... speechless and wordless, because I have no performance to talk about, with the exception of the hon Mike Ollis. I enjoyed his speech. I think he should be promoted to leader of the DA, and then we will have a performance agreement on him.
I have very little to say about the opposition speakers as a whole. [Applause.] However, I do want to say to Comrade Lekota: I really am fond of you. I appreciate you and I think you should come back this side. Really, because the problems in Cope are so enormous and so embarrassing, and a man of your status and history ... Really, come back here. [Applause.] [Laughter.]
It is too bad that the hon Kilian doesn't want to take our advice, because she needs it very badly.
What I want to talk about are the many tributes that have been paid to Nelson Mandela today. We appreciate them very much. We appreciate them, because Madiba is an icon, not only of the world, but particularly of this House, and in particular of the ANC.
The ANC is particularly concerned with the impact that Mandela had on South Africa and the world. It's not just a matter of being an icon; it's a matter of what impact that icon has on society. It seems to me that we should be very clear about the basis of that impact on South Africa and on society.
I would suggest that the reason Madiba has made this huge impact is because he was a freedom fighter, first and foremost. [Applause.] He was a fighter of the ANC, a fighter for freedom. The international statesman and so on came after the victory of the ANC. Before that he was a freedom fighter, and he was an inspiration to all of us on this side of the House. I don't know about that side of the House. [Laughter.]
I was privileged to be in the treason trial with Madiba. I was privileged to be working with him in uMkhonto weSizwe, so I understand the very fibre of the man, where he came from and what he was fighting for. He was above all a freedom fighter as part of the masses. When we talk about him as a statesman and an icon, let us not forget that there was a foundation for the work of this man and there continues to be a foundation for this man, and that is the fact that he was a freedom fighter.
When I was watching TV over the past few weeks and saw the masses in Egypt, I thought: If Madiba was a young man and he was in Cairo, would he not be part of those masses? In fact, I, myself, would have loved to be part of those masses in Cairo; part of the mass struggle. That is what Madiba was - a freedom fighter, part of the masses, not only in South Africa, but internationally. If he had not been locked up on Robben Island, Madiba would have been a freedom fighter representing the ambitions of people everywhere. I think that we should pay tribute to the people of Egypt who have stood up against dictatorship and authoritarianism. [Applause.] I am quite sure that Madiba would want us to pay tribute to those people in the same way.
Let me ask the hon leader of the DA, if you were in the position ...