Mr Speaker, it is particularly significant for me to be able to follow the hon Buthelezi on this sad occasion as we pay tribute to the late Mr Joe Matthews. The hon Buthelezi has certainly paid a remarkably warm tribute to both a friend and colleague and it is therefore a great privilege for me to follow him on this podium.
I had the pleasure and honour of knowing Joe Matthews during his years in Parliament. I wish I had known him before that because, from all accounts and according to his CV, which I had the great pleasure of reading in some detail, he was a remarkably interesting and very accomplished person. His whole life history indicates a man who from his young days cared deeply about the rights of people. Likewise, his political history shows a man deeply committed to fighting for those rights, often at great personal risk and compromising his own freedom in the fight for the freedom of others.
His long period of exile from 1960 to 1991 must have been very difficult and frustrating for him. He achieved a great deal during those years, serving the ANC from afar in many different capacities, as well as using the opportunity to improve his academic qualifications and writing quite extensively on a number of subjects and in particular on South Africa. It is obvious that, as soon as he was able to, he jumped at the opportunity to return to his home country, the country of his birth and the one that he had fought for, for so long.
There can be no doubt that, despite his personal successes overseas in the UK, Botswana, Canada and the Netherlands, South Africa was his passion, and returning to his country for him was a moment of huge significance. What is equally significant was that he retained strong relationships with so many people in this country, both in the ANC and the IFP while he was in exile.
His return to South Africa saw him immediately involved with his old colleagues, especially his friend of many years, the hon Buthelezi, the President of the IFP. Consequently for many of us it was not surprising therefore that, despite his intense loyalty to the ANC for decades, he then became a member of the IFP in 1992 where he played a very prominent role in the run-up to the first democratic elections in 1994 and thereafter.
From a personal point of view, during his time in Parliament, Joe Matthews was always a gentleman. His tenure as Deputy Minister of Safety and Security in the Government of National Unity was very successful. He was forthright in his interventions, but understood the importance of his work and certainly did not tolerate shoddy work, either from Members of Parliament or officials. What has really made him as a human being was the fact that he was a compassionate person, but at all times very firm.
Mr Matthews did not look for popularity. He was his own person and he was dedicated to his work. At times, as I remember him, he was fairly taciturn. But certainly, that never overshadowed a steely determination that both his political enemies and friends fully understood and respected. At the same time, as the hon Buthelezi has mentioned, his sense of humour was excellent, sometimes dry, sometimes dour, but it was excellent. As I have said, he was a very warm and caring human being.
I do believe that he will be long remembered in the South African political history as a man of great integrity. It is for these reasons that on behalf of the DA, I offer our sincere condolences to his family, especially on this occasion, his daughter, the hon Naledi Pandor, and all his political friends and allies, both within the IFP and the ANC, who, no doubt, will miss him greatly. I thank you. [Applause].