Hon Speaker and members present, we are rising on behalf of Cope and the people we represent to give our sincere condolences to the family of the late Comrade Alina Rantsolase. Our condolences also go to the party and South Africans she represented in this Parliament. Her early departure is, to many of us in this House and the country as a whole, not only sad, but also the end of her excellent contribution to the survival of millions of South Africans.
If she was lying here before us today, I would say to her that I am one of the few people who feel extremely saddened by her early departure. I would also remind her that her contribution was not only in South Africa but beyond our seas, where she did not attend international meetings to enjoy herself, she became part of a leadership that built true workers' organisations. I would also remind her that although she had not gone through basic financial training at an education institution, but through her practise as a shop steward, she developed an extreme level of capacity to lead hundreds of unions' treasurers in years of her being a national treasurer for a workers' federation.
I would further remind her that her contribution and commitment assisted in the creation of jobs in the country, because members will remember that in 1998 when President Mandela convened a conference of the workers' government and the civics in South Africa, more than R89 million was collected because of her contribution. Today workers can rise and say that 39 000 jobs have been established because of her contribution. We are also deeply saddened by the fact that we will miss the contributions made by this leader. Indeed, I must say that is extremely painful. Therefore, as Cope, we say "sepela gabotse [farewell] my comrade". [Applause.]