Deputy Speaker, the passing of the controversial South Africa Act by the British parliament in 1909 was the first irreversible step in setting our country on its voyage of self- determination and, ultimately, the election of a free constitutional democracy. The passing of this Act was the precursor to throwing off the yoke of colonialism.
However, the opportunity cost was the exclusionism provision which would exclude black South Africans from any form of suffrage. The then Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, William Schreiner, and a South African delegation to Britain tried in vain to oppose the exclusionism provision.
The main objective of the formation of the Union in May 1910 was an endeavour to unite the divided white population, namely those of English origin and those regarded as Afrikaans-speaking South Africans.
The two defining events in this regard were, firstly, the Anglo-Boer War - the South African War that the Chief Whip of the Majority Party referred to - that took place from October 1899 to May 1902, where neighbours, friends and families fought to the bitter end in the name of Afrikaner nationalism.
The second defining event was the Bhambatha Rebellion, where Zulu-speaking South Africans revolted against British colonialists over disputes concerning land and tax grievances.
Another issue of immense political importance at this time was the fear of an emerging black consciousness and growing African nationalism. These myopic fears resulted in inexplicable displays of racial intolerance, violence and outright discrimination which culminated in the dreaded Natives Land Act of 1913.
This discriminatory legislation not only allowed for the systematic dispossession of land belonging to indigenous black South Africans at the beginning of the 20th century, but it continued to be a key tool in subjugating black South Africans during the apartheid years. Obviously, this milestone in our political pilgrimage will invoke different emotions among different communities in South Africa.
The same can be said of many of our national days. Such national days include days like Human Rights Day, when we remind each other never to allow past human rights abuses to happen again; and Youth Day, when we remind ourselves that young black heroes sacrificed their lives in order to protest against apartheid and Bantu education, which prevented the use of mother-tongue education in black schools.
So, too, we have the Day of Reconciliation, formerly the Day of the Covenant, which was used by some to celebrate the Voortrekker defeat of the Zulu izimpi at Blood River. Others, namely ANC activists, used this day to commemorate the beginning of the armed struggle to overthrow apartheid.
Today we celebrate this day as the Day of Reconciliation. I mention these three days of the eight national holidays as they invoke mixed emotions, but serve as milestones of where we have come from. They also serve as salutary lessons and reminders that we must never go there again.
The only way we can effectively and authentically confront the demons and challenges that face us as a nation is to respect and confront these milestones; not as a means to reinforce our segregated history, but as a way to overcome it. The Spanish-American philosopher, George Santayana, said in this regard:
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
There looms another very significant milestone on the horizon that is poised to form part of an unprecedented celebration in this country, and probably on the continent and, indeed, the rest of the world. The centenary celebration of the ANC, as a liberation movement pre-1994 and a first democratic government of South Africa post-1994, is, indeed, worthy of celebration.
The DA will be the first to wish you well. However, allow me to quote the former President and current Deputy President, hon Kgalema Motlanthe, who said, and I quote:
Our collective history must be acknowledged, no matter how painful. There is no merit in reviewing the past with a selective memory.
We must avoid the temptation to elevate the importance of certain days by politicising them at the expense of denigrating others, or by promoting different interpretations of these days by various communities. By attempting to change our recollection of our history or by contextualising it, we run the risk of undermining how far we have travelled in overcoming it.
The formation of the Union in 1910 was ironically the first unsteady step of a newborn nation that culminated in the coming of age of our rainbow nation in April 1994.
The growing pains of our country during the more than eight decades between the formation of the Union and our first democratic election - which were so painful for so many, especially those that were disposessed, suppressed and disadvantaged in so many painful manifestations - are a cause of deep regret to all of us.
We will never forget these milestones or fail to respect and honour those who sacrificed so much in the creation of the South Africa that we celebrate today. Thank you. [Applause.]