Date: 05/06/2009

Source: Democratic Alliance

Title: DA: Motau: Speech by the DA shadow minister of energy at the State of the Nation debate in Parliament

Mr. Speaker.

Let me start by stating the obvious: I am a South African. No less and no more equal than any other South African in this chamber or in the country.

Ke setlogolo sa Matswetla, Matebele le Bakgatla. Ke moagi wa Afrika Borwa thwi-thwi!

I am passionate about South Africa's Nation Building Project!

I am driven by the powerful vision of the Democratic Alliance of One South Africa, One Nation, One Future and of an Open Opportunity Society where every South African can be the best that he or she can be.

I was thus greatly encouraged by the President's call that, "we must build a common national identity and patriotism" and that we must forge an inclusive national identity.

I believe that to deliver on this plea we need to acknowledge certain truisms about ourselves as a people:

First, we - the people of South Africa - are not yet a Nation. We must work hard at building our nation.

Second, South Africa went to war with itself to rid a country of the abomination that was Apartheid so that all its citizens could know peace and political, social and economic freedom.

Third, South Africa did not go to war with itself so that political and economic power could again be colonised by a handful of people merely because they belong to a particular race, tribe or ethnic group or political formation.

Fourth, racism is not about colour or power. Racism is an evil human failing that must be eradicated like all maladies. All of us must do our best to beat this cancer.

Fifth, Nelson Mandela and the millions of South Africans who gave their lives to The Struggle did so to afford any one of us, citizens of South Africa - black and white, male and female - the chance to become President of South Africa.

Sixth, significant, sustained economic growth is critical to a stable and prosperous democratic South Africa.

I was thus deeply disappointed that the President seemed to dismiss the critical issue of energy sufficiency in one throw-away sentence in his address.

Being the optimist that I am I trust that the Minister of Energy will address this issue in depth in due course.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to end by referring to Lebo Mashile and Don Mattera, these amazing gifts to South Africa. Lebo urged us to look for the threads that bind us. Let us find these threats and weave them into the fabric of the prosperous, non-racial, non-sexist open opportunity society that we desire for ourselves.

Let us also remember how Bra Don reminded us of this land, South Africa, our land, and what we need to do to preserve it for prosperity.