THURSDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2007 __

                    PROCEEDINGS OF JOINT SITTING
                                ____

Members of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces assembled in the Chamber of the National Assembly at 11:02.

The Speaker of the National Assembly took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

                WELCOMING OF DELEGATION FROM THE DRC

The SPEAKER: Hon members, I wish to recognise the Minister of Justice from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and his delegation, who are on an official visit to South Africa. [Applause.] You and your delegation are welcome.

            WELCOMING TAMBO, SISULU AND SOBUKWE FAMILIES

The SPEAKER: Hon members, I also wish to recognise our guests from the families of the icons who comprise the content of the books that are going to be launched tonight; and, of course, the Tambo family representative, because this joint sitting will also pay tribute to our leader, O R Tambo. Welcome to the families: the Tambos, the Sisulus, the Sobukwes and, of course, the representative from the Mandela Foundation, for the Mandela family. [Applause.]

Hon members, we will recall that on 1 April 2006 the President gave an inaugural lecture on the perspective on and of Africa. The President, in his speech, pointed out the need to revisit, record and know our history in order to inform the work that we do; in moving forward.

He asked the question: What past and present information is available on Africa? Who gathers and disseminates such information, and who interprets events in and of Africa? It is for this reason, amongst others, that the presiding officers took a decision at the last meeting of the advisory board of the Parliamentary Millennium Project to initiate a history project and use the President’s speech as a basis for the PMP work, until the end of our tenure.

The history project will consist of different elements. An important element which forms the basis for this joint sitting and the tributes that will be paid is a legacy project on O R Tambo. This exercise is aimed at pulling together a collection on O R Tambo for the parliamentary library. There is a lot that the late Dr O R Tambo said at international forums, including the UN and the OAU, which needs to be brought back home. A lot has been said about him at different times and in different places.

We will be sending some parliamentary officials to visit London later this year to look at these issues, and we will also bring on board the University of Fort Hare, which will assist in this regard. The culmination of this work will entail the adoption by Parliament of a network of libraries in underdeveloped and underprivileged areas in the country, with a view to sharing this information with South Africans.

Hon members, you will also be aware that from Monday, 17 September 2007, to Wednesday, 19 September 2007, we had a People’s Assembly at Mbizana, the birthplace of O R Tambo. This exercise gave us an opportunity to honour this towering son of the soil. During that time, I paid a courtesy visit to the Tambo family where I met his only surviving sister uMama Gertrude Tambo. I was shown the rondavel that O R Tambo slept in just before he left for exile. A plaque in honour of O R was unveiled at Nkantolo, affixed to the original home that he was born in before the family moved to the present home. The inscription on the plaque reads as follows:

Thambo ‘dala kade bemkhwahlaza! Siyabulela isizwe ngokusikhokelela enkululekweni; father, statesman, leader, gentle giant, dwala lethu. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)

[You, the veteran of our struggle! The nation is grateful to you for leading it to freedom; father, statesman, leader, gentle giant, our armour.]

We used the opportunity to plant trees, to raise awareness about the need to preserve the environment, which is something that was also close to our leader’s heart.

Hon members, I just thought that, as we commemorate our Heritage Day today, you will find the background I have just given useful. We will approach the hon former President Mandela to do a foreword for the book that we will put together from the speeches that were made in Nkantolo and today’s tributes. We will also ask our President, Thabo Mbeki, to write an introduction. Before I call on the first speaker, I would like also to recognise someone who worked very closely with the late O R Tambo, and that is the former Speaker, Dr Ginwala. [Applause.]

   COMMEMORATING HERITAGE DAY WITH A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO O R TAMBO

                              (Debate)

The MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE: Madam Speaker, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, heritage is one of the primary sources of identity imparting to communities a sense of belonging. That South Africa is culturally diverse is readily recognised, and less evident is the role that heritage can play in nurturing our national identity, social cohesion, conflict prevention, and promoting human security.

A group of independent experts set up by the Director-General of Unesco defines cultural diversity as, and I quote:

… the manifold ways in which the cultures of social groups and societies find expression.

This suggests that rather than dividing us, cultural diversity is our collective strength, which could benefit the entire world. In this sense, it should be recognised and affirmed as the common heritage of all South Africans. Our South African heritage draws on three continents and we on this side of the House have always accepted this as the outcome of history.

Humanism that affirms the dignity and the worth of all people, based on our human capacity to reason, is the connecting thread amongst these traditions. Its African spirit is best expressed as: Umntu ngumntu ngabantu. One’s humanity is affirmed in recognition of the humanity of others. One finds the same notion highlighted in the writings of a social and political philosopher who is considered as one of the most influential thinkers of the second millennium AD, and I quote: To be radical is to grasp the root of the matter. But for humanity the root is humanity itself, hence the categorical imperative to overthrow all relations in which humans are debased, enslaved, forsaken, despicable beings.

Madam Speaker, the man whose life’s work we are commemorating was born on 27 October 1917, in the Mbizana district of the Eastern Mpondoland area called eQawukeni. After serving the usual rural apprenticeship as herd boy, he enrolled at an Anglican school before going to St Peter’s Secondary School in Johannesburg. He was awarded a scholarship by the Transkei bhunga [administrative council], which took him to the University College of Fort Hare, where he attained a degree in science, qualifying to become a teacher of mathematics and science. From 1943 until 1947 he taught these subjects at his alma mater, St Peter’s, in Johannesburg.

He gave up teaching to study the law in 1948 and established the first African legal partnership with Nelson Mandela in December 1952. The repressive hand of the apartheid regime pre-empted a second career change in December 1956, two days before the Most Reverend Archbishop Ambrose Reeves was due to prepare him for ordination as a priest. Oliver Tambo was arrested with 155 others on charges of high treason on 6 December 1956.

Oliver Tambo chose his path when he joined the ANC after completing his studies at Fort Hare. From 1947 until his death in 1993, Oliver Tambo was among the leading figures of the ANC, and he left an indelible mark on South African politics. When Walter Sisulu was forbidden from taking active part in ANC affairs in 1954, Tambo became secretary-general of the ANC. By 1957 he had been elected deputy president to Chief Albert Luthuli. He became acting president when Chief Luthuli died in 1967, and assumed the ANC presidency at the Morogoro conference in 1969.

Though the ANC-led campaigns were militant, they were scrupulously nonviolent. The response of the white minority government, however, was not as restrained. It unleashed a wave of repression. Armed police, sometimes assisted by army units, shot peaceful demonstrators. Police wielding Billy clubs, batons and pickaxe handles administered brutal beatings to those who were not fleet-footed enough to get away.

Entire villages of people in the rural areas were deported to distant areas and the pre-dawn security police raid became a regular feature of South African life. Commencing with the passage of the Suppression of Communism Act in 1950, in incremental steps, the apartheid government turned the law into a formidable instrument of repression.

These repressions culminated in the events at Sharpeville in March 1960, when 69 peaceful demonstrators - the majority shot in the back - were massacred by police as they protested against the pass laws. A few days prior to 30 March that year, Oliver Tambo was instructed to travel abroad to establish an external mission for the ANC in order to mobilise international support and co-ordinate activities for the anticipated years of underground struggle.

In July 1963 police swooped on a farm, Liliesleaf, in Rivonia, the upshot of which was that 10 leaders of the ANC, including Nelson Mandela, were put on trial on charges of planning acts of sabotage and conspiring to overthrow the government. Their trial, known as the Rivonia Trial, ended with Mandela and seven of his colleagues being sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964. Rivonia and the repression which followed thrust upon the very ample shoulders of O R Tambo the responsibility of leading the ANC in exile as well as at home, a task he assumed with quiet determination and immense dignity. By the time he took over the helm of the ANC Oliver Tambo was a seasoned political leader with two decades of political engagement under his belt. He understood his task as being twofold: To rebuild the ANC as a movement inside South Africa while enhancing its capacity to lead an armed insurgent movement from outside South Africa’s borders.

In celebrating Oliver Tambo’s life we are honouring an important dimension of our South African heritage, the heritage of struggle against colonial domination and racial oppression. Oliver Tambo pursued the goal of liberation and created a democratic South Africa with an unrelenting energy, a quiet tenacity and steadfast perseverance. By the end of his life, the object of his dreams was within reach. His singular contribution was his insistence that the movement never compromised its humanity.

At the ceremony marking the ANC’s adherence to the Geneva Protocols on the Conduct of War, among other things, he said, and I quote: We, in the ANC, solemnly undertake to respect the Geneva Conventions and the additional Protocol 1, insofar as they are applicable to the struggle waged on behalf of the African National Congress by its combatants, Umkhonto we Sizwe. This convention is one of the cornerstones of humanitarian international law.

