Hon members, in 2009 President Zuma called for a partnership for reconstruction, development and progress, making a further call for unity in diversity. However, today we must ask questions. Are we all equally contributing to President Zuma's call for a partnership and to former President Mandela's call for a covenant towards our common future?
Forged in struggle and, as it has demonstrated through the nearly 100 years of its existence, it is only the ANC, with its strong foundation and conviction in nonracialism, which is meaningfully engaged in the construction of a nonracial and a just society. All others are just actors in a political theatre, without any political will towards the creation of a nonracial society. They attempt to project at all cost the image of the ANC and our democratic government as the enemy of certain sections of South Africa, forgetting that we are on a daily basis leading the continued rebirth of a democratic, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous society.
They do this primarily because a nonracial society is but a distant dream in their view. What gives them sleepless nights are the advances we are making in continuously challenging the reality of the colour bar and inequality in our society. What scares them is displayed in the Chicken Lickin' advertisement showing the re-emergence of an Afrikaner family from below the ground, where they had been hiding for fear of perceived reprisals with the advent of democracy in 1994 ... [Interjections.] ... only to realise that today South Africa is a much better and more tolerant society than it was when they went into hibernation.
Some of these people even go as far as distorting the outcome of the 2011 local government election, with the assistance of some independent analysts, to try and create political polarisation by arguing that minorities are deserting the ANC. They are telling tales and are not being factual. The purported increase in the DA's support is mainly at the expense of the minority parties. [Interjections.] They themselves even said that they were disappointed by Cope. [Interjections.]
It is this ANC that, at its 52nd national conference, reaffirmed that black people collectively ...
are the drivers of reconstruction and development. As in the past when they rose above the politics of race and hatred, these communities do carry the responsibility of nation-building and reconciliation too. Critical for them to play this role is the defence and consolidation of unity across ethnic and racial divides to fight racism and tribalism whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head.
All sections of South Africa today, including minorities, know and accept that the ANC is their only trusted and reliable ally in pursuit of a nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous society. [Interjections.] Equally, they know that the ANC government is at the service of all South Africans and it does not and never will discriminate in its services to South Africans.