Omileyo apha nguPhumelele Ntshiqela. Mhlalingaphambili, Mphathiswa nobambisene naye, namalungu onke abalulekileyo ale Ndlu, ukuba bekusiya ngam, bendiya kumbamba ngesandla uMphathiswa ngomsebenzi athe wabonisa ukuba angawenza ethanda. [Kwaqhwatywa.] Kodwa ngenxa yokuba ndingekaqiniseki, ndisafuna ukuhamba naye kancinci, ndimjongile. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Mr P NTSHIQELA: Chairperson, standing in front of you is Phumelele Ntshiqela. Minister, Deputy Minister, and all hon members of this august House, if I were at liberty to do as I pleased, I would shake the Minister's hand for a job well done. [Applause.] However, I am not sure yet, as I still want to observe progress a little bit, and have a closer look at his way of doing things.]
Cope is gravely concerned about the lack of visibility of the Department of Arts and Culture in promoting and achieving social cohesion in our country. [Interjections.] President Zuma is right in seeing arts and culture as the glue that holds us together and harnesses our values in order to contribute to the identity of our nation. However, these words are not translated into action. Our country had two national events in 2011, where opportunities existed to forge a common identity, but we failed our people.
Recently, when thousands of mainly young people booed Ms De Lille while she was trying to deliver ... [Interjections.]
Andimazi nokuba akendanga na bethuna ndixoleleni. [I do not know whether she is married or not; please, people, forgive me.]
While she was trying to deliver a message on Human Rights Day, President Jacob Zuma, who was sitting on the stage, did not even try to intervene. Yet again, on Freedom Day he failed to rebuke those who were heckling speakers from opposition parties. There is a gulf between what the President is preaching and what he is practising.
Our national days are sowing the worst kind of division, which threatens social cohesion. [Interjections.]
Ndiyasibeth' isiNgesi, tata. [Kwahlekwa.] [I can speak English, sir. [Laughter.]]
On Human Rights Day last year fists flew in Sharpeville in the presence of the Deputy President. We know our history and we should be addressing the carry-over from that history and not allow it to be a terrain of perpetual confrontation, which undermines nation-building. [Interjections.]
Ndiyakusithetha ungaqondi. [Kwahlekwa.] [When I speak English, you will not understand me. [Laughter.]]
Cope - the real one - ... [Laughter.] ... believes this will only happen when the ruling party stops politicising national events. This will only happen when the ruling party stops monopolising our liberation history. [Interjections.]
Heyi! Aba babhala isiNgesi, basibhalile. Ndisibhale ngesiXhosa ukuze babheke esikolweni. [Kwahlekwa.] [Oh! Those who have written English have written it. I wrote it in isiXhosa so that they could go to school. [Laughter.]]
This will only happen when the ruling party stops using national days as a platform to stir up division and heighten animosity.
Andazi noba eli gama lilungile na. [Kwahlekwa.] [I am not sure whether this is the correct word. [Laughter.]]
The ruling party will certainly have to do a great deal of soul-searching.
We would like to commend the Minister of Arts and Culture once more for interjecting on Freedom Day and scolding the howlers for their lack of discipline. We agree with the Minister that they were disrespecting him as programme director and disrespecting the importance of the day by violating our Constitution and my rights.
The real Cope ... [Interjections.] ... would like to see the speeding up of the changing of offensive names, such as "Kaffirkraalkoppie", which are not acceptable in our democracy. These names remain an insult in our community and democracy.
We would also like to urge the department to allocate more funds to the Windybrow Theatre and suchlike. Also consider the Samora Machel Monument because of its ... [Laughter.] [Interjections.]
Noba uyatshela, noba uyashela! [Uwelewele.] [Whatever language you speak! [Interjections.]]