By that action, Tambo demonstrated that even though the liberation movement had taken up arms and engaged in acts of violence, which sometimes resulted in deaths, there was no moral equivalence between it and the oppressive apartheid regime. Historians have often warned that it is not nations that generate nationalism; it is nationalism that produces nations. Definitions of who is included and who is excluded are not pre-ordained but take a count of differing historical circumstances.

South Africa, like many other states in the world, is a heterogeneous melting pot of different races, ethnic groups and languages. Our Constitution defines South African citizens in terms of our national territory, allegiance to our national institutions and the people of our country. This conception of the nation has won near universal acceptance among South Africans today but that was not always the case. At the time of the founding of the ANC, all the white political parties espoused an undisguised white supremacy.

From 1913, when General Hertzog founded the National Party, it strove to exclude all blacks from South Africa’s body politic, such that by the time Verwoerd assumed leadership of that party in 1957 Africans, Coloureds and Indians had all been disenfranchised. The National Party, thus, became the party of the pre-1994 status quo, deeply racist, depressive and backward- looking.

Addressing the nation on Radio Freedom on 8 January 1979, Oliver Tambo reiterated that vision dating back to 1912, when he said, and I quote again:

Let us, in South Africa, learn to stop being Bantus, Coloureds, Indians
and whites. Let us be what we are – Africans in Africa. Let those who
are committed racists, who came to this continent determined to keep
Africans in chains, to be perpetual white masters over blacks, let them
persist in their role as foreigners on African soil.

This profoundly antiracist and nonracial ethos was rooted as much in his politics as in his deeply held Christian beliefs. However, he never allowed these to impair the movement’s capacity to wage an armed struggle. Drawing the sharp distinction between the institutionalised violence of the oppressive system and the violence of resistance, Oliver Tambo argued that an unconditional adherence to nonviolence, on principle, would help sustain the institutionalised violence of apartheid.

Oliver Tambo was a very tough task master because he insisted on the quality of the movement he led. He repeatedly underscored the quality of its leadership as he did the quality of its actions, but he was a leader who led from the front. While he was demanding on those who worked under him, he was himself a tireless worker, very often undertaking far too many tasks and, consequently, overextending himself. In the end, it was the demands he placed on himself that subsequently led to his ill health and probably hastened his death.

It was these qualities that made Oliver Tambo a truly great leader of the African National Congress and a great leader of the South African liberation movement. It was these qualities, too, that endeared him to all in the ANC’s ranks, from its leadership down to its youngest cadre. It was these qualities that made him a great South African. In honouring him, we honour the best in ourselves. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr W J SEREMANE: Thank you, Madam Speaker and hon members, including the distinguished guests, this is a tribute to O R Tambo and I give it this caption, “the liberation relay race runner at best”. Much will be said and already has been said about this magnificent son of our land. He was, indeed, a colossal giant in our country’s struggle and the undying quest of a people for freedom and profound liberation. Like a prism, he could be seen, read and understood from various facets. In short, he made sense to many and inspired many at all levels of society.

Tlou e jalo bagaetsho. [The elephant is like that.] Indlovu ingaluhlobo, mawethu. [The elephant is like that, fellow countrymen.]

The elephant is like that to those who seek to understand. O R, as he was respectfully and lovingly known, stood as the liberation race runner par excellence. Such rare leaders run with a torch of freedom very far and as far and as long as possible, then they hand it over gracefully to the next appropriate runner without malice or envy due to their gift and understanding the meaning of the total vision and destiny of a people; such was O R.

I believe that Oliver Reginald Tambo rose to prominence as a leader not because of the lust for power, pomp and office avarice so rampant today, but because of the rare inherent gift of deep commitment to a just cause and the love and passion for all that enhanced human dignity and the advancement of human welfare for the common good of all. For his, that is O R’s, beginnings, I want to thank all those who parented him … bagolo ba rona [our elders.] … and nurtured him through his various stages of growth, but also never forgetting the community that insisted that the young and growing O R was going to be raised according to their time-tested norms and values of their society.

Into being a teacher, a lawyer and liberator he grew, driven by those same norms, values and ethics of his beginning and upbringing. He never looked down upon those things. Through many of his students and political proteges, he touched our society far and wide. One of his products, late Duma Nokwe, can be remembered vividly by those who attended Mansiville Junior High School in Krugersdorp.

O R, through Duma Nokwe, conscientised the whole of the West Rand. Remember the mock protest marches that he conducted within the precincts of Mansiville High School possibly preparing the students for things to come, so to say, and also arousing the consciousness of the community at large about their socio-political conditions. The liberation relay race runners loomed large and shone brightly on all corners of our land and O R was one of them.

If you go to the Lady Selborne of yesteryear, you are sure to feel the impact of Dr William Nkomo; go to Bhongweni Robinson, and you will feel the impact of pastor Majombozi’s sermon that carried that quest for freedom and determination to run the race of liberation; go to Madubulaville in Randfontein, you will meet Dr Molema, carrying the same torch that O R carried; you run further on lower down, and you would meet Dr Moroka, carrying the same spirit, the same message, the same passion and the same norms and values that united our people. O R’s contemporaries and peer group generously dished out the umrhabulo [newsletter] free of charge, but they selflessly paid the price of self- denial, consistency and a great dose of persecution from the erstwhile regimes. O R never eclipsed his peers but he transmitted light, passion and inspiration to them. Such is the mettle of great leaders and Oliver Tambo was one.

Montsamaisa bosigo re moleboga bosele, rre Tambo. Bosele, le fa mareledi a sa le kwa pele. [Honour and praise is due to the one who helps during hard times. We have overcome, even though obstacles are forever present.]

Your shining contribution should rouse us and awake us from complacency, egocentric abuse of power and crying forever without stopping by the rivers of Babylon.

Re tsamaise ka mowa wa gago o ntse o le kwa o leng teng. Ke a leboga. [Legofi.] [Guide us with your spirit from where you are.] [Thank you.] [Applause.]]

Muf T J TSHIVHASE: Ndi matsheloni a vhuḓi. Mulangadzulo, na nne ndi khou ḓadzisa khali ye ya vha i songo ḓala nga zwe muṱahabvu kana mualuwa washu vha ri tonda ngazwo. U shela mulenzhe ha Vho O R Tambo kha u shandukiswa kha vhuvhusi hashu u ya kha demokirasi, ndi zwa ndeme vhukuma. U bva nga 1994, vhufa ha Afurika Tshipembe vhu katela vhathu vhashu vhoṱhe.

Muvhuso wo rangiwaho phanḓa nga ANC u tikedza u ṱuṱuwedza maitele oṱhe a mvelele ane a pembelela vhuḓi na mvelele zwo fhambananaho. Ndeme ya u fhaṱa lushaka, u vhuelelana na mveledziso ya vhuvha ha lushaka nga huswa, zwi sumbedziswa nga demokirasi yashu. Tshitenwa tsha vhufumi tsha Mulayotewa tshi tikedza maitele aya. Tshi amba uri muṅwe na muṅwe u pfufhiwa nga khuliso na pfanelo dza uri vhuvha hawe vhu ṱhonifhiwe na u tsireledzwa. (Translation of Tshivenda paragraphs follows.)

[Mrs T J TSHIVHASE: Good morning, Madam Speaker; I am also contributing to this celebration of what the late O R our elder, has done for us. The contribution made by O R Tambo in the transition of government into democracy is of great importance. Since 1994, the South African heritage has included all our people.

The ANC-led government supports and encourages all cultural practices that celebrate the goodness in the diversity of cultures. The importance of nation-building, reconciliation and development of the character of the nation are made evident by our democracy. Section 10 of our Constitution supports this process. It provides that everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.]

Heritage is what we received from the past. It sharpens our present identity and provides insight for our future. Heritage is a range of factors and it includes objectives, ideas, places and traditions. The majority of the oppressed people of South Africa were denied their rightful heritage by the apartheid government policies. It is in this norm that every year the month of September is celebrated as Heritage Month. This means that South Africans, from all the different cultural backgrounds come out and embrace; and celebrate their heritage in various forms. This year the theme of this celebration is Commemorating Heritage Day: Special Tribute to Oliver Reginald Tambo.

Naṅwaha nyambedzano dzashu dzo sedza kha u shela mulenzhe ho itwaho nga Vho Oliver Tambo kha u shandukisela muvhuso wa Afurika Tshipembe kha demokirasi. Muthu a nga mangala uri ndi ngani hu tshi elelwa Vho Oliver Reginald Tambo kha uno ṅwedzi wa Vhufa. Phindulo dzo anda, ngauri vhufa ho ḓisendeka nga zwe ra wana tshifhingani tsho fhiraho nga u ṱanganedza u shela mulenzhe ho itwaho nga murafho wa vharangaphanḓa vho fhiraho. Zwi a pfesesea u ṱanganedza u shela mulenzhe ho itwaho nga Vho O R Tambo kha u ḓsa tshanduko ya vhuvhusi ha demokirasi. (Translation of Tshivenda paragraph follows.)

