at the luncheon. Those were heady political times indeed.
His maiden speech dealt with education, and especially the circumstances that prevailed so cruelly to compromise the education and futures of black South African children who went, or in the case of many, did not go, to school in rural communities.
I quote from his speech:
This is the point that concerns me most of all. It has become quite clear to me that there are many children certainly in rural areas of Natal who receive no education at all and others who receive very little education of any real worth.
He concluded the debate with the following words:
We have to improve, firstly, the level of literacy among the people in this country. But we need to extend this as soon as possible to a system of primary and secondary education available to all children in South Africa, which will enable them to improve their quality of life in regard to all aspects of the South African economy and society.
Unenkathalo lo mfo. Oko kucacile kumazwi kobekekileyo uMagwanishe. Siyabulela Mhlekazi. [This man has a sense of responsibility. This is evident in the words of hon Magwanishe. We thank you, sir.]
As a former educationist and a headmaster, he knew the importance of education, and the fact that we still grapple with a legacy of poor apartheid education, and the current postapartheid education travails, is testimony to his keenly crystallised insight in this regard all those years ago.
He was never an MP who merely criticised the government of the day, but rather made constructive contributions regarding what needed to be done to ensure a better life for all; this long before the slogan was coined by another political party.
Mike Ellis has been a proud parliamentarian and a loyal party servant. His first sentiment in his maiden speech in this regard was to recognise that his election was thanks to his political party, and I quote:
I regard it a great privilege to address the hon members of this House. I regard it too as an honour to represent my party on these benches. I therefore thank the PFP for nominating me as a candidate to the recent election.
Hon Ellis was always a very proud "Prog", but never sanctimonious. He has developed a comprehension for and friendship with most of his colleagues from other ideological persuasions. At the recent swearing-in of our newest and youngest member, it struck me that hon Geordin Hill-Lewis was born in the year that Mike Ellis was elected to Parliament. [Laughter.]
This confirms that in politics, too, the circle of life turns on an axle that grinds surely and is both incessant and insistent. There is something poetic about the fact that as the youngest DA MP enters Parliament, the longest serving member leaves. [Applause.]
Parliament is made up of a myriad of different personalities, many with their own idiosyncrasies. Some are great orators, others policy fundis, and others great constituency representatives. Mike Ellis has been one of those rare people in politics that can best be described as a character.
Mike, you kept Parliament vibrant and us amused. There is hardly a senior government member and, indeed, few even in the opposition ranks that haven't been lampooned by you in your inimitable way. You have driven many a Speaker, present company included, almost to dementia. Chairpersons and party leaders continue to be exasperated with your characteristic repartee and deft riposte.
Mike Ellis also lacks no self-confidence, as we all know. I asked him recently, when he played cricket for the parliamentary cricket side, whether he was a good batsman or a good bowler. He replied: "I was an all- rounder." [Laughter.]
Those of you who know anything about cricket will know that most people who call themselves all-rounders are neither good at batting nor bowling, except the real all-rounders, the true all-rounders, like Jacques Kallis. [Laughter.]