Item 1547 - Speech in National Assembly debate on the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Bill, 17 May 1995

TRANSCRIPT
The PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC: Mr Speaker, Deputy Presidents, hon members, before I comment on the Bill, I want to offer some explanation, because I believe that from both sides of this House I have been accused of playing truant and staying away from Parliament. [Laughter.] I think that is a very unfortunate impression and with all humility I would like to indicate to all hon members that if there is one thing that worries me, it is the fact that the President of the country as well as Cabinet Ministers cannot be present in Parliament when major national issues are being addressed.
I have raised the matter several times in the Cabinet, to express my concern about the heavy programme of the President. Issues in which I represent the Government take me away from this setting and even beyond our borders. I am very sorry that it has not been possible for me to be here when such questions are being discussed.
Now, dealing with the matter under discussion, the title of this Bill is the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Bill. I hope that all the contributors to this debate will bear in mind the task before us. It is not easy for politicians, including leaders of political organisations, to suppress the temptation to score points against their opponents. During the past 12 years, there have been political leaders who never made a single speech without attacking their opponents. I, as President of the country, have scrupulously avoided that, because first and foremost the task of the President is the responsibility to build this nation and to promote the spirit of national reconciliation.
I am not going to be responding to political leaders, Deputy Presidents and others. I shall avoid that. I am concerned with focusing the attention of the entire country on addressing the basic needs of our people and with promoting the building of our nation and national reconciliation. It is in that spirit that I am going to take part in this debate. I want to indicate at the outset that I have great respect for hon members on both sides of this House. In fact, in many cases, many of you on both sides enjoy my admiration. It is in that spirit that I am going to take part in this discussion.
There may be differences amongst us in legitimacy and credibility. I hope none of us will take advantage of the fact that some hon members here have this difficulty of not having maximum credibility and legitimacy to lead the country, and to address the major national issues that are facing the country.
I am concerned about the fears and concerns of the minorities in this country. These are concerns that are genuine, because when one has one party which commands an overwhelming majority, and has to work hand in hand with minority parties, the temptation is there for such a majority party to ignore the views of the minority parties, to seek to co-opt them, and to make them rubber stamps of what the majority decides.
If there is anything I have tried very hard to achieve, it is that the majority party must have the understanding, and the humility, not to abuse its position, but instead to ensure confidence in the minority parties in the country, and to see to it that their views are fully accommodated. I also take into account that there are leaders on both sides who never make faults; who are sincerely committed to nation-building, and want to bring their respective communities to a commitment to participate without reservation in the process of nation-building and promoting reconciliation.
I am concerned that some hon members feel that the cut-off date of 5 December 1993 does not accommodate their own people. This is a genuine concern which should receive the support of all parties, especially the majority party. Our task is to remove the concerns of all national groups in this country, and the responsibility for that is that of the majority party. As to those who have sacrificed, and even lost part of their constituencies, we have to reward them for the courageous stand they have taken. We have to give them something which they can take back to their respective communities, and say: "This is the result of our involvement in nation-building. We have been able to negotiate and to resolve this particular problem which faces our respective communities". Therefore I have great sympathy for the demand that the cut··off date must be extended to 10 May 1994. [Applause.] I have great sympathy for that.
The MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: A! [Hail!] Dalibhunga! (Clan praises.) [Laughter.]
The PRESIDENT: A! [Hail!] Shenge! Sowalisa! Phungashe! (Clan praises.)
I want to repeat that I have great sympathy for that, because some of our leaders have expressed this concern repeatedly and have seen me and the Minister of Justice. One of those leaders, who has himself negotiated with some of our people, is a remarkable leader who comes from a completely different background, but who has now become one of the key figures in nation-building. It would be a mistake for us to be deaf to his pleas.
Therefore I want to repeat, so as to be understood very clearly, that I have sympathy for that concern.
However, we must appreciate the environment in which we are discussing the question of extending the cut-off date. The level of violence in our country is unacceptably high. People in certain areas are being killed today. Every time people see corpses in those areas. They see women wailing because their loved ones have been slaughtered in this senseless violence. In that environment we must consider very carefully whether we should contemplate extending this date. It is a question of timing. Those who want this extension to be considered positively by us, have a responsibility to ensure that they help all of us in bringing the level of violence down and removing it altogether.
The people of South Africa are not really involved in slaughtering innocent people or in slaughtering men, women and the aged. They want jobs. They want houses. They want schools and health centres for the community. They want electricity and water. These are the things that matter to them, but we have hit squads in various parts of the country that make it difficult for the people to feel safe and secure--even in their houses. There are those who are keen that this dale should be extended, in order that people who are today in prison and who have committed offences after the cut-off date of 5 December 1993 should also be considered and should come out and join their families.
We have, therefore, this assignment of co-operating and ensuring that this high level of violence which is bleeding the country is brought down. I have no doubt that once that happens everyone here, on both sides of this house will feel that it is part of nation-building and national reconciliation for us to consider extending this cut-off date. I must also deal with the perception which has disturbed me very much, but which is absolutely wrong, that the Government is concerned with settling scores with provinces in which it has lost That is perfectly incorrect. The record is there for us to see how even-handed the Government is on this question.
Hon members will be aware that in Umtata in the Transkei the police rebelled against the Government. Efforts were made to resolve these problems with them peacefully, without success. They then decided to surround the townships. They erected roadblocks and did not allow people to leave or enter the town.
King Ndamase, the former president of the Transkei - whatever we thought about the policy of apartheid and the homelands, Ndamase is the King and the former president of that homeland - came to one of these roadblocks, and was told that he could not go through. He said: "Do you know who I am!" They said: "We do not care to know who you are, you are not going through," When I got the report I had ordered. I instructed the Minister of Defence and the Minister for Safety and Security and their two generals to put together a task force, and to crush that rebellion by force. We did so, and regrettably somebody died.
However, we were forced into that action. Now Umtata is my country village. It is the best place in South Africa. [Laughter.] That is where I spend every one of my holidays. However, when that happened I was not prepared to be influenced by parochial factors. They had risen against the Government and they had to be dealt with.
Hon members are aware that we did exactly the same thing in Port Elizabeth when the prisoners there took a warrant officer hostage and made certain demands. The PAC went there and tried to persuade them to release this official. They failed. The Premier of the province, Raymond Mhlaba, went there to persuade them. He failed. I left the meeting of the National Executive which was in session and I instructed the Minister for Safety and Security to send a special task force there to crush that rebellion . . . [Laughter.] . . . and to rescue that warrant officer. They rescued him. We have drawn no distinction whatsoever as regards the political affiliation of the people we have dealt with.
In the Transkei, in Tsol0, 10 members of the ANC were arrested by us for killing people there and for committing robbery. They are behind bars now. They are members of the ANC. On the East Rand the MEC for Safety and Security, Jessie Duarte, arrested members of the SDUs. We formed the SDUs. We dissolved them. But these SDUs rebelled, and they have been killing people. They are now behind bars. The ANC is even-handed in approaching this matter.
If we feel concerned about the level of violence in any particular province, it is not because we are conducting a vendetta because we lost the election in that province. It is because it is in the interests of the entire country that we should save lives. I would like to appeal to members on both sides of the House to concern themselves, in discussing questions of this nature, with the ideal of saving human lives. J have already expressed my views on this matter and do not want to repeat them. I want everybody to be in a good frame of mind so as to contribute positively to this discussion.
It is our duty to act in such a way that human lives are saved and that there is free and fair political activity in every part of our country in general, and in regard to the forthcoming elections in particular. We must not allow any province to undermine the Constitution or to seek to deprive citizens of the fundamental rights which I had enshrined in the Constitution.
It is in that spirit that I think we should look at this Bill. Let us contribute towards building national unity and reconciliation. Let us resist scoring points against our political opponents. I have no doubt that we have here the cream of South Africa, the leaders in thinking, who want to remove every factor which might contribute to withholding investors from our country.
The socio-economic programme which we have set ourselves requires immense resources. We cannot face these problems if there is instability in our country. This nation-building must not be a question of rhetoric. Let us, in discussions of this nature, make sure that we hold hands and that we are ab le to show our people that we are concerned with reducing the high level of crime ill this country. I refer to ordinary and political crime. I have no doubt that the world, which believes that we have achieved a mere miracle, will applaud us if we are able to resist the temptation of scoring points against one another.
Unfortunately I have to attend a meeting with Dr Savimbi. I was supposed to meet him at 15:00. I have sent Executive Deputy President Mbeki to apologise, since I have to make my remarks here in Parliament, but Mr Speaker, I hope that you will allow me to leave once I have delivered this speech.
I would also like to say that I don’t want us to be directly involved in dealing with the problems in any part of the world, including Africa and our neighbouring territories. I want us to play only a supportive role, because we have immense problems in our own country. We might think that a certain problem is a very easy one to resolve, but it can actually be like guerrilla warfare which can never be brought to an end, as all hon members now know. [Laughter.]
It is in a spirit of complete humility. respect and admiration for each and every person in this House- recognising that this miracle would not have been possible without the critical role which each and every member has played in facilitating this transformation and in bringing us to a point today at which we can take stock of our achievements and try, during the next 12 months, to correct the many mistakes which we have made during the past 12 months-that 1 have decided to take pall in this debate. [Applause.]