Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces,
Deputy Chairperson,
Honourable Members of the NCOP,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Let me start by thanking the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) most sincerely for this farewell to me today. I am humbled by this act of honour on my account by the NCOP, an organ of the democratic Parliament that represents the will of our people.

Having interacted with you for all the years that I have been both the president and the deputy president of the country, it means much too much to me to have this farewell organised by the NCOP on the occasion of my leaving government.

I am also thankful for all the kind tributes paid to me by honourable members of this House this afternoon. Thank you very much.

I feel all the more honoured to have this tribute in the House that has seen such great historical evolution. Starting as the Senate in 1994, chaired by Honourable Kobie Kotzee who was deputised by Honourable Govern Mbeki, this House evolved into the National Council of Provinces in 1999. It has since continued to be an important part of Parliament.

It uplifts the human spirit to learn that what one has been doing all along has been appreciated, especially by the people one has been working with. We are in government to serve our people. We are here not only to make a difference but most importantly, to make the difference.

Chairperson,

In turn, I wish to pay tribute to the role of the NCOP, one of the two houses of our Parliament, to the extent that this House has ably represented the principle of co-operative government and inter-governmental relations.

My experience of the role of this House in our system of constitutional democracy is that it is indispensable in representing the interests of provinces and so, by extension, ensuring that the aspirations of the people of South Africa are met.

Somewhat an impression has been created, in certain quarters, that the NCOP plays second fiddle to the National Assembly, or that it is subordinated to it. The NCOP is not a junior partner or poor cousin of the National Assembly. It is a constitutional structure charged with the imperative role for our country. In other words, the NCOP is the other House.

As such I think that the current misunderstanding about the NCOP is rather unfortunate. I would really wish for us as government to dispel this illusion and take the trouble to clarify to our people the role of various institutions of the state, especially those that underpin our system of democracy.

It is in the interests of our people to be in the know about the configuration of their government and indeed, the architecture of the state. It is even more significant given that at the end of the day we are all faced with the epochal task of undoing the continued legacy of our odious past. One of the pre-conditions of achieving this task is both theoretical and practical knowledge about the apparatus at our disposal to execute our duties with optimal efficiency.

We have no option but to undo this legacy, which is currently manifested in the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty, ills whose continuation threatens to undermine current effort at reconstruction and development of our country.

We cannot afford such backsliding. Our current efforts are all aimed at building unity, democracy, non-racialism and non-sexism, which, in sum, constitute the strategic goal of our nation, or, to put it another way, our shared vision.

This vision is the foundation upon which our future will stand. It cannot be any other way. Yet this vision cannot be reached until and unless all the institutions of the state play their part, with the realisation that we are an organic whole, underpinned by the notion of cross-fertilisation, so that the strength of one institution becomes the strength of all.

We are not helpless objects of history. We may have, in the past, been at the mercy of historical circumstances, but we are so no longer.

Our destiny is in our hands. In a way the memorable Chinese saying is evocative of our current historical moment. It simply says: 'If you want to know your past-look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future-look into your present actions.'

Our past has shaped our present, to the extent that we have a massive task in our hands to reverse its insidious effects. Correspondingly, we all know, Chairperson, that our future depends on what we do today. Our present actions will shape the contours of our future.

This calls to mind Professor Mokubung Nkomo's memorable line that 'the future is embedded in the present as the present bears imprints of the past'.

As I leave office, I do so fully aware of the massive task that still lies ahead and the difficult conditions under which the task has to be executed. I am confident that our nation has men and women of vision, ever ready to do their bit to ensure that our nation advances towards the desired level of development.

Honourable Members,

At the centre of the democratic experience lies the need for citizens to have direct say in the way that they are governed.

In this regard the NCOP plays a critical role in linking Government and ordinary South Africans, through 'Taking Parliament to the People'. The week-long visit by the NCOP to designated communities ensures that Government has its fingers to the pulse by directly interacting with South Africans.

The NCOP widens the frontiers of democratic participation by making sure that this organ of our system of public representation galvanises our people into democratic exercise. On this account the NCOP's work lends credence to the long cherished call that 'The People Shall Govern'.

To that extent, the NCOP is the lifeblood of our system of democracy. It guarantees participatory democracy.

Chairperson,

As the term of current government ends, we should look back to see how far we have come, especially in the context of the twenty years of democracy. We should do so not only to indulge in the glory of our achievements but more importantly, with an eye to the future.

Our struggle for the betterment of the lives of our people, indeed all South Africans, is a continuing struggle. As they say, 'Aluta Continua'?the struggle continues. The struggle is taking place in the trenches of everyday life, where there is no time to pause and look back.

This is what makes the struggle ‘the struggle'. Our obligation is to understand these historical conditions under which the struggle is being executed. Our main challenge is to fully grasp the Hegelian Dialectics. Progress stems from the struggle itself. The Mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead understood this, though in his own ways, when he observed that:

'The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order.'

As life hurtles along, so should we effect change working to the rhythm of objective conditions in which we find ourselves.

Honourable Members,

As I conclude I wish to take this opportunity to thank my political party, the African National Congress (ANC) for the confidence it has shown in me by deploying me in Parliament to serve the interests of our people.

In the six years that I have been in government, I did so on the platform of this organisation, whose roots go back deep in the formative conditions of our country as we know it today.

Chairperson,

In its diversity, the NCOP is the representative of our people who are united their diversity and therefore reflects the full spectrum of South Africa's ideological persuasions. I am emphasising this point so that the value of our political difference should not be lost on us, now or in the future, as this basis of our democratic experience.

In conclusions, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all parties represented in this House, for the support they have shown in me throughout.

This includes the Presiding Officers, with whom I have been interacting and who have provided commendable service to me so that I could carry out my work.

I thank you and wish you all the best in your continued struggle to bring about a better human condition, and in particular, African condition!!!

Indeed, let us say it loud and clear: aluta continua? The struggle continues!!!

Na Khensa, Ndo a livhuwa, ngiya thokoza, dankie, I thank you, Keya leboga!Q