CAPETOWN : March 26, 1999

Madame Speaker:

I salute with honour and respect all the members of this House who have served for five years as the first elected representatives of a new and democratic South Africa. Collegially, and in spite of our political differences, we must all take pride in having completed in this House an unprecedented amount of legislative work. In addition to formulating a new Constitution, members of this House may pride themselves in having brought about profound legislative reforms in almost every field of society and line function of government. Few Parliaments in the world have ever accomplished so much in such a short time. We have achieved all this in spite of our political differences. We have achieved quite a lot, but let us not delude ourselves into believing that it is enough.

As he leaves the political scene, we must pay a special tribute to President Nelson Mandela. He accepted to become a symbol of the noblest feelings and intentions present in South Africa. He lent his full self to perform the heavy and demanding role that history and circumstances have bestowed upon him. He became the catalyst of the positive forces which have worked to make South Africa succeed and overcome some of its many difficulties. In performing this role, President Mandela has enabled the best of South Africa to come together in a joint effort. We must ensure that his work is continued and that the next government promotes a genuine revolution of goodwill to coagulate even further the positive energies and the many people of sound morality and goodwill, on which our country must rely, to forge its success.

I will always respect President Mandela as my elder brother, and life-long friend and companion in the struggle for liberation. I take pride in having rallied as much as I did and for so many years to ensure his liberation.

Whenever we were confronted by crisis, (that is the two of us) I always found that by coming together President Mandela and I could find valuable solutions. I regret that often our joint efforts were hindered by people who did not wish reconciliation to succeed as much as President Mandela and I did. In January 1991, he and I, accompanied by our respective delegations, agreed on the most effective method to promote reconciliation and peace in KwaZulu Natal. In fact, we agreed to address joint rallies in violence-torn areas. However, when he and I reached agreement on the first of such rallies to be held in Taylors' Halt, the local leadership from within his organisation stopped him from implementing this agreement.

President Mandela told me that after we had agreed on this matter, a busload of members of his organisation arrived at his house in Johannesburg to stop him from going to Taylor's Halt to address the joint rally, with me. I believe that had we attended that rally as planned, the history of our country and of KwaZulu Natal in particular would have been quite different. Later, when after the launch of the Lubumbo SDI I accompanied the President to Durban Airport, he expressed this same regret to me. I am sad that President Mandela is leaving the scene before the situation in KwaZulu Natal is normalised.

Similarly, at the eleventh hour before the April 1994 elections, it was President Mandela and I who saved the day when we agreed to carry over the seemingly insurmountable issues which separated us by resorting to international mediation, to commence as soon as possible after elections. It is regrettable that the signature of President Mandela on that solemn agreement was dishonoured in spite of our joint efforts, and because of people within his own organisation who at the time did not see the wisdom of pursuing this type of reconciliation. In this respect, I recall that amaKhosi in the then Transkei asked what prevented us from meeting as two people whose long friendship was well known to them. The President told them that at the time some of the ANC leaders had almost 'throttled' him when he sought to meet with me. It took a year after the President was released before we could meet on January 29, 1991.

As a black leader, I am also saddened that in spite of the promises made by the President to traditional leaders, our government, which is the first black government of South Africa, for the first time in our history has not given the power to settle disputes to any newly appointed traditional leaders.

These incidents should not detract from the contribution which President Mandela made to bring South Africa to where it is. The healing of the wounds which still remain open shall remain on the priority agenda of the next government. For instance, I know that the Zulu nation was disappointed when President Mandela had to backtrack on an agreement we had reached on September 19, 1994 at the King's Enyokeni Palace when he promised that we would hold a meeting attended by the King, amaKhosi and members of the Royal House to heal the wound caused by the Shell House massacre of March 28, 1994. This was important for the Zulu nation in order to let bygones be bygones and to heal the wound opened when President Mandela admitted in this Parliament that he gave the order to shoot to kill the Zulus who had gathered on that day to show support for their King and the institution of the Monarchy. These issues remain outstanding as the President leaves the scene.

We will need to ensure that we can work together to let bygones be bygones and reconcile the nation, carrying forward the work which could not be completed during this Parliament and during the presidency of President Mandela. We must rise to this challenge during the next 69 days which separate us from the election date. All that we have done, all that we have achieved, all that we have dreamed of during the past five years of parliamentary activities is going to be meaningless if, in the next 69 days, all of us give no proof of tolerance and dedication to the cause of peace and national reconciliation. We must leave no stone unturned to ensure that violence, intimidation and social tensions do not tarnish the next elections. If we manage to conduct the elections without violence and intimidation this will be the best tribute we can pay to President Mandela's monumental contribution to the liberation of our country.

We must give the new Parliament a fresh start. We will need a fresh start to face the mounting social and economic challenges which are posing enormous threats to the survival of our democracy and the prosperity of our people. Let us not make the next election a mud-slinging match, and let us prepare social stability by showing that this political class has learned to disagree without being disagreeable, and to rise to the highest standards of democratic decorum set for us all by President Nelson Mandela.

#3209