[This year our speeches are focusing on the contribution made by O R Tambo in the transition of South African government into democracy. One can wonder why we are remembering Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo in this Heritage Month. There are many answers. Because heritage is based on what we received from the past and we are acknowledging the contributions made by our predecessors. It is understandable that the contribution made by Mr O R Tambo in bringing democratic government is acknowledged.]

Oliver Reginald Tambo was born in a rural area in the Eastern Cape, a place called Mbizana, as the Minister has already indicated. Mbizana is known for its legacy from the 1960s, especially the Pondoland Uprising, which became known as the Pondoland Revolts. Oliver Tambo is regarded as a pioneer, nation-builder, liberation movement leader, not only to South Africans, but within Africa.

Vho vha vhe munwe wa miraḓo yo thomaho dzangano ḽa vhaswa vha ANC nga 1944. Vho ḓ vha Phuresidennde wa ANC nga 1969 nga murahu ha u lovha ha Khosi Vho Albert Luthuli, nahone vho ḓo dovha vha nangwa hafhu kha Kabwe Consultative Conference nga 1985. Vho vha muṅwe wa vhathu vhe vha vha vha tshi ṱhonifhiwa nga maanḓa kha dzhango ḽa Afurika, Europe, Asia na America. Musi vhe murangaphanḓa wa ANC, Vho Oliver Tambo vho ḓo takulela vhuimo ha dzangano nṱha, musi ho vhambedziwa na muvhuso wa Pretoria. (Translation of Tshivenda paragraph follows.)

[He was one of the founder members of the ANC Youth League in 1944. He became president of the ANC in 1969 after the death of Chief Albert Luthuli, and he was also re-elected in the Kabwe Consultative Conference in

1. He was one of the most highly respected people in Africa, Europe, Asia and America. When he was still the leader of the ANC, Mr Oliver Tambo raised the standards of ANC tremendously compared to the Pretoria government.]

Amongst other things, he will be remembered for his involvement in the leadership amongst the generation of African nationalist leaders who emerged after the Second World War, who were instrumental in the transformation of the ANC from a liberal organisation into a radical national liberation movement, for his reception in many parts of the world, with the protocol reserved for the heads of state; upholder of the dignity of men and women of every colour, race and creed; an inveterate fighter for liberty; and a symbol for black people’s hope that the rights of men will be recognised everywhere.

Vho Oliver Tambo vho dovha hafhu vha shela mulenzhe kha u bveledza na u alusa ANC na pholisi dzayo. Musi vha tshi amba nga tshifhinga tsha Ninth Extra-ordinary session ya Khantsele ya dzi Minisiṱa ya Dzangano ḽa Vhuthihi ha Afurika – AOU - ngei Dares Salaam nga Lambamai 1975, vho bvisela bono ḽavho khagala ḽa uri naho vhathu vhashu vha nga vhaisiwa lungafhanani nga muvhuso wa tshiṱalula, nḓila ya maitele a demokirasi i kha sia ḽashu rine sa ANC.

Vho Oliver Tambo vha ḓo elelwa nga vhathu vhanzhi vha Afurika Tshipembe na ḽifhasi nga vhuphara, nga u vha na mikhwa, ṱhuṱhuwedzo, luvhonela na vhuṱali kha u swikelela maitele a mulalo ḽifhasini ḽoṱhe. Nga dzi 29 Khubvumedzi 2006, Phuresidennde Vho Thabo Mbeki, vho ḓo dalela Mbizana u sumbedzisa ṱhompho kha O R Tambo’s Garden of Rememberance na u ṱola nḓisedzo ya tshumelo kha vhupo uho.

Madalo ayo o ḓa nga tshifhinga tshithihi na maṅwe maitele a re kha tshivhalo tsha shango, o ḓisendeka kha u elelwa Vho O R Tambo, hu tshi katelwa na u riniwa hafhu ha Johannesburg International Airport ya vho pfi O R Tambo International Airport. (Translation of Tshivenda paragraphs follows.)

[Mr Oliver Tambo also contributed to the development and growth of the ANC and its policies. When he spoke during the 9th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the Organisation of African Unity, the OAU, in Dar es Salaam in April 1975, he made his vision clear that no matter how hurt our people were by the apartheid government, the ANC would still adhere to the democratic process.

Mr Oliver Tambo will be remembered by all the people of South Africa and the whole world for being disciplined, for his encouragement, foresight and wisdom to bring peace in the whole world. On 29 September 2006, President Thabo Mbeki visited Mbizana to show respect for O R Tambo’s garden of remembrance as well as to check service delivery in that area.

The visit took place at the same time as many other activities that were aimed at remembering O R Tambo were taking place throughout the country, including renaming Johannesburg International Airport O R Tambo International Airport.]

Since the visit of the President there has been progress in a number of areas. These include the following: The construction of a garden of remembrance at Nkantolo has been completed; a cultural village has been constructed in Mbizana, in partnership with the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality; local economic development within Nkantolo village will be encouraged and its products will be showcased at the cultural village.

The South African Biodiversity Institute, through its programme of greening the nation, is currently establishing a nursery in the support of a fully functioning and sustainable O R Tambo cultural village. The road leading to Nkantolo is being upgraded as part of efforts to make it a tourist destination. The Tambo family home will be reconstructed, and a preliminary design has been done, including the appointment of quantity surveyors. The site of the Tambo home has been demarcated just next to the cultural village. That is showcasing. Dali Tambo, you know. A decision on declaring this home a national monument will also have to be taken.

In partnership with the National Heritage Council, the Eastern Cape provincial government is dealing with deliberating a heritage route, which connects the places of birth of all the liberation stalwarts born in the province. Nkantolo, alongside Qunu, Quthubeni, Ginsberg and other places will future prominently in these plans. A detailed concept paper on all heritage issues in this regard was developed. Furthermore, following the executive committee’s visit to Ekurhuleni, the understanding is that the Gauteng and the Eastern Cape provincial governments will form a partnership.

As I have already indicated, there has been progress in a number of areas.

Vhushaka ha mivhuso yo ṱanganelaho na tsumbedzo ya zwiimiswazwapo; mbekanyamushumo ya mveledziso yapo ya ikonomi – LED, mveledziso ya Wild Coast na zwa vhuendelamashango; na mafhungo a zwa vhufa na vhukonani vhu fanaho, na zwone zwo dzhielwa nṱha. Guvhangano ḽa vhathu – People’s Assembly, sa zwe Minisiṱa vha amba, ḽe ḽa fariwa maḓuvhani a si gathi o fhiraho ngei Mbizana, u bva nga dzi 15 u swika dzi 17 Khubvumedzi 2007, ndi maṅwe a maga a ndeme a ḓivhazwakale ya vhupo uho ha Afurika Tshipembe. (Translation of Tshivenda paragraph follows.)

[The relationship between integrated governments and the presence of local infrastructures, and the Local Economic Development, LED, the development of the Wild Coast and tourism, heritage and common friendship were also taken into consideration. The People’s Assembly, as the Minister mentioned, was held a few days ago in Mbizana, from 15 to 17 September 2007, is one of the most important historical steps taken in that part of South Africa.]

Today the Department of Social … I am sorry, it is because I was in Social Development … [Laughter.] Today the Department of Arts and Culture recognises and salutes the role Oliver Tambo played in fighting wholeheartedly for South Africans to be liberated from many forms of apartheid and colonialism, which have robbed the masses of the right to the franchise and equality before everything. The provincial government for the Eastern Cape has been engaged in this project that supports the aspirations of the Mbizana community, as raised during the presidential imbizo.

Zwinzhi zwi nga ambiwa nga ha u shela mulenzhe ha munnawavhane Vho Oliver Reginald Tambo kha u shandukisa vhuvhusi ha Afurika Tshipembe ha demokirasi. Bono ḽavho ḽa Afurika Tshipembe ḽa khwine, ḽo ḓisendekaho nga maitele a ḽifhasi ḽo vhofholowaho ḽi ḓo ḓi elelwa nga murafho u ḓaho wa Afurika Tshipembe. A thi ḓivhi zwauri vhone vha ḓo sia zwifhio musi vha tshi ṱuwa fhano shangoni.

Matshaina vha ri: Muri u tshe wo tou ima, a u vhonali vhulapfu hawo, musi wo no lala fhasi, ndi hone u tshi kona u vhonala zwauri wo lapfa – ndi dzi khilomitha na dzi mithara nngana. Hezwo zwi khou sumbedza uri vhuṱala he Vho Oliver Tambo vha tshimbila khaho, na rine ri ḓo sala ri tshi vha elelwa ngaho. Ri ḓo kanda henefhala – rine na vhaḓuhulu vhashu. Ndi a livhuwa. Vha lale nga muya wa vhuḓi na muṱa wavho. [U vhanda zwanḓa.] (Translation of Tshivenda paragraphs follows.)

