National Assembly Cape Town: Thursday, 20 September 2007  

 I feel honoured and privileged to be amongst those Honourable Members and colleagues requested to pay tribute to one of the greatest and gallant Sons of Africa, Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo. My Party's appreciation goes also to the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly and that of the National Council of Provinces for creating the opportunity for the Members of Parliament to see and experience life, to hear political lamentations, songs and poetry first hand "Beyond the Engeli Mountains", the birth place of Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo. 

Plato believed that the rational or reason, the spirited or emotions and the appetitive or needs are fundamental to the ideal form of state, human institution and organisation. And that only a philosopher ruler and a man of virtue would best be suited to care, nurture and fulfil these idealism of dreams and aspirations of his people. Pre-liberation the philosopher politician and statesman, Oliver Reginald Tambo became the ideal caretaker of the African National Congress Mission in exile and therefore an embodiment of the dreams and the aspirations of the oppressed black majority in South Africa.  He performed this majestic task in the council of some of his comrades in arms, President Thabo Mbeki and Mr Jacob Zuma included. 

This is how, more than three decades ago and through the eyes and acquaintances of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the young and old but prominent leaders of then Inkatha, the National Cultural Liberation Movement came to know and respect Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo. "A towering figure of modern history, who lived a life of supreme compassion, courage and generosity of spirit in the most difficult of circumstances." Whose "warmth, humility, consummate political judgement and unwavering commitment to the cause never failed to inspire me" (Buthelezi - Tribute to Oliver Tambo, 17 September 2007, Mbizana). 

Mr Tambo's charisma, his erudite international diplomacy enabled him to move the often Machiavellian inclined politics of the western and eastern powers to a point where the UN had to declare apartheid a crime against humanity.

Addressing the plenary meeting of the General Assembly of the UN on 26 October 1976 he said: 

"This august body advanced the ideals and objectives enshrined in its charter when it declared the system of apartheid a crime against humanity and adopted a convention for its suppression and punishment. It was a fault of the times that in 1945 representatives of the colonial system in South Africa were admitted into this Organisation of the World's people. It is gross travesty of justice and evil tribute to the arrogant power of international imperialism that today these representatives are still allowed to walk freely into this forum and pose as spokesmen of our people." 

Madam Speaker, if we were to appear before a heavenly convocation of past heroes and heroines of the African struggle for freedom, presided over by Oliver Tambo, would we, with a measure of certainty say we have attained for the people their full political, economic, cultural, linguistic and psychological emancipation?  Have we won or are winning the war against poverty, hunger, under development and social deprivation?

Madam Speaker, 

The material and ideal dream of Oliver Thambo should continue to be the ties that bind and weave us in a singular strand of hope and victory over the adversities that are facing the poorest of the poor of our lot. 

In the words of a young African woman poet Lebo Mashile: "You and I, we have become the keepers of the dream."  In this case the dream of Mr Oliver Reginald Thambo.