Honourable Speaker,
Honourable Premier of the North West Province,
Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature,
Honourable Members of the Executive Council,
Leaders of Political Parties, Executive Mayors,
Mayors, Speakers and Councillors,
Magosi a rona a tlotlegang,
Representatives of Public Entities,
The Business Community,
Sports Ambassadors,
Artists,
Comrades and distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I stand before you today to present to this august house and the masses of our people, the 2013/2014 budget speech for the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. We do so as a collective in line with our strategic plan, the National Development Plan, performance plans and the broader mandate of our liberation movement and the democratic government. At the same time, we are aware that we carry the heavy responsibility of leading the social transformation of our society by ensuring Social Cohesion and Moral Regeneration.
Honourable Speaker, we do so with the objective of preserving and promoting sport, arts, culture and heritage. Exactly a year ago, I stood in front of this august house and made a commitment of activities which would ensure a better life for our people through sport, arts, heritage and culture. We have been able to achieve most of the objectives we set ourselves. At the same time, some of these objectives remain challenges which we are attending to. It remains our collective aim to overcome these challenges in the interest of our people and mandate. We can assure this house that these challenges are receiving full attention.
Ga re kitla re lebala bomme ba kwa Gopane le Dinokana ba ba ileng ba tshwara phage ka mangana ba lwantsha tiriso le mokgweleo wa dipasa ka motsi wa tsamaiso ya tlhaolele. Ba ne ba bidiwa bomme ba Nyee Nyee. Kana Motswana a re “letlhaku le leshwa le agelelwa mo go le legologolo‟ We wish to reflect on the spirit of the gallant heroes and heroines of the struggle who were either born or who passed on during this month of May such as, Ruth First, Edwin Thoba Mofutsanyane, Moses Mauane Kotane and many others