Sihlalo, angithokoze, ngilotjhise amalunga nabajameli bethu abakhethekileko, abomma nabobaba bethu abakhona ngeNdlini. [Chairperson, thank you, I greet all members and distinguished representatives, our mothers and fathers present in this House.]
On Thursday, 2 June, almost a week ago, our nation woke up to the shocking and sad news of the passing away of Mama Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu. We were shocked because our nation had lost one of its daughters and a devoted servant who served our people with humility until her last. Born in 1918, Abertina Sisulu had to take care of her brothers and sisters from a young age after her mother passed away. She originally planned to be a nun, but opted for nursing to earn a salary to take care of her family.
Allow me, hon Chairperson, to join our nation in mourning this great stalwart and champion of our people, and to pay tribute to a great South African whose life was a symbol of our nationhood and what all of us should emulate.
It is indeed fitting that our Council has designated this moment and chosen the theme "Celebrating the life of a distinguished and selfless servant of our people" to pay special tribute to this distinguished and selfless servant of our people. Many people whose lives crossed the path travelled by Mama Sisulu, as she was affectionately known by all our people, will say, without any hesitation, that she was truly pulsed with the ideals and principles of the struggle for liberation in our country.
I am sure that if given a moment to tell a little story about Mama Sisulu, each one of us will remember a million little things about the greatness and humility she represented and that constitute part of the composite picture that makes up the biography of the life of Mama Sisulu. She lived as a servant of the people, an advocate for humility and an outstanding cadre of the ANC.
The biography that many of us will write in our hearts and minds will speak of a dedicated champion for gender equality and the advancement of women in our society. It will convey the reality of a life of one of the most accomplished, courageous women leaders whose life remains the embodiment of the struggle against apartheid. She was one of the last living monuments of the true meaning of human greatness and sacrifice for our people.
I will paint a picture of a selfless servant who was truly loyal to the principles and ideals of the greater good of our nationhood and spirit of ubuntu. It will remind us of the personal sacrifices that Mama Sisulu made for the liberation of our people. It will tell a story of a selfless and committed servant who kept the embers of the dream of freedom alive in deeds and in words.
When we bring together all the little fragments, each one of us will come to the conclusion that our nation has lost a true servant whose life will remain a road map of humility, dedication and kindness.
I am sure, if Mama Sisulu had been among us today, she would unashamedly have risen with a glowing smile and humility to remind us that these are tributes she shares with many of the heroes and heroines. These are glowing tributes that our people died and paid for through their immortal lives. With many of the heroes and heroines of our movement who will be welcoming her on the other side, she would not have hesitated to remind us that the sacrifices she made were tasks and services expected from each one of us in this House.
Hon Chairperson, Mama Sisulu was truly the embodiment of the principles, values, ideals and character of the ANC of John Langalibalele Dube, Alfred Bitini Xuma, James Sebe Moroka, Albert Luthuli, Oliver Reginald Tambo, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, Lillian Ngoyi, Dorothy Nyembe, Charlotte Maxeke and many others. The death of Mama Sisulu has come only a few months before we reach the centenary of our movement. It has robbed us of one of the living pieces of the history of the ideals and principles of our movement.
Mama Sisulu was the beloved wife of the one of great sons of our movement, Isithwalandwe Walter Sisulu. She was a mother, grandmother, great- grandmother and, above all, the mother of the nation. We honour her legacy and are truly grateful the contribution she made to our society.
Mama Sisulu was the first woman to be arrested under the General Law Amendment Act, Act 37 of 1963, that gave the police the power to arrest and hold people in detention for 90 days without charging them. Like her husband, she was jailed from time to time, spending time in solitary confinement in 1981. At the age of 63, she was arrested and tried for furthering the aims of the ANC and sentenced to four years' imprisonment while her husband was serving a life sentence together with Nelson Mandela, his lifelong friend.
On 9 August 1956, she led 20 000 women in a historic march to the Union Buildings to protest against the pass laws, which restricted the movements of blacks. Mama Sisulu was one of the founding members of the ANC Women's League, ANCWL. Her selflessness and astounding commitment to gender equality and fighting for the rights of the marginalised saw her serve the ANC and ANCWL in various positions. Mama Sisulu played a pivotal role in re- establishing the ANCWL after the unbanning of the ANC in 1990. She was one of the key people who served on a committee that re-established the ANCWL and was elected to serve on the ANC's national executive committee in 1991.
Hon Chairperson, we say farewell to this pulse of our movement and a great South African. We know that when the roll call is read on the parade ground, we will find the name of Mama Sisulu among those who will be present and ready to work for the ANC. We know that when she reaches the other side of life, she will join the rest of the heroes and heroines of the ANC and always stand ready to look upon us as we advance our quest to build a better South Africa.
We want to extend our deepest and profoundly heartfelt condolences to the Sisulu family and the people of South Africa on the loss of a mother, grandmother and counsellor of the moral values, human dignity, respect and discipline that were the embodiment of the formation of the ANC.
We hope that we all shall find comfort in knowing that the sacrifices and kind deeds of Mama Sisulu will continue to serve as a living memorial of an outstanding example of what it is to be a dedicated South African and a servant of our people. We are truly grateful and humble for the sacrifices Mama Sisulu made for our nation. It is said that only the brave dare look upon the grave, and that is what Mama Sisulu believed in. She was brave and she dared look upon the grave. May her soul rest in peace!
Hamba kahle Xhamela! [Farewell, Xhamela!]
Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]