[A lot can be said about the contribution made by the late Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo in the democratisation of South Africa. His vision of a better South Africa, based on the process of the free world, will be remembered by the coming generations in South Africa. I don’t know what legacy you will leave behind when you depart this world.

The Chinese say that: It is not easy to speak about the contribution of a person while he or she is still alive; it is when the person is deceased that people speak about the good that the person has done. This shows that the trail that Mr Oliver Tambo walked, we shall also remember him by. We shall follow in his footsteps together with our grandchildren. I thank you. Rest in peace with your family. [Applause.]]

Mr M B SKOSANA: Madam Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Ministers, hon members and distinguished guests, I feel honoured and privileged to be amongst those hon members and colleagues requested to pay tribute to one of the greatest and most gallant sons of Africa, Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo. My party’s appreciation also goes to the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly and of the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces for creating the opportunity for Members of Parliament to see and experience live; to hear political lamentations, songs and poetry at first hand, in Beyond the Engeli Mountains, which is the birthplace of Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo.

Plato believed that the rationale or reason, the spirit or emotions and the appetitive or needs are fundamental to the ideal form of state, human institution and organisation and that only a philosopher’s ruler and a man of virtue would be best suited to care, nurture and fulfil the idealism of the dreams and aspirations of his people.

Pre-liberation, the philosopher, politician and statesman Oliver Reginald Tambo became the ideal caretaker of the ANC’s mission in exile and therefore an embodiment of the dreams and aspirations of the oppressed black majority in South Africa. He performed this majestic task in the counsel of some of his comrades-in-arms, President Thabo Mbeki and Mr Jacob Zuma, amongst others.

This is how more than three decades ago, and through the eyes and acquaintances of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the young and old, but prominent leader of the then IFP, came to know and respect Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo. We know that on Monday, 17 September 2007, at Mbizana, he described him this way:

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 judgment and unwavering commitment to the cause never failed to inspire him.

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 at 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 a gross travesty of justice and an 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.

Hon members, 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 we winning the war against poverty, hunger, underdevelopment and social deprivation? Would we say that to him?

The material and ideal dream of Oliver Tambo should continue to be the ties that bind and weave us in a singular strand of hope and victory over the adversity that is facing the poorest of the poor today.

In the words of a young African woman poet, Lebo Mashile – I must say to us and the distinguished guests, parents and friends of O R Tambo - ``You and I, we have become the keepers of the dream.” Today, I say, we are the keepers of the dream of Oliver Reginald Tambo.

Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr J BICI: Hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy President, hon Ministers, hon members and distinguished guests, every nation prides itself on its heritage and the richness of its culture and history. In South Africa we are the sons and daughters of so many different rich traditions. Nor need we fear contradiction when we say that we have been blessed among our ancestors with a multitude of great thinkers and remarkable leaders.

For us in South Africa, the question of leadership and heritage has therefore always been intertwined. Thus, there were leaders who rose among many different groups to resist colonialism in its various forms. Throughout every generation South Africa was blessed with the emergence of a new set of leaders. Thus, O R Tambo stands among such names as the Sisulus, the Mandelas and the Sobukwes in the pantheon of South African leaders, but in the generation prior to him and the generation that followed there are also leaders of historic importance.

O R Tambo travelled the world, negotiated African footholds for the ANC and even addressed international forums such as the UN in the campaign against apartheid. Not only did he achieve these remarkable things, but he also played a pivotal role in reshaping and redirecting the pre-World War II ANC into a mass liberation movement. Amandla! [Power!] [Laughter.]

It is one of the saddest twists of fate that O R Tambo did not live to see the first democratic elections of 1994. We must pay tribute to O R Tambo for bequeathing us this unified cultural treasure trove.

What a coincidence, because while we talk about celebrations and things like that, I am sure some of us are aware and know that the UDM was born in this month of celebration and remembrance. [Laughter.] On 29 September, we will therefore be celebrating at Gallagher Estate, in Midrand. We invite members and the Speaker to attend as well. We did go to Mbizana. Truly, when we look upon our combined heritage, we must celebrate, because we are a nation rich beyond measure. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr B J TOLO: Deputy Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members and guests, September is a month in which we, as a nation, celebrate our heritage. It is a month in which we pause and take stock of our diverse, rich culture and traditions, as inherited from generation to generation. We do so because it is only when we know where we come from that we can know where we are going. We also do so because it is our considered view that the country that does not value its culture and heritage is a country that has lost its proverbial soul and therefore does not deserve its future.

It is our view that cultural heritage, properly harnessed, can and will contribute in a meaningful way to the development of our nation. World experience has shown that preservation of cultural heritage, when properly marketed, can have very important economic spin-offs.

An important heritage or history that is not properly documented in our country is the history for the struggle for national liberation. If this is documented in any way, then it is done so in a fragmented way. We need comprehensive documentation of this and it should be placed in our national archives so that future generations can know where this country comes from so that they can be in a position to value this country.

It is often said, and we agree, that history is made by the masses. But it cannot be denied that there are individuals who make immense contributions in the making of history, so much so that that history would not be complete without their inputs.

The history of this country would not be complete without the contribution of Comrade O R Tambo. It is therefore befitting, hon Chairperson, that in this Heritage Month we pay tribute to and celebrate the life of Comrade O R Tambo, as he was affectionately known.

The President of the ANC and of the country, Comrade Thabo Mbeki, says in the preface of the book Beyond the Engeli Mountains: It was Oliver Tambo who kept our movement together through his skilled and sensitive leadership of the ANC during its 30 years of illegality and exile. It was during these trying times of struggle and sacrifice that Comrade O R Tambo became exemplary, both to those in exile and to the millions of members and grassroots supporters at home, including political prisoners.

Chair, the above statement summarises in the most profound way who Tambo was – a leader of rare qualities.

I have not interacted with Comrade Oliver Tambo many times, but the few times that I did interact with him, he touched my life in very special ways. I never saw him angry, but for one occasion in 1984, after the signing of the Nkomati Accord. He went from camp to camp in Angola briefing the MK soldiers about the accord. He angrily said on that occasion: ``Sis, this looks like the burial ceremony of the ANC. But the ANC will not be in that coffin.” Indeed, our presence here today means we refused to be in that coffin, as Comrade O R said.

Comrade O R was very passionate about educational development of his soldiers. As commander-in-chief, every time he went to the camps he enquired about educational programmes over and above the military programmes. While he called upon the young lions of our country to swell the ranks of MK, he also encouraged those who were very young to pursue formal education in exile.

Although he was the president of the ANC and commander-in-chief of the army, he did not live in an ivory tower. He would reprimand commanders who attempted to stop ordinary subordinates who wanted to bring their personal problems to him. After his visiting any camp, everybody’s morale would be high; convinced that one day we will be victors, as we are today.

International mobilisation was one of the pillars of the struggle for liberation in South Africa. Thanks to the leadership of O R that as a liberation movement we acquitted ourselves very well on that front. Although it was during the time of the Cold War, Comrade O R Tambo could speak to both the East and the West.

Governments and heads of state of both sides of the battle lines respected him. He was treated like a head of state in many countries, both East and West. This should tell a story of the quality of the man we are talking about today - a man with rare leadership qualities.

Chairperson, the man whose life we are celebrating today in this Heritage Month is almost the only man today who has been present at every turn of events in the liberation struggle since the 1940s up to his passing on. He helped to develop the ANC into a nonracial democratic organisation.

The Tripartite Alliance was close to his heart for he understood better than anyone else that the need for unity of all progressive and democratic forces is a prerequisite to defeat apartheid. Unity remains a condition today to realise the objectives of the national democratic revolution. It is only an enemy of the national democratic revolution who can say today that the unity that Comrade O R Tambo, Comrade Mabhida and Yusuf Dadoo built is no longer relevant.

When he closed the Kabwe Conference in 1985, Comrade O R Tambo said among other things: “My remaining life will be spent in struggle.” True, he never gave up, even at the time when his health failed him; he soldiered on up to the last day. Indeed, he spent his remaining life in struggle. Heritage is a memory of any nation. Comrade O R must not be the national memory of the ANC alone – he is a national asset to all who call themselves South Africans and patriots.

Basil February, one of the campaigners, once said that a revolutionary never dies but lives forever in the minds of those who love him. Comrade Oliver Tambo will live forever in our minds and his name and legacy will remain a national heritage for the future generations. He will always be remembered by the masses of our country and the world for selflessness as opposed to selfishness, for valour and commitment in advancing the ideals of the national democratic revolution. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr L W GREYLING: Chairperson, today we pay a special tribute to O R Tambo whose contribution, along with those other great leaders of our soil like Robert Sobukwe, Steve Bantu Biko and Nelson Mandela, has given us the gift of freedom, democracy and the restoration of our common humanity.

