Madam Speaker,

Today the DA sends its condolences to the families of former Minister Zola Skweyiya and former Ambassador George Nene. South Africa is always indebted to these stalwarts for their selfless contribution to liberating the nation. May these freedom fighters, whom others labelled as terrorists, rest in peace.

We are gathered here today to commemorate the life of uMama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

To quote Buddha:

“death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”

No truer sentiment could be held when describing the life uMama Winnie.

Against one of the most oppressive regimes in living memory, uMama stood as a beacon of hope to the downtrodden, the oppressed and those who were spurred on to ensure that South Africa becomes a country for all its peoples – free from injustice and hate.

In the days subsequent to her passing, I have found myself reflecting on where we have come from and the road that lies ahead of us.

Ours is a painful history of brutal oppression and suffering.

Many in this House will remember the hardships, heartache and painful memories of days gone by.

For many, uMama was a rock. She gave us hope when we thought our struggle for freedom was teetering. Her resolve and defiance put the fire back into our bellies.

She withstood degrading torture, the uprooting of her family, the dispossession of her loved ones and the fear that “they” could come for her at any moment. And come they did, especially in the wee hours of the morning. The intent; to intimidate and instil fear into her and her young children. To break their spirit.

Despite this, she stood resolute in the face of adversity. Her path would not be swayed.

She too was human and succumbed to many of the temptations and difficulties that we all must face in one way or another.

But, despite these human flaws, she managed to unite a movement, to combat and to out-wit those who stood to perpetuate a race-based totalitarian state.

It is for this reason she became affectionately known as the “Mother of the Nation.”

Her passing should not be mourned, instead her life should be celebrated.

Now more than ever, when we look back on those dark days of our past, we should remember where we came from, where we have been and where we are going.

While we have come some way since the advent of our democracy, many inequalities remain evident across our society.

We have major challenges within our socio-economic order. Millions of our people remain in squalor with little to no prospect of enjoying quality education, the security of tenure or a job that provides them with an income to support themselves and their loved ones.

There are elements in society which have opportunistically used these challenges to perpetuate hate, to instil fear and alienate segments of our society.

This is not the South African way.

This is not what our forefathers and mothers fought for.

We should all expose ourselves to some introspection and gain sight of how we can better the society in which we live.

uMama was a force to be reckoned with. She stood firm and held closely the values she cherished – values which would eventually afford us all the opportunity to sit here in this August House.

As we celebrate the life of The Mother of the Nation, let us all take a page out of her book and remain resolved to fight the injustices of the past that remain present today.

Let us each be a beacon of hope to those whom we were elected to serve.

Let us be the best we can to affect real change in our society.

More than ceremonies and parades, this would be a fitting tribute to our Mother who illuminated the path before us.

Her flame has not gone out – she has simply passed us the torch to continue the struggle for a just society.

In conclusion, my prayer to The Honourable Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is this: Rest thee well Mother, for you have run a long and tough race and served your people and your country well. We will forever be grateful to you for your sacrifices. Long live the Spirit umami Winnie, long live!!!