Hon Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, in my mother tongue I say: Ndaa, Phalamennde ya Afurika Tshipembe. [I greet you all in the Parliament of South Africa.]
The president of the ANC, Dr Langalibalele Dube, and those who came after him, such as Makgato, Gumede and Pixley ka Isaka Seme, lived and died so that our people could live together and share and enjoy their cultures, including their arts.
Other presidents, namely Mahabane, Moroka, Xuma, Luthuli and Tambo, lived and died so that we could have a day like this to talk about our arts, to talk about our cultures and what role they should play for the good of humanity in South Africa, in Africa and in the whole world.
Mandela and Mbeki led us in the vision described in the Freedom Charter in which the cultures of all our people could interact in a constructive manner. And that day is here. Our current President, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, has assured us that culture is not an endangered species - the culture of our people living together in cohesion and respecting one another's norms and values.
If I were in Tanzania and allowed to sing in Parliament, I would sing: "Twende zote ju, nyumba ya baba, nyumba ya mama."[In the father and mother's house there are many mansions and there is room for everybody.] [Applause.]
If I were Afrikaner poet Lion Cachet, I would write a poem and entitle it Die Afrikaanse Taal.
Ek is 'n arme boereni, By fele min geag: Mar tog is ek fan edel bloed ... Uit Holland het myn pa gekom, Na sonnig Afrika; Uit Frankryk ... Myn liwe mooie ma.
[Applause.]
I'm almost 62 and number 7 in the family, and my mother is still alive. Now, if my mother were here, she would sing and say: "Muimawoga shaka ndi nnyi?" [You who stand alone, where are your relatives?]
Muthu ndi muthu nga vhathu. [U vhanda zwan?a.] [A person is a person because of other people. [Applause.]]
Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. [A person cannot live on his own - without the presence of others.]
Munhu i muhnu hi van'wana vahnu. [A person cannot live without other people.]
The English have tried and tried hard. No man is an island. Now, this budget speaks the language of delivery. Congratulations on the dream to deliver. After all, there is no alternative. But, we can only do that together, united by the glue of our diversified cultures. Because here ...
... in die skadu van Tafelberg, beskerm deur die oseaan in die weste en in die ooste, staan hierdie vierde Parlement. Die meerderheid van ons burgers in Suid-Afrika het so gestem dat die apartheidleuen doodgemaak moet word. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[... in the shadow of Table Mountain, protected by the ocean in the West and in the East, stands this Fourth Parliament. The majority of our citizens in South Africa voted that the lie that was apartheid be killed. [Applause.]]
That lie insulted God by alleging that different cultures were bricks to build Berlin walls between South Africans. Through the hammer of the Freedom Charter, we've brought down those walls. [Applause.]
We are killing the fear of some human beings who fear others more than they fear lions. During the Convention for a Democratic South Africa and the World Trade Centre discussions and negotiations, culture - manifesting itself also in arts and crafts - was one of the things we looked at. I remember that at the secret negotiations in New York in 1986 at the Harrison Conference Centre, at which the Broederbond was also represented, the greatest fear among our white colleagues was ...
... as vryheid eendag kom en julle mense is in die meerderheid, wat gaan gebeur met ons kultuur en taal? [... when freedom comes one day and you people are in the majority, what will happen to our culture and language?]
I was privileged to be among those who responded. No language, no culture, no colour, no race, no tribe is threatened by genuine freedom. If anything, genuine freedom enhances those areas.
In hierdie vierde Parlement ... [In this Fourth Parliament ...]
... ndo takalesa. Ndi tou khana sa namana yo fura mukhaha, i tshi khou bva u mama kha mme ayo. [... I am extremely happy. I am as pleased as Punch.]
This is because here in this Parliament all the cultures of our country, all the colours of our country, all the languages of our country are represented.
Now that we have achieved that, the department must learn to speak the language of the state of the nation address, the language of the manifesto that has been adopted by all our people in this country. I am happy, hon Minister, that you will play your role in creating decent jobs for our people in this country. If the department fails to speak that language, then it will have failed with a distinction.
We believe that in the area of recreation, whether it is drama, video or film, this department is playing an important role, but together we can find room for improvement. This department shall not be allowed by the people of South Africa not to play an important role that, amongst other things, educates our children to be patriotic and to respect their flag and mother languages.
I know this department shall not fail us, because through the instrument of art, they can take our children off the streets and make them somebody. I want to believe that this department will not fail us in the area of rural development. And we, as the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture, will be robust in monitoring the department so that they speak the correct language for the term of this Parliament in those areas of delivery.
Our traditional leaders, our amakhosi, our kings to whom we say: "Bayethe!"
Ndaa, u dada la mavhalavhala; Tshiendeulu tsha mbudzi la kholomo; marunga dzi nndevhelaho; ndi shavha iwe; ndau ya nduna! [Greetings, and praise!]
These are custodians of our culture and the Constitution recognises them as such. We have not seen enough movement by the king from KwaZulu-Natal to the king in the Eastern Cape and by King Ramabulana of the VhaVenda to King Sekhukhune. How can we talk about culture when our custodians of culture are not interacting robustly? This will create remnants of the apartheid ideology in which every king is a king in his own area and does not interact with others. [Applause.]
The Afrikaners like their proverb: Elke haan is koning op sy eie mishoop. [Everybody is the master of his own turf.]
Now, we want to say that all our kings are our kings for all of us. [Applause.] And the department must assist us here to address this issue to intensify the cohesion and unity of our people. If I have misapplied the proverb, I am willing to be a student in an Afrikaans class. But, I must first look at the credentials of my teacher. [Laughter.] Hon members, we want to conclude ... [Interjections.]
Wat, meneer? Baie dankie vir die moeite. [What, sir? Thank you very much for the trouble.]
In conclusion, we appreciate the role of this department. At the heart of the unity of our people, the cohesion of our people, the interlocution of our cultures, stands this department. Hon member Lulu Xingwana, you have been tasked to be the engine that brings the people of South Africa together, and we as the portfolio committee are the petrol that will make that engine run and run correctly and appropriately. [Applause.]