As a young leader in our democratic Parliament, I feel enormously humbled by the immense sacrifices that have been made by leaders like these that allow all of us to now participate in this nonracial, nonsexist democracy.

This Heritage Day is also about celebrating South Africa’s poetry and it must be borne in mind that the art of creating through using the inventive and suggestive virtues of language is natural to Africans. The flow of proverbs, sayings and exclamations of our indigenous languages is poetic.

Poetry in itself is an invaluable tradition at promoting and preserving our cultural diversity and, together with folktales, proverbs, songs, riddles and figures of speech, is vital in the passing on of wisdom, experience and heritage from one generation to the next.

Today, I also pay tribute to Lebogang Mashile, Tatamkhulu Afrika, Jeremy Cronin, Wally Serote and those who have taken it upon themselves to enrich our society with the spoken and written word.

The roots of African poetry are as deep as African heritage and this is why the preserving of one depends on the other. As mandated by the Constitution, we have the responsibility to develop African culture and part of this means nurturing our indigenous languages and supporting South African literature.

We also need to invest in the teaching of African languages by investing in teachers of the subject and encouraging the study of African literature. In the past certain languages were imposed on African people at the expense of indigenous languages and not enough has been done to redress the matter.

Language has played a major role in the history of our country. As Sobukwe once said: “We dare not compromise, nor dare we use moderated language in the cause of freedom.” Yet today we are living in a society where even language is a barrier for cohesion and we seem to have adopted a passive approach. Not enough urban schools have indigenous languages as subjects, yet African learners bend over backwards to pass English so that they can access tertiary education.

We are a diverse society but we are also a divided society and language is unfortunately one of the dividing factors. It would therefore not be an unfair practice to make it a compulsory measure that all schools teach the indigenous language or languages most prevalent in their province. In recent history we have also seen a significant growth in the hip-hop and poetry culture among our youth but there is also an element of Americanisation of this scene. And to curb that we must arouse a sense of pride and identity in South African youth so that they too can carry the torch into the future. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mrs C DUDLEY: Madam Chair, the ACDP acknowledges that among South African leaders Oliver Tambo was probably one of the most highly respected in the world. The ACDP salutes Oliver Tambo for his dedication to the needs of ordinary people. He chose to stand for poor people rather than to represent the rich and the well-known.

We see how he worked to bring the everyday people of South Africa into the political arena, leaving a legacy of caring about those who are so often overlooked: the poor, the unemployed, widows and orphans, in line with biblical principles.

As a man who spent his life trying to enfranchise the black people of South Africa, we imagine O R would have been a passionate opponent to our modern- day scourge of floor-crossing.

He sacrificed his honours degree for leading a boycott for democracy at Fort Hare University. Imagine the dismay he would feel at the antics displayed today, where the dignity of the people’s opinion and their hard- won vote has been totally disregarded through floor-crossing, and this is legal.

I believe if O R were alive today he would also probably not be fighting citizens’ groups protesting against druglords. He would more likely wholeheartedly support those taking a stand against the devastating influence of drugs that’s shattering people’s lives in South Africa today. I doubt also, that he would approve the muzzling of state employees; watching those who speak out on inefficiency and bad management in order to improve service delivery being fired or demoted would not have been the legacy O R Tambo would have had in mind.

The ACDP pays tribute to the memory of O R Tambo. Thank you.

The MINISTER FOR JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy President, hon members, let me begin by greeting the guests of the Justice department, the Minister of Justice, Booker and his entourage. [Applause.] In the gallery I also recognise Comrade Frene Ginwala and the family, of course, of O R Tambo.

Today’s debate is dedicated to the memory of a great South African.

Oliver Tambo was a founding father of our democracy and the new constitutional order. Many may still be asking who O R Tambo is. Oliver Tambo was a man of great courage, a visionary and indeed an outstanding leader. President Mbeki once described him as a man with no trace of selfishness or arrogance. He saw himself as an ordinary foot soldier, the unsung infantryman in the army of ordinary working people of our country.

His son Dali Tambo, who is with us here today, described his father as a practitioner of law and a political leader. These many and interwoven strengths that characterised him were brought together, culminating in a low-key leadership style that ensured that the many disparate elements that made up the ANC would weave together into a cohesive organism.

I am going to pay tribute to O R as the architect of our democracy. The period 1985-1990 is an important time in our history and a defining moment for O R Tambo as leader of the ANC. This was a time of intensive repression and also a time of a determined struggle against apartheid. Indeed the struggle was intensified on all fronts inside and outside South Africa. Combatants gave no quarter to the enemy.

Internationalists waved high the flag for the liberation of South Africa. We enjoyed solidarity from all corners of the globe. It was also a time when hope for the resolution of the conflict in South Africa was flickering. It was around this period that we had begun to conceptualise post-apartheid policies, beginning with the Harare Declaration of 1989. This was a period of extraordinary courage by thousands of our people in resisting the total onslaught by apartheid South Africa within and outside our borders.

The gallant O R Tambo led on all fronts. He led those in combat and those who were laying the foundation for negotiations. He led those conceptualising post-apartheid policy. All these strings came together under his able leadership. Many of those close to him believe that he applied himself so intensely to the drafting of the Harare Declaration that it cost him his health. Many of the principles contained in the Harare Declaration were carried into the negotiation process. O R played a pivotal role in preparing the ANC for negotiations with apartheid South Africa and for a democratic South Africa. After the ANC conference in Kabwe in 1985, he personally took charge of establishing the ANC’s legal and constitutional affairs department, which, of course, came to be led by Zola Skweyiya.

This department was to be the core group of the ANC’s legal team at negotiations. Those working on the policies for a future South Africa will remember the intense activities between 1989 and 1992, when numerous forums were established within and outside South Africa, discussing various elements of policy, the economy, health, education, housing - you name it - local government, justice and the constitution itself. No area of policy was left untouched.

We recall that he instructed the constitutional committee of the ANC that the Freedom Charter shall be the basis for the new constitution of South Africa. We recall also that he instructed those negotiating that children’s and women’s rights should be uppermost. Comrades will recall the resolutions of the 1987 International Children’s Conference held in Harare, which got carried into policy eventually, that is national policy.

A fact of importance which we may forget is the fact that in 1990, it was O R who had laid the foundation for the entry of UNICEF as the first UN agency to operate in South Africa in preparation for a post-apartheid dispensation.

Many women in South Africa will recall the Malibongwe Conference, which also laid the basis for current gender policies. Comrades and friends, I just want to say that we shouldn’t forget that in fact it was O R who, at the Women’s Section Conference in Luanda in 1981, advocated for women‘s rights in the struggle for gender equality.

Let me quote what he said then:

The struggle to conquer oppression in our country is the weaker for the
traditionalist, conservative and primitive restraints imposed on women
by men-dominated structures within our movement, as also because of
equally traditionalist attitudes.

He then went on to say:

Black women of South Africa who are more oppressed and exploited should
lead in the struggle for their emancipation.

We dare not forget Oliver Tambo, one of the great architects of our democracy. In memory of this great man, we should continue to work for change by defending the values enshrined in our Constitution, by strengthening our constitutional democracy. [Interjections.] I am sure you didn’t mean to howl.

South Africa needs leaders of the calibre of O R Tambo. He was selfless, principled and resolute, and I think that proper tribute has already been paid by speakers from the ANC, in particular Commander Tolo.

On occasions like this, representatives of the people like yourselves, hon members, should commit to upholding the values of our Constitution. We should build a nonracial, nonsexist society. Ours is a march forward, creating a caring society, fighting ignorance, poverty and disease, and establishing enduring institutions of democracy and good governance.

To the young South Africans - I see we have many in the gallery - black and white: Yours is a bright future, thanks to the courage of inspirational leaders such as O R. Seize the opportunities you have. Study to be better people. Let us all cherish the legacy left by leaders like O R Tambo by fighting all ills that are associated with backwardness, falsehood and corruption. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mrs D VAN DER WALT: Voorsitter … [Chairperson …] Sekela Mongameli obekekileyo … [Hon Deputy President …] - I see the Deputy has left, but I’m greeting her in her absence - and colleagues …

… oor bietjie minder as ‘n maand vier ons die 90ste herdenking van Oliver Tambo se geboortedag. Dit is gepas dat ons vandag dan hierdie geleentheid gegee word om te reflekteer op die belangrike erflating van hierdie waarlik groot Suid-Afrikaner aan sy landgenote.

