Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon members, life is a journey none of us ever chose to start. It is also a journey that very few ever decide to end.
Hon Mantombazana Edmie Tshabalala-Msimang's life ended on 16 December 2009, on Reconciliation Day. Her health had begun to fail, but she bore her illness with fortitude and courage and never stopped doing what needed to be done. The journey of our lives is like a tapestry that we weave every minute of our lives through our deeds.
Hon Manto's life is a rich tapestry of courage, dedication and service. Hailing from Mvume, in KwaZulu-Natal, she dedicated her entire life to the service of this country, both during the struggle for liberation and then in the creation of a better life for all. She understood then as we do now that education is not only essential but has to be life-long.
Having left the country after responding to the call of the ANC leadership, armed with a BA degree, she went on to become a medical doctor. Later she obtained her Master's in Public Health. She was fluent in English, isiZulu, Russian and Kiswahili. She was an intellectual and she loved intellectual debates. It was therefore not an accident of history that she was an hon member of this hallowed Parliament from the dawn of a democratic South Africa until the end of her days.
Having spent nearly three decades as one of the selfless soldiers in the ANC, who belonged to the esteemed Luthuli detachment, she was more than ready to be part of this House. Notwithstanding her academic achievements, she continued to participate within the ranks of the movement in exile and was one of the founder members of the ANC health department, which was to play a critical role in the formulation of the future health policy in a democratic South Africa. It also ensured that health workers were mobilised in all the regions and rendered services to all the regions of the ANC and in the MK camps.
As a member of this Parliament, she first served as a chair of the Health portfolio committee. That committee had some of the stalwarts like the late Adelaide Tambo, Mama Albertina Sisulu, Bertha Gxowa, hon Macho Njobe, the now ambassador, Abbey Nkomo, Mike Ellis, as he has said, and many others.
She was a dignified, disciplined and hardworking chair of that committee, who never forgot that this was an important terrain of struggle for a better life for our people.
Hon Manto Tshabalala also never lost sight of the centrality of the struggle of the emancipation of women. Neither did she forget the role of women in the liberation struggle. Hence, during the transitional period, Comrade Manto, like most members of the ANC Women's League, demanded that the ANC be true to its belief in the principle of nonsexism by ensuring representation of women during the Codesa negotiations.
Some will remember that period when women were not part of the negotiations at Codesa and Manto was one of the people who made sure that eventually women from all parties participated. Comrade Manto mobilised women in other political parties to ensure that the voice of women was heard during the negotiations and also during the writing of our Constitution.
We are proud that our Constitution today reflects the nonsexist character of the society that we wish to build, thanks to contributions of people like the late Comrade Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
When former President Nelson Mandela appointed her as the Deputy Minister of Justice, as a committed gender activist she brought that fresh perspective to Justice. She is also widely accredited for the campaign of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Child Abuse, a significant event in the country's calendar.
Later, former President Thabo Mbeki appointed her as the Minister of Health. In her role as the Minister of Health, Comrade Manto touched the lives of thousands of our citizens. She endeavoured to transform the health sector into one that recognised the right of every citizen to a life of dignity and equality.
Dr Tshabalala-Msimang was able to improve basic services and reduced the price of medicine by bringing generic medicines to the fore. She continued with the antismoking campaign. She played a pivotal role in the Global Anti- Tobacco Treaty. In 2000 the Luther L Terry Award from the American Cancer Society was bestowed on her for her effective work in tobacco control. She received an award from the World Health Organisation in 2004 for her commitment and delivery on intercountry and cross-border collaboration on malaria. She was also a goodwill ambassador of the AU to promote maternal child health and promote child health survival and development in Africa beyond 2015.
Of course, hon Manto was also a very disciplined cadre and she stuck to discipline in her work. And I want to quote Comrade Joel Netshitenzhe on what he said about Manto when it comes to the Aids debate:
It is this steadfastness to principle, sometimes to a fault, that pitted Manto against many in the debates on HIV/Aids - and she insisted on separating the two because she argued quite logically that infection was not the onset of the syndrome. People can and should lead normal, healthy lives even if they have the virus. Precisely because it attacks the immune system and because there is no cure, the HI virus needed to be confronted first and foremost in prevention, secondly in strengthening the immune system through a healthy diet and lifestyle, and thirdly, through a combination of these elements, the treatment of secondary infections, and antiretroviral medication. This was and remains government policy.
Hon Manto Tshabalala was also a chair of the Social cluster of Cabinet, a task that she undertook with enthusiasm and resolve. In 2008 she was appointed, by former President Kgalema, as the Minister in the Presidency and even there we know that she insisted on equality in everything that was done in the quest for nonsexism. At the time of her death she was a backbencher, a position she accepted with the humility and discipline of a true cadre of our movement.
Comrade Manto loved the ANC. Her protector, Mr Motaung, at the night vigil, told all of us a story about how Comrade Manto would be working till late at night and when the protector showed irritation when they left the office and she still wanted to go somewhere, she would then stop when he asked, "Where are we going next, madam?" She would keep quiet and start singing the song I-ANC iyasetshenzelwa [You work hard for the ANC] [Applause.]
She would sing this song for a couple of minutes until she realised that the protector had calmed down, and understood that it was not her personal work but the work of the ANC and of the nation. That's how she loved her movement - but that meant she loved her own people and her country. [Applause.]
She was an exemplary Member of Parliament. I don't remember this House ever calling on her to improve her discipline. She was always disciplined. And of course she added colour to the decorum of the House. She was a lady, she liked style and indeed she was like many other Members of Parliament with their hats at the opening of Parliament. Parliament has indeed lost an exemplary member, but the ANC and the alliance have lost a stalwart, a heroine of our people.
Indeed, as we continue to work towards building a democratic country, built on the rights that are enshrined in the Constitution, let us reflect on our collective achievements, challenges, valuable lessons learnt, and let those propel us forward. And let us honour the memory of Comrade Manto Tshabalala- Msimang, by carrying on what she did, and did so well - the struggle for liberation and the emancipation of women; the struggle to push back the frontiers of the poverty that is still rife amongst our people.
Let us fight for education and make sure that our children are as educated as she was. Let us also carry on with the courage that Manto had. She was a very courageous comrade. Few are as courageous as she was.
She also had a sense of humour. As Joel wrote in his piece, towards the end, when she wasn't feeling well, she would say: "Ayi, engathi lesi sibindi asingithandi." [Uhleko.]["No, it seems like this liver does not like me." [Laughter.]]
She was truly an ANC cadre, and let us follow in her footsteps. It does not mean that if you are a true ANC cadre everybody will agree with you. That will not happen, but you must stick to what you know, what you believe in, what your organisation wants you to do. [Applause.]
As Parliament dips its banner in honour of this heroine, we extend our heartfelt condolences to her husband, Uncle Mendi, her brother and sisters, two daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and the entire Mali, Tshabalala and Msimang families.
May her soul rest in peace! Long live the spirit of Comrade Manto Tshabalala, long live! [Applause.]