Thank you, hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon members of the NCOP, hon members of the Free State provincial legislature, hon members and special delegates.
Modulasetulo, ke tsent?hit?we sekolo ke baruti ba kereke ya Roma. Bjale, gant?i ge ke etla mo NCOP, ke bona okare ke a rutullwa ka gore ga se nke ka bona temokrasi ya go bethana ka ditulo e sa le e e ba nna. [Disego.] Eup?a lehono mo re bot?wa ge e le gore mmu?o wa ANC o dira seo se bit?wago "pseudo democracy". Eup?a nna e sa le e e ba nna, ga se nke ka bona ANC e palelwa ke go swara khonferentshe ya yona. Ba bangwe ba bao ba bolelago ditaba t?e ke kgale re ba emet?e gore mohlomongwe e tla re ka le lengwe la mat?at?i ra ba hwet?a ba swere ya bona khonferentshe, moo ba tlo go bouta ka dipampiri t?a diboutu gore re kgone go hwet?a khonferentshe ya bona e t?welet?e.
Ka se sebaka ke rata go gopot?a ba bangwe ba Ntlo ye bao ba bolelago gore batho ke kgale ba se na dintlo ebile ba na le mengwaga ye 70 gore mmu?o wa ANC o na le mengwaga ye 15 fela. Bjale, ge motho yo a nago le mengwaga ye 70 a lla ka gore ga a na ntlo, se se ra gore mengwageng ye 55 ye a e phet?ego o be a se na ntlo. Se gape se ra gore ANC e tseleng ya go thu?a batho gore ba hwet?e dintlo le ditsela t?a go kgona go fihla mo ba dulago gona ka ge se e le seo se diraget?ego mengwageng ya go feta ge re be re sa le ka fase ga kgatelelo ye kgolo ya mmu?o wa kgale wa kgethologanyo. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.) [Chairperson, I attended a Catholic school. When I am in the NCOP, I deem it contrary to what I have learnt. Never in my life have I seen such a democracy where people fight each other with chairs. [Laughter.] Today we are told that the ANC-led government is practising what is called "pseudo- democracy". I have never seen the ANC failing to hold its conference. We have been hoping to see if some of the people who talk about these things will one day hold their own conference where they will cast their votes successfully on ballot papers.
At this point in time I would like to remind some members in this House, who keep on complaining that people don't have houses, that most of those people are 70 years old, while the ANC-led government is only 15 years old. It is obvious that a 70-year-old person lived for 55 years without a house. This means that the ANC is in the process of building houses for the people, as well as the necessary infrastructure, which they did not have during the apartheid regime.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, it is indeed an honour and privilege, for and on behalf of the provincial legislature of Limpopo, for us to address this hon House, the National Council of Provinces, on this occasion of the debate of Taking Parliament to the People, a programme that was undertaken from 15 to 19 November 2010, in the Free State province.
It was indeed prudent and contextually relevant that this House saw it fit to have as the theme of that gathering "All Spheres of Government Working Together to Speed Up the Delivery of Services", focusing, amongst other things, on the following: co-operative governance and intergovernmental relations, provision of and accelerating service delivery, improvement of the health profile of our citizens, intensifying the fight against crime and corruption, and building cohesive, caring and sustainable communities. This process was indeed indicative of the commitment of the present government, as led by the ANC: The people shall govern!
The democratic process as provided through the Constitution of the Republic does not merely end at the polls. It is a process that also ensures that the input of our people goes deep into the decision-making processes at all levels of government.
One of the most important tenets of our democracy is that inter and intragovernmental relations should be seamlessly linked, and that we should at all times avoid and ensure that none of us work in silos. It is therefore of the utmost importance that all spheres of government should heed the call for co-operative governance. Working together we can do more!
The Free State province and the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality in particular, is a vastly rural and poverty-stricken area, as acknowledged by the hon Councillor, Dr B E Mzangwa. The interventions made by the NCOP in this regard will go a long way in trying to address and redress the imbalances that were caused by the monstrous apartheid regime against the black majority of this country.
Our people have said, time and time again, that it is only the ANC that has been able to appreciate and provide solutions in tandem with the masses of our people for the betterment of our lives.
We must also indicate that, some time in May, we will be going to the polls. We want to call upon our masses to come in their numbers, and to come and vote correctly at the polls. They know what voting correctly is. I wouldn't want to indicate that, but their organisation is the organisation of Comrade Mandela; the organisation of Comrade Tambo and many others of our people.
Rural areas in our country have, as a way of life, developed a system of traditional leadership. [Interjections.] It is encouraging that I hear voices in this particular House that relate to issues that are happening elsewhere in Egypt, Israel, and probably some of these people should be reminded ...