O R, soos hy alombekend was, was ’n man van vele gawes en goeie kwaliteite; ’n man wat die soeke na kennis en wysheid terdeë geniet het. Toe die President van die Reserwebank, Tito Mboweni, onlangs gepleit het dat ons moet waak daarteen dat onkunde die basis vir leierskap begin word in Suid- Afrika, kon hy ons net sowel gemaan het om Oliver Tambo se nalatenskap te respekteer.

Terwyl dit nie vir my beskore is om te weet wat Oliver Tambo se gedagtes was omtrent wat geleerdheid is en nie is nie, en dit aan u uit te lê nie, kan ek dit wel onomwonde stel dat hy geleerdheid as ’n baie belangrike en baie eg persoonlike verantwoordelikheid gesien het. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[In little more than a month we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Oliver Tambo’s birthday. It is therefore fitting that we are given this day to reflect on the important legacy that this truly great South African left his fellow countrymen.

O R, as he was widely known, was a man of many gifts and good qualities; a man who thoroughly enjoyed the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. When the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, recently pleaded that we must guard againt ignorance becoming the basis for leadership in South Africa, he might as well have urged us to respect Oliver Tambo’s legacy.

While it is not my fortune to know what Oliver Tambo’s thoughts were on what is learning and what not, and to expound on it, I can unequivocally state that he regarded learning as a very important and truly personal responsibility.]

His willingness to learn, even when learning did not happen in particularly ideal circumstances, is no better signified than by the inspiration he drew from the colonial era poster depicting the twisting trail of so-called native education up a “mountain of knowledge”.

This depiction was the epitome of the manner in which young black men and women were patronised into a life of subservience, yet Oliver turned it into a positive force and a metaphor for good that lasted him the rest of his life. That is: The closer one comes to summit the mountain of knowledge, the more you are enabled to live out the noble ideas by which you are inspired.

Had the colonial authorities realised that Oliver Tambo and many others of his ilk would never let the government of the day determine on their behalf what ideas they should or should not regard as noble, the mountain of knowledge poster would, in all probability, have been censored. Thankfully for us they did not.

In striving for a society where choices are plentiful and free, a society where access to opportunities are as close to equal as possible, where success is the responsibility of the individual and where the only determinant of success is the willingness of the individual to prove him or herself, the DA remembers Oliver Tambo fondly for outlining his vision for South Africa as one “in which black and white shall live and work together as equals in conditions of peace and prosperity”.

We remember him for saying that it is “our responsibility to break down the barriers of division”. If we as law-makers would like to see this legacy respected, then it follows that we should cease making laws that encourage division. Let us now recommit ourselves to live as this great patriot suggested, “as just South Africans, free and united in diversity”.

Ndiyabulela. [I thank you.]

Thank you.

Dr P W A MULDER: Madam Chairman, a few years ago the new statue of King Makhado of the Venda in Louis Trichardt was damaged by some people. The FF Plus condemned the damaging of the Makhado statue as strongly as we condemned the insensitive removal of Louis Trichardt’s bust in the same town. King Makhado was a hero to the Venda, as Louis Trichardt was a hero to Afrikaners. The removal of Louis Trichardt’s bust, or recently the Standerton monument, is as unacceptable and insults people as much as the vandalism of the Makhado statue.

A lack of sensitivity for the emotions involved in communities’ histories and their heroes has led to this unacceptable situation. We must find sensible solutions which will halt these actions and reactions, and there is only one answer, by respecting each other’s culture and by respecting each other’s heritage.

Oliver Tambo het ’n groot rol gespeel in die geskiedenis van die ANC en van Suid-Afrika. Ek dink dis gepas dat hy erkenning kry en dat hy vernoem word. Genl Jan Smuts het ’n groot rol in die geskiedenis van die ou Verenigde Party van Suid-Afrika gespeel. Smuts is nie een van my helde nie, maar ek dink dit is gepas dat hy erkenning kry en vernoem word. Hoewel hy die hoofopponent van die vorige Nasionale Party-regering in 1948 was, is die Johannesburgse lughawe steeds na hom vernoem.

Ek wil dan verskil van die benadering waar Jan Smuts tans moet plek maak vir Tambo, waar Louis Trichardt moet plek maak vir Makhado. In verskeie Afrikastate is hierdie benadering gevolg waar byvoorbeeld strate wat na vorige leiers soos Chiluba of Lumumba vernoem is, weer opnuut na die nuwe leiers benoem is toe hulle aan bewind gekom het.

Hierdie benadering los nie probleme op nie, maar veroorsaak nuwes. Ek dink dit is slim om die pad na die lughawe na mev Albertina Sisulu te vernoem, aangesien die pad tot nou toe nog nie vernoem is nie en ek dink dit is die antwoord. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[Oliver Tambo played a major role in the history of the ANC and that of South Africa. I think it is fitting that he be given recognition and be named. Gen Jan Smuts played a major role in the history of the old United Party of South Africa. Smuts is not one of my heroes, however, I think it is fitting that he be given recognition and be named. Although he was the chief opponent of the old National Party government in 1948, the Johannesburg Airport was nevertheless named after him.

I would therefore like to differ with the approach that the present Jan Smuts has to make way for Tambo, that Louis Trichardt has to make way for Makhado. In several African states this approach has been followed, where, for example, roads that had been named after previous leaders, such as Chiluba or Lumumba, were renamed once again after the new leaders came to power.

This approach does not solve problems, but rather creates new ones. I think it was a clever move to have named the road to the airport after Mrs Albertina Sisulu, as the road has thus far not been named and I think that that is the answer.]

In the previous century, British culture, as the so-called superior culture, was forced down the throats of everyone. It did not succeed and caused friction and violence. No culture is superior to any other.

I said there is only one answer. Let us respect each other’s culture. Let us respect each other’s heritage and let us allow room for acknowledging everyone’s heritage and heroes. Thank you.

Mr I S MFUNDISI: Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP and hon members, when one thinks about O R Tambo, this larger than life character, one feels that the question, “What good has ever come from Nazareth?” is quite apt to describe this giant from the little-known Kantolo, a village that has not seen the light of day on maps and atlases in South Africa. What good has come from Kantolo? Surely it is the legend called O R Tambo.

Tambo delighted in challenges. He decided to study science when most black students at the time went for the easier option of studying the arts. O R was a successful teacher of this rare discipline. His success as a teacher would leave the modern-day teachers green with envy as they find it difficult to impress their students. O R taught men of substance like hon Andrew Mlangeni, Joe Matthews, Henry Makgothi and my leader, the man with a mind of his own, Kgosi Lucas Mangope. [Laughter.]

I have a nagging feeling that if O R were to visit the ANC these days, he would find an intolerant organisation, whose members keep on screaming as they are, even on this day, against people who hold a different view.

As a statesman, O R was characterised by humility. He never saw himself as the leader of the ANC. He always sought the mandate from those who were incarcerated on Robben Island before major decisions would be taken. He was consultative. His simplicity made him the glue that held the movement together when there were tensions – once a teacher, always a teacher.

O R Tambo showed his mettle and concern for young people when he raised funds from the international community to give shelter and education to the young exiles in the wake of the 1976 riots. To him liberty without learning would be in peril and learning without liberty would be in vain. One wonders to what extent learned people would enjoy the fruits of liberty 13 years on. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Ms S RAJBALLY: Thank you, Chairperson, hon Speaker, hon Deputy Speaker, hon Ministers and families of our great heroes. On 19 February 1993, our beloved Oliver Tambo wisely remarked in his opening speech at the International Solidarity Conference:

The challenge confronting all of us is to turn South Africa round - to make of her the opposite of what she has been. Where she has been the examplar of racism and national antagonisms, we must turn her into the examplar of nonracism and national harmony.

Almost 14 years into the democracy, we strive to deliver upon this vision of a great comrade who strove for the freedom and liberation of the South African people. Honourable Nelson Mandela correctly summed this up in his eulogy at O R Tambo’s funeral and said:

Oliver lived not because he could breathe. He lived not because blood flowed through his veins. Oliver lived not because he did all the things that all of us as ordinary men and women do. Oliver lived because he had surrendered his very being to the people.

O R Tambo was exiled from his home, South Africa, for 30 years, and he also toured internationally, seeking assistance to end the apartheid regime. His pleas were heard when the United Nations declared South Africa’s apartheid regime a crime against humanity in 1973.

We sadly remember his death in 1993, at the dawn of apartheid and the birth of democracy. Oliver Tambo has been described as the glue that held the anti-apartheid movement together. He envisioned a South Africa with no racial division; no matter what our roots are, we just became South Africans through our diversity.

We salute the beloved Oliver Tambo and recognise him as a symbol of all comrades who devoted their lives to the liberation of South Africa, the freedom or our people. Equality and democracy shall live as it has grown since its birth in 1994. Oliver Tambo played a symbolic role in our heritage and left the legacy of freedom and democracy, which came through what he sacrificed, and the sacrifices of many others. We celebrate our victory now and for centuries to come. Long live the great memory of our great hero, O R, long live! I thank you.

