“I don’t understand the English language and I don’t understand what all these words mean. But I do understand that this law will take us back to apartheid because you want to give the chiefs too much power,” he said. 

“This law will make us suffer because it wants to put HF Verwoerd’s regime back in place … by putting the indunas back in control of our lives.”

He handed back the microphone, but got up again, wiping his shining forehead. 

“And on a point of order,” he told Mahlalela, “I see all you officials are drinking water in the front. Can I have some too, please?”