Speaker, I want to say to the House that if one reads the CV of Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang the one thing that strikes one is that she was a remarkably able and committed person who worked extremely hard for the ideals for which she stood.
Certainly, from a young age through her 28 years in exile and until she passed away, she was committed to improving the plight of the poor and fighting for the rights of women and children. I want to say to the House that no one should doubt this.
It is not for me to go through her CV, which today is the prerogative of her own party; rather I would like to talk about her as I remember her. She was a controversial Minister of Health - there can be no doubt about it - and the DA was critical of her on many counts, especially with regard to her policies on HIV and Aids. However, Mr Speaker, that is not at issue today. Today we remind ourselves of the tremendous amount of good she did in her life and her real and undoubted commitment to the country, her family and her party.
I have remarkably pleasant memories of Manto, as I knew her way back in 1994, when she was the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health. She was an extremely good chairperson who bound the committee together. There we were, Mr Speaker - a group of some 15 or 16 MPs who hardly knew each other, all working together in the spirit of conviviality from the start, and she was our chairperson.
There were some tough moments in those early days, not least of which the Sarafina 2 saga, involving the then Minister of Health, Dr Dlamini-Zuma, and Dr Tshabalala-Msimang was undaunted by the fact that the Minister at the time was annoyed by this issue. She stood her ground and allowed the opposition parties to have their say, which indeed we did.
I also remember visiting provinces with Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and often having dinner with her in the evenings after a long day in the field and talking to her about health matters and about life in general. She was a very interesting woman and I treasure those memories.
I also remember going to London with her to visit pharmaceutical factories there. That was in 1995 when her husband, Mr Mendi Msimang, an absolute gentleman, was a High Commissioner there. And I remember that she personally took me to the High Commissioner's house and gave me a tour of that beautiful home; and that too is a very pleasant memory.
When she became the Deputy Minister of Justice in 1996, I personally was very disappointed. I used to write notes across the floor of Parliament to Manto asking her when she was going to take over as Minister of Health because I was convinced she would be a very good Minister of Health. Of course, Dr Dlamini-Zuma and I had our own particular relationship which wasn't that good in those days, but it has certainly been patched up remarkably well over the years - and I am very glad to say that! [Laughter.]
Such was our relationship that when she did become the Minister of Health - I make no bones about it - I was delighted. I remember paying her a visit in her office and personally congratulating her and wishing her all the best in her new job.
Politics intervened, and as I was no longer the health spokesperson of the DA, I had less and less direct contact with her. Naturally, I watched her very closely. And I must say, Mr Speaker, she had her disappointments and there were the concerns of many that some of her decisions as a Minister appeared not to be based on sound evidence or judgment. But I knew her, and while my party and I may have disagreed vociferously with her at times I never doubted that she said and did what she genuinely believed in, and she stuck to those beliefs in true Manto style.
I want to say that we also remember some of the most amazing hats that she used to wear during the opening of Parliament. She certainly never failed to impress and sometimes amazed in that regard. She certainly had her own style.
The passing away of someone always means that there are people who are close to that person who would be deeply saddened, and we as the DA offer our sincerest condolences to her family at this time. We also offer our condolences to the ANC of which Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was a very proud and devoted member for many years. Thank you. [Applause.]