Dr S E M PHEKO: Madam Speaker, we salute O R Tambo for his role in our national struggle, also for his pioneering role in education, as well as in law. He was amongst some of the first persons in the African community to practice law. He was a remarkable leader; he was a great achiever.

In paying tribute to O R, I want to emphasise that as a nation we should honour all our heroes from past wars of national resistance to today.

Among these I want to mention King Hintsa … inkunzi abayikhuz’ukuhlaba, ingekahlabi [a man who is well known for bravery] … King Cetshwayo, the architect of the Battle of Isandlwana, in which the African Spear triumphed over the military might of British imperialism; Makana, or “the left- handed”, who was amongst the first political prisoners to be sent to Robben Island; Jafta Masemola, a PAC leader who invented a key on Robben Island which could open any prison door. He was in prison there for 28 years; and Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, the only political leader in this country for whom there was a special law called the “Sobukwe Clause”.

As we pay tribute to Oliver Tambo today, let us remember all who made themselves the sacrifice for the liberation of our country. In their honour let us not forget that land repossession in our country was a primary contradiction of our struggle. It was the trophy over which our wars of national liberation were fought. Therefore, no land should be sold to and owned by foreigners while our people live in unhealthy squatter camps that are unsuitable for human habitation.

Ha re hopoleng Makwanyane, molaodi wa sesole sa Moshweshwe ha are: “Tshwara thebe e tiye wa rasenate, wa bona lefatshe la heno le a ya”. [Let’s remember Makwanyane, the Commander of Moshweshwe’s troops, who said: “Hold your shield tight, son of Rasenate, because the land of your elders is being taken away”.]

Mr P J NEFOLOVHODWE: Madam Speaker, when we commemorate and pay tribute to Comrade O R Tambo, we are at the same time celebrating the life of a struggle icon who dedicated his whole life to the liberation of his land and people. This celebration of Tambo’s life evokes in us the conditions under which black people lived during the time of apartheid, oppression and exploitation.

To O R Tambo the freedom of his people was paramount. It is important therefore to note that Tambo and all those who fought for freedom were deeply aware of the many years of cultural oppression and denial of black people’s cultural values and norms in the South African context.

Ahmed Sékou Toure put it differently as follows:

In any part of space, in any sequence of time, culture expresses the standard of intellectual, technical and technological development of the people who created it and continually enliven it and consummate it in order to steadily enrich it.

O R Tambo, a son who grew up in Mbizana village, was nurtured by the cultural values of his people, including the material circumstances under which they lived. All members who spoke before me have indeed expressed in unison what a great leader O R Tambo was. He was indeed a leader whose vision will remain with us for a very long time.

As we celebrate his life and his contribution to the struggle as well as our victory over evil, we must also take note of those amongst us who, if given a chance, would like us to return to the past. It is therefore important, in honour of O R Tambo, to continue with our revolutionary task to make sure that the vision he left behind should be achieved.

His leadership during the times of struggle, commitment and sacrifices should remain an example to all of us. This indeed is a story of a man who lived his life for the people.

Nga maÿwe maipfi, zwoÿhe zwe a zwi ita, o zwi itela lushaka. Ndi a livhuwa. Nnda! [U vhanda zwanÿa.] [In other words, everything that he did was for the benefit of the nation. I thank you. [Applause.]]

Mr L M GREEN: Madam Speaker, in commemorating Heritage Day the FD joins many other political parties today to pay tribute to our great national leaders like the late O R Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Robert Sobukwe and our former president, Nelson Mandela.

One of the key characteristics of Oliver Tambo is that he was a reconciler. In its pre-government days he would hold the ANC together by reminding the movement of its vision to realise South Africa’s democratic freedom. Oliver Tambo envisaged a people free from illegitimate state control, authoritarian government free from ideological constraints and institutional conformity. He was of the belief that government is for the people and not to stand over and above the will and interest of the people.

O R Tambo was a committed Christian leader. In fact, before his arrest he was to be ordained as a full-time priest, but God had in mind a more urgent role for O R to play - the liberation of his nation.

One further attribute of Oliver Tambo was his unselfishness in promoting the qualities and standing of others. Unlike the power struggles within political organisations today, he was not a leader who wanted to hold on to any power within his organisation. In fact, his leadership helped to shape the ANC’s institutional principles on democratically elected leadership, rather than centralised or indefinite leadership.

O R Tambo was a key figure in the negotiating process between the previous government and the ANC. The legacy of O R Tambo is to be seen in the conviction that the ideals of democracy, justice and a people’s government must be transferred from generation to generation.

The FD joins the nation today to salute and to honour the memory of Oliver Reginald Tambo. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr S SIMMONS: Madam Speaker, colleagues, the National Alliance believes that it is an uncontested fact that the late O R Tambo was a giant amongst many in South African history and will so remain. Given the challenges of poverty that South Africa faces, we have a grand example in O R Tambo of what a champion of the poor should encapsulate.

It was O R Tambo, when he was a member of the ANC Youth League, who spearheaded the change of the ANC from an organisation addressing the African elite to a movement of struggle for all oppressed people. Madam Speaker should allow the ANC to have serious introspection with regard to its current modus operandi.

Despite not being a head of state, the late O R Tambo was one of the most highly respected African leaders throughout the world. The late O R Tambo’s stewardship of the ANC elevated the organisation’s international profile. The NA believes that the late O R Tambo left a heritage of true statesmanship, which should be used by current-day leaders as a benchmark.

In conclusion, the late O R Tambo was not only prepared to sacrifice his family for what he believed in, but he also laid down his life. What more can a native of this country sacrifice? The NA points out that this is a heritage left not only to be honoured in words, but with actions. I thank you.

Mr A WATSON: Madam Speaker, hon Ministers, hon Deputy President, hon Leader of the Official Opposition … molweni nonke Malungu ePalamente kunye neendwendwe zethu. Ndinibulisa nonke ngegama le-DA. [Kwahlekwa.] Sihlalo, siqale le veki ngokuthatha iPalamente siyise ebantwini phaya eMaMpondweni eMbizana. Ndithe xa bendiye kuvela kwikhaya likatata uOliver Reginald Tambo phaya eNkantolo ndakhumbula ngexesha ndandisakhula eMbenyane ngaphesheya kweentaba zoNgeli sisalusa iinkomo zootata bethu neentanga zam. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)

[… greetings to all the Members of Parliament and guests. I greet you all in the name of the DA. [Laughter.] Chairperson, we began this week by taking Parliament to the people in Mbizana in Pondoland. When I visited the home of Mr Oliver Reginald Tambo at Nkantolo, I remembered my early childhood years when I and my friends looked after our fathers’ cattle in Mbenyane over the Ngeli Mountains.]

I said, hon members, that when we started this week by bringing Parliament to the land of the amaMpondo and a visit to the home of the late Oliver Tambo, I was reminded of my own childhood in the Mbenyane on the far side of the Engeli Mountains - a childhood where I too spent many days with my young friends herding the cattle of our fathers as equals. It had then never really occurred to me that the equality stopped when we went home to our very different families at night – different homes, different food, and different comforts. The reality of this inequality was only really brought home to me in later years.

So, whilst the visit in Bizana was in a way a trip down memory lane, the stark evidence of the hardships still suffered by so many people reinforced in me the need for us as parliamentarians to work even harder for the betterment of the lives of our people. But whilst doing so, we must always pause to honour those like O R Tambo who dedicated their lives to this ideal. Research with regard to this giant of a man who rose from a humble childhood in the small amaMpondo village of Kantolo to become a world figure recognised as a statesman even whilst in exile, showed how insignificant man can be when compared to those who emerge from generations of suffering to become the heroes of an entire nation. Once such man was Oliver Tambo - a man among many other great leaders of his time; a man who walked ahead and faced the onslaughts and overcame many disappointments to achieve what we have here today – a free and democratic South Africa.

Oliver Tambo was not destined to be part of the new democratic dispensation that he worked so hard for. I therefore cannot help but wonder what his impact on a free South Africa and on this very democratic Parliament would have been.

’n Reus het gaan rus, maar ons mag hom nooit vergeet nie. [A giant has gone to his rest but we may never forget him.]

Kunjalo bahlekazi, indoda enkulu kakhulu iphumle ngoku. Ze sincede singamlibali. [Kwaqhwatywa.] [It is has happened, honourable ones. A great man has gone to his rest. We must please not forget him. [Applause.]]

Prof A K ASMAL: Madam Speaker, the Tambo family and comrades, hon Members of Parliament, we are enjoined in a very famous book to praise famous men.

