BY REGINALD KANYANE

North West Provincial Legislature Speaker, Sussana Dantjie bid farewell to the longest-serving member of the North West Provincial Legislature, Chris Hattingh.

Democratic Alliance member, Chris Hattingh will be joining the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town. He served in the legislature for 21 years when the first new democratic dispensation was ushered in.

Dantjie described Hattingh as a person who served in the legislature with distinction. “You were the longest serving member of this provincial legislature. You served it with distinction and we hope you will continue to raise the flag of the North West Province at the NCOP,” Dantjie said.

Mahlakeng Mahlakeng who spoke on behalf of the African National Congress described Hattingh as somebody whom had actually taught him. Mahlakeng said Hattingh also mentored most members of the provincial legislature.

“We have learnt a lot from his vast experience. We are actually loosing institutional memory. Quite often we would go back and ask him how they did something in years before we came. He served with all premiers that we had in this province. I am actually sympathising with the Economic Freedom Fighters because they are still new in their role as opposition and now he is leaving them poorer,” Mahlakeng said.

-TDN

Follow us on Twitter@Taung_DailyNews or @IceT_