Honourable President,

On the 12th of June 2008, during Presidency Budget Vote response, you paid a befitting tribute to our leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, when you said the following, and I want to quote a few lines from your speech:

"Our history, like life itself, produced outcomes that might not have been intended by the actors. When I first met the Hon Dr Buthelezi many decades ago, as he said, I approached him as a political senior to myself, and a comrade-in-arms.

In the years since he stopped serving in the national Government, I have made it a point to listen carefully to everything he says. Constantly, I have marvelled at his wisdom and his deep concern to sustain a value system that is critical to the survival of our democracy.

Shenge, many thanks for everything you have done for all of us."

Honourable President, on the 31st of May 2007 replying to my question on the street-renaming process, you commented that it is an important matter that needed special attention. You also said that it is when we openly address these matters of who we are and how we arrived at this democracy that we create an opportunity for true reconciliation and nation building through the issue of place names.

You furthermore stated that the process of place name changes is a grass-roots one and that you believed that the SA Geographical Names Council, working with other names committees and local municipalities should conduct hearings across the country and established a slate of changes that we can refer to as 'base changes', so that we can be sensitive about the culture and the histories of our diverse communities. You also promised that the Executive would, in due course, put a proposal on this matter before the nation.

These words, of course, gave the IFP hope that our collective history would be respected and taken into consideration, but they unfortunately proved to be empty promises.

Honourable President,

Having acknowledged what Shenge has done for all of us and his unmistakable role in the liberation of this country, I can't help but wonder how the ANC in the Durban Metro is being allowed to abuse their power and subvert democracy by forging ahead with their controversial name-change sham.

Most disturbing is the systematic and calculated campaign at undermining the role and contribution Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi in the struggle for liberation of our nation. This campaign has taken on a personal tone, where it appears that some elements in the ANC will not rest until they have dismantled Prince Buthelezi's legacy.

Furthermore, reflecting comments you made on the 31st May 2007, the IFP would like to express our disappointment that nothing has come from it, more than twelve months later.

As the IFP, we strongly believe that the name changing process, as currently being pursued by the Durban Metro, is divisive and the fact that there has been no proper consultation flies in the face of nation building, reconciliation and mutual respect and understanding of our different cultures and histories.

Many South Africans, including Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi played a leading role in the struggle against apartheid in this country. We cannot therefore, allow the history of our country to be ignored and abused. Mr President, I said last year that name changes must be used to unite all the people of this country and not divide us.

Follow-up question:

(1) Madame Speaker, the President said last year that two Ministers, the Minister of Arts and Culture and the Minister of Provincial and Local Government would be sent to the eThekwini Municipality to mediate in our dispute, because Cabinet was fully in agreement with us that the right processes had not been followed by the Durban Metro. Would the President be able to tell us when this mediation will be taking place?

(2) Furthermore, we would like to know when we can expect the Cabinet to table, before the nation, their proposals and guidelines on street-renaming that was promised to us during the Prince's reply on the 31st of May 2007?

I thank you.