Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) Faith Mazibuko has joined the chorus calling for parity in salaries for sports men and women across all sport.
She was presenting the 2017/18 SACR Annual Report where she revealed how an increasing number of people continue accessing services offered by her department.
Following structural re-alignment of the department, the financial year under review (2017/18) has seen efforts to accelerate service delivery beginning to bear fruit. Departmental programmes and services have reached more people in accordance with the new service delivery model termed ‘deliverology’
Said MEC Mazibuko: “There has been an increase in the number of people who have accessed our services and opportunities including libraries, funding, support, capacity building etc. Over and above that there’s also more people who participate and get involved in our mass and recreation programmes including marathons, aerobics, theatre, poetry, dialogues and more”.
Arts and Culture:
“Since 2014, we have created over 23 000 job opportunities prior to and during live music events. The Social Cohesion Carnival which is held on Heritage Day, includes parades which showcase diverse cultures through dance, music, and diverse culinary traditions. We have seen the number of participants continuing to grow and has reached approximately 50 000 participants which includes 6 000 from 108 Gauteng Schools.
“We have prioritised Arts and Culture Programmes such as drama, dance, and music, which have become a platform for aspiring artists to showcase their talent. These include Basetsana Script Writing, Ishashalazi Theatre Festivals, Soweto Theatre Festival, Uxhumano Arts and Culture Festival, Zindala Zombile Traditional Dance, Gcwala Ngamasiko Music and Dance Festival, Mmino Wa Postola- Clap and Tap Music Festival and several Poetry Festivals.
“The Basetsana Script Writing and Directing workshops have benefited over 500 young women since 2014. Over the years through our programmes we have helped produce several talents which continue to grace our TV screens including Kere Nyawo, Thulani Didi and Paulina Mohlwatsi among others.
“Through the Gauteng Film Commission, the department has again done more including “...supporting 17 productions, facilitating the issuing of 209 Film permits; training of 963 individuals in the film industry and establishing 968 temporary jobs directly within the sector”.
“Since 2014 an additional 25 new libraries and 11 mobile units have been opened, targeting areas which never had these services before. There are currently over 285 libraries spread across Gauteng. This has seen more visits to libraries from 4 million in 2014 and increasing to over 11 million at the end of the year under review.
Gauteng and its people played an important role in the liberation of South Africa. This has also seen the establishment of 5 Liberation Heritage Routes, -in each of the 5 Gauteng regions- which tell the story of South Africa’s liberation in the province.
“Since 1994 efforts to honour the sung and unsung heroes of this noble course continued adding to the list of the likes of Bertha Gxowa, Selope Thema, Dolly Rathebe, David Bopape, Sibongile Mkhabela, Reverend George Wauchope, Alinah Mokoena, and Julia Phethane.
Sport Recreation
“Departmental sport programmes continue to attract and help produce stars for the nation. Over the years Gauteng has continued to dominate the National School Sports Championships, emerging as winners for 5 consecutive years. Some of the stars the department has helped produce include Percy Tau and Motjeka Madisha who were winners of the 2014 Kay School Cup; Chriswell Maphosa (School Sport Gymnastics); Refiloe Jane (inaugural winner of our Under 17 Future Players programme) and Thembi Kgatlana who are both in BanyanaBanyana; Thabelo Masutha (rowing); Kgothatso Montjane and Nokwanda Hlongwane (Wheel Chair Tennis).
Not only have the departmental programmes made impact within the field but in bringing together communities and help build and strengthen social cohesion.
“The Premier’s Social Cohesion games, Arnold Classic Games, Women in Sport Dialogue, Mandela Remembrance Walk and many others continue to help build Gauteng and in impacting on our province socially and economically.
MEC Mazibuko has committed the department to continue working hard to maintaining and improving on achieving good governance.
“We have managed maintained an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor General in relation to audit outcomes over the past three financial years. We however want to progress towards a clean audit. The strategies and decisions we’ve adopted including realignment of the structure and the working with the Department of Infrastructure Development should help us achieve this”, said MEC Mazibuko.
Enquiries:
Nomazwe Ntlokwana
Cell: 083 507 8068
Tel: 011 355 2578
E-mail: Nomazwe.ntlokwana@gauteng.gov.za