We in South Africa enjoy the fruits of freedom because of the sacrifices of thousands of women also. So, on Heritage Day we recall the work of the midwives of our freedom, men and women. For me there is a special resonance in the celebration because in a few week’s time, on 27 October, we will mark the 90th anniversary of Oliver Tambo’s birth. There will be special celebrations, which the family will be joining, in London. This therefore will be a personal tribute to a great man who deserves Parliament’s acknowledgement. We can name all the streets and the airports after him, but this is the repository of the triumphal legitimacy of the South African people. It’s appropriate that we should do so.

So, from a personal perspective, this is not some form of hero worship, because his life also sets challenges to us. One of them is to disprove Rusty’s famous eulogy to O R, as we knew him, and his generation of the Mbekis and the Mandelas. Rusty Bernstein wrote:

They had a quality of leadership that South Africa has produced which I am certain after that generation we will never have again.

We must disprove him. With all the legacies to build on the extraordinary contribution of this generation that has made our freedom possible, let us prove Rusty Bernstein wrong.

My first contact with O R, as we affectionately knew him in exile, was indirect and from a distance. As a school teacher, I was discreetly politically active living in the small country town of Stanger - now renamed as kwaDukuza - on the North Coast of Natal. My political hero was Chief Albert Luthuli, the then President of the ANC, who was then banished to the magisterial area of Tugela. The Chief used to travel to Stanger every now and then from his home in Groutville, an isolated and impoverished location. In 1955, in one of our encounters, he informed me that the ANC had recently elected a Johannesburg lawyer called Oliver Reginald Tambo as its secretary-general. Albert Luthuli was a large man with an extraordinary voice. When he laughed, his whole body shook and his face was suffused with smiles. He broke into laughter when he told me that Nelson Mandela’s law partner was a quiet and modest man, but a man of steel, he said, who would galvanise the ANC. So, he was right on this because Oliver Tambo again and again said that Chief Luthuli was his mentor and his teacher. So, I could learn little more of O R till the early morning of the arrests of the 156 treason trialists. In 1956, all of us were involved and followed this.

But during the middle of the trial, Albert Luthuli lent me a book which had a profound effect on me. This was Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. And I have been rereading this book for the tribute that many of us have made to him. Luthuli’s words were to me: “Read this book as it reflects a life of struggle.” “We will face similar struggles”, he said, “to those of the hero, Christian, before we win our freedom.” At that time, to me as a rationalist and a secularist, this book was a revelation. Even today, it provides enormous insights.

Both Luthuli and Tambo were profoundly religious, as we know. They neither allowed their beliefs to intrude on personal relations nor political strategies. They both travelled along Christian’s allegorical roads, the Slough of Despond, the Hill of Difficulty, the Valley of Humiliation, and neither reached the celestial city of freedom. They were both strong men. And though they must at times have felt like despairing, we who knew them mostly from a distance were never aware of it.

Tambo lived his life by the injunctions given to Christians not to surrender to the forces of evil; not to be deflected from the path of righteousness. Life was not given to him, as somebody wrote in the later edition of Bunyan’s book: “… merely for ease and pleasure, but for the realisation of the ideals of high endeavour and noble service”. So, indeed O R sacrificed his life, as we know, for our freedom, as his life reflected the high ideals of high endeavour and noble service.

I can identify two phases in the relationship we have had with the law. The first period was 1960 to 1964, when he mobilised people to break the walls of ignorance about apartheid South Africa. As, of course, the Minister for Arts and Culture has already pointed out, he was designed to go overseas and do this. And he led the campaign for sanctions, culminating in his extraordinary performance at the first ever International Conference on Sanctions in 1964. It covered too the campaign on behalf of the release of political prisoners, which saved the lives of Nelson Mandela and the Rivonia trialists and then, most important of all, arranged for certain forms of military and other assistance to the ANC.

He was, externally, the face of the ANC. Barred from entry into the United States, even the Secretary of State, Schultz, succumbed to the extraordinary political position and insights of Oliver Tambo. At that time, of course, everything was weighed in the calculations of the Cold War, including opposition to and support of apartheid, as we know, particularly the Reagan administration’s relationship with the South African regime. But he showed us it was possible to arouse consciousness about the evils of apartheid by reaching out to ordinary people. He worked with civil society in all its manifestations, including political parties, and pressurised governments. So, though he walked with captains and kings, he never lost the common touch.

He introduced many of us to the bourgeoning anti-apartheid solidarity movements in Europe and elsewhere in the world. He showed us by example the necessity to remove all political and sectarian approaches in our solidarity work. His humility drew us to him and strengthened our own understanding as to how we should work towards a nonracial South Africa, in exile.

He was truly, as many of you have said - but many of you didn’t know him - a modest man. For years he insisted that he was only the Acting President of the ANC and nothing was to detract from Nelson Mandela’s pre-eminent role. He said that again and again. A lesser man might have abandoned what must have seemed a hopeless task after the incarceration, the imprisonment of so many of the experienced leaders in the 60s and the suppression of resistance activities. So, Bunyan’s Hill of Difficulty proved long and steep. It was O R’s steadfastness that helped us to believe that it was not insurmountable.

The ANC has always emphasised that it was opposed to the white domination of South Africa and not to individual whites. It was this nonracial approach, persistently put before us by O R, which has brought together large parts of humanity in an unparalleled act of solidarity with the people of South Africa. It can rightly be said that the struggle against apartheid, more than any other issue I know, created a unified international platform for humanity, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs will attest to. So, the boycott movement, the isolation of South Africa, the solidarity with the people of South Africa, and all its dimensions have spread to communities and countries around the world, the pressure on governments to impose sanctions against the apartheid regime met with increasing success. And no one can doubt that, in fact, it was the primary role of Oliver Tambo that enabled us to have this remarkable unparalleled success because no other international issue, including a nuclear war and Vietnam, ever reached that extraordinary amount of unity throughout the world. And, of course, after the setting up of the UDF and the extraordinary resistance inside South Africa, we were under great pressure to create an alternative vision of South Africa through the constitution of South Africa. Oliver Tambo led us by setting up, as the Minister of Justice has said, the Constitutional Committee. He led the Constitutional Committee all the time by accepting that it was the prerogative of the South African people to write their own constitution and not people in exile sitting in the comforts of exile. It was he who said: “Create the principles under which we can go.” And we created the principles in 1988 – the principles that guided the negotiation but which made it possible for the apartheid regime to say: “We should negotiate with them.” The fundamental issue of that principle was to build on the ANC’s tradition.

This is very important because we mustn’t rewrite history. It has been said in a recent autobiography that the issue of the Bill of Rights only came up during the negotiations. That is not true because in fact the ANC’s Bill of Rights of 1944, the principles of the Constitution, led to acceptance by all parties of the need to have a basic document which will bind the government and other sources. So, it is a great credit to Oliver Tambo that the principles of the Constitution were adopted, including the far-reaching provisions of the 1991 version of the Constitution. These are very far- reaching provisions, if you look at the 1991 version which is reflected in some of the most controversial aspects of our present Constitution. So, let us say therefore that we can say with hindsight, reaching out to all the communities in South Africa, that this makes him one of the principal architects of reconciliation.

Reaching out, he took great care to maintain and strengthen the ANC’s tradition of nonracialism. It took a view of our struggle which relied on inclusiveness for his success.

He was the first leader of the liberation movement who emphasised the need for women’s liberation and particularly referred to the extraordinary document of 1954, the Women’s Charter.

So, my brothers and sisters, my comrades, Oliver Tambo’s abiding quality was the trust he placed in those who worked with him. He evoked deep respect and may I say even love for this highly principled leader - an extraordinary man, a man who built around him the community that he wished to see in exile.

So, we end by saying, and I quote Seamus Heaney, who is Ireland’s foremost contemporary poet, who wrote: “… that justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme”. This was in response to Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990. There can be no doubt that Oliver Tambo’s extraordinary determination to uphold the values of inclusiveness, nonracialism, nonsexism and justice, and his capacity to imbue others with the same values made an incalculable contribution to that rhyme.

He never reached the Promised Land. He is a true hero of our struggle but he helped us to reach the celestial city of Bunyan’s parable - a free and democratic South Africa.

Every day in South Africa we are grateful for this remarkable gift of Oliver Tambo. Thank you. [Applause.]

The SPEAKER: Hon members, that brings us to the end of the speakers’ list of this important Heritage Day debate, with a special tribute to O R Tambo. I must say, before I adjourn the House, that we received apologies from the Office of the President that the President will be unable to attend for the simple reason that he had responsibilities that he could not reschedule.

Secondly, I must recognise the executive mayor of the O R Tambo District of the Eastern Cape who joined us this afternoon. [Applause.]

Lastly, I received, graciously, a couple of notes indicating corrections we must make to the inscription on the plaque that was unveiled, which I had read to you.

Debate concluded.

The Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces adjourned the Joint Sitting at 13:03.