26 August 2021
Comrades good morning and welcome to our ordinary Caucus meeting once more after a lengthy constituency period. As comrades have observed, the momentum of our constituency and oversight work continue to find sustained articulation in the work of our Committees and forms part of the strategic agenda of both Houses.
The prominence of the recovery of our economy from the devastations caused by the recent wave of violent looting and wanton destruction of property on our agenda bears testament to this. We do this to reaffirm our resolve that this should never happen again under our watch and in our name. Most importantly, we do this to demonstrate that the lives of 300 plus people – some of which were women and children – who died in the midst of this violence did not perish in vain.
This Caucus takes place a few days after the African National Congress (ANC) and indeed the people of South Africa suffered yet another tragic loss with the sudden passing of Comrade Dan Montsitsi. For most of us in the ANC, the name of Dan Montsitsi does not require any clarification. He was a former student leader of the 1976 youth uprising and a former Chairperson of this Caucus. Comrade Montsitsi was a cadre of unquestionable loyalty and commitment to our movement; his story is one a humble service to our people until the end.
The most practical way of honouring the legacy of Comrade Dan Montsitsi is to intensify our efforts in the fight against the deadly Covid19 pandemic.
Equally tragic has been the untimely of Comrade Dan Molapo who was working for the ANC Caucus as an IT Technician at the time of his passing. Comrade Dan joined the ANC Caucus in 2006 as an Admin Assistant and worked himself up to the position he recently held as an IT Technician. As shall be remembered by many of us, this young comrade placed his skills and youthful energy at the disposal of ANC Caucus without fail. He offered himself to the life and health of our Caucus.
May their souls rest in eternal peace!
Comrades this Caucus assembles at the time when our country continues to reel from one setback to another in the escalating scourge of Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Every week the country lowers its banners in honor of young women who are murdered brutally by blood thirsty scoundrels. The most recent of these being the senseless killing of Nosicelo Mtebeni, a Fort Hare student who was allegedly killed by her boyfriend. There is a family that is also grieving the brutal killing of their pregnant daughter in the township of Duduza (Nigel) in Gauteng.
To refresh our memory, this Caucus was initially scheduled to take place earlier on 19 August 2021 but had to be postponed to give way for the swearing in of the Speaker of National Assembly following our engagement with NEC officials Comrades allow me to officially welcome and congratulate Comrade Nosiviwe Maphisa-Nqakula as the new Speaker of the National Assembly. She is certainly not a newcomer to the legislative arm of the state and brings with her accumulated experience of more than two decades in public sector governance. Comrade Nosiviwe you have our collective support in the battles ahead.
In conclusion, please allow me to welcome comrades who were recently sworn in to join the ANC Parliamentary Caucus. As a tradition, I must introduce these comrades individually and call upon each one of them to rise as I call their names.
Thank you comrades, this Caucus is officially open!