Chairperson, thank you for this opportunity. My colleague - I would call him my honourable friend Tau - started this debate this morning. Now, unfortunately, because of all the hot air that he released here, I cannot agree with him.
Die agb Tau sou skynbaar vanoggend vir ons probeer oortuig het dat 'n waatlemoen en 'n boerpampoen dieselfde ding is, maar dit is nie so nie. [The hon Tau was apparently trying to convince us this morning that a watermelon and a white pumpkin are the same thing, but this is not so.]
It seems that he has selective amnesia, because I want to disagree with him on four levels.
Om die Verwoerdiaanse filosofie te gebruik as die enigste oorsaak van Suid- Afrika se ontwikkelingspatrone kan, verseker, nie waar wees nie. En dit is juis daarom, agb De Beer, dat ons die effek wat kolonialisme en apartheid op Suid-Afrika se ontwikkelingspatrone gehad het in ag moet neem. So, ons kan nie net op die invloed van apartheid fokus nie, maar ons moet ook gaan kyk wat die invloed van die effek van imperialisme vr dit op Suid-Afrika se ontwikkelingspatrone was. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[To present the Verwoerdian philosophy as the only thing to have shaped South Africa's developmental patterns can surely not be accurate. And this is precisely why, hon De Beer, we must take into consideration the effect that colonialism and apartheid had on South Africa's developmental patterns. We therefore cannot focus only on the effect of apartheid, but we should also look at the effect of imperialism before it on South Africa's developmental patterns.]
The next issue is one that the ANC continually wants to use and misuse. It is this misnomer of continually referring to Africans in particular and blacks in general. To continually refer to that is a very narrow and shallow argument and I think it is necessary that we move forward and away from it.
Daardie argument gaan ons nie vorentoe vat in terme van wat ons wil bereik nie. Ten opsigte daarvan, en van die hele kwessie van taal en Afrikaans, is dit nodig om te erken dat daar 'n tyd was toe die Afrikaners in hierdie land opgestaan en ges het, "Engels, Engels, alles Engels." (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[That argument will not take us forward in terms of what we wish to achieve. In this regard, and that of the whole question of language and Afrikaans, it is necessary to acknowledge that there was a time when the Afrikaners in this land stood up and said, "English, English, everything English."]
And it has very little to do with Africans or blacks, in particular, but much more to do with the collective responsibility we, as South Africans, have towards the future of this country.
The third matter regarding which I have a serious issue with the hon Tau and his colleagues is that they speak like Tarzan but walk like Jane. [Laughter.] They were the ones who until 1999 motivated that labour brokerage in South Africa was the worst evil in the current circumstances. And then, in 1999, when they had to implement the legislation, they did a U- turn.
So, for a senior member like the hon Tau - a senior communist, I must say - to come here today and talk about labour brokerage and his own party, who reneged on the mandate that was apparently given to him, can certainly not be true, and further link it to the youth. That cannot be right, Chairperson.
The last issue that I want to take up is that of window-dressing by this ANC government. To purport to speak to the FF Plus and address the issues in terms of a national identity and so on certainly cannot be right.
Die VF Plus is 'n absolute klein minderheid wat, met respek, 'n beperkte politieke invloed in Suid-Afrika het. [Tussenwerpsels.] En om dit voor te hou, agb lid ... [Tussenwerpsels.] [The FF Plus is an absolute minority which, with respect, has limited political influence in South Africa. [Interjections.] And to hold this up, hon member ... [Interjections.]]