Adjunkspeaker, anders as baie van u in die Huis, het ek nie die geleentheid gehad om die agb lid Cobus Schmidt regtig goed te leer ken nie. Hy was maar eintlik vir 'n baie kort tyd 'n lid van ons Huis gewees. Hy het hier gekom na die vorige verkiesing, en ons paaie het nie regtig so gekruis dat ons op dieselfde portefeuljekomitee of elders saam was nie.
Wat ek baie goed van hom sal onthou, is dat hy altyd, waar ons mekaar raakgeloop het in die gange van die Parlement of in die Marksgebou, 'n baie vriendelike persoon was wat jou vierkantig in die o gekyk het en jou ordentlik gegroet het. Daar was 'n warmte wat 'n mens onmiddellik kon voel van 'n persoon wat vrede het met homself en wat in beheer is van wat in sy lewe aangaan.
Toe ons skielik hoor van die tragiese afsterwe van ons kollega in 'n motorongeluk op 'n relatiewe jong ouderdom, was dit 'n skok vir ons almal, want hy het maar so pas begin met 'n loopbaan hier in die Parlement, en laat 'n gesin met klein kinders en 'n vrou agter.
Ek wil graag namens die VF Plus ons medelye en simpatie betuig met sy familie, maar ook met sy party wat 'n kollega verloor het wat bestem was, glo ek, om nog 'n baie groot bydrae te lewer, maar dit was hom nie beskore nie. Baie dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Dr C P MULDER: Deputy Speaker, unlike many of you in the House, I did not have the opportunity to get to know the hon member Cobus Schmidt very well. Actually, he was a member of our House for a very short time. He came here after the previous election and our paths did not really cross in such a way that we had to serve on the same portfolio committee or work together on any other structure.
However, what I will remember about him most vividly is that, whenever we met each other in the corridors of Parliament or in the Marks Building, he was always a very friendly person who looked you straight in the eye and greeted you properly. There was a warmth that one could immediately sense, of a person who was at peace with himself, and who was in control of what what happening in his life.
When we unexpectedly heard about the tragic death of our colleague in a motorcar accident, at a relatively young age, it was a shock to all of us, because he had just recently started with a career here at Parliament, and he leaves behind a family with young children and a wife.
On behalf of the FF Plus I would like to convey our condolences and sympathies to his family, but also to his party, which has lost a colleague who was destined, I believe, to make a very significant contribution, but this was not to be his fate. Thank you. [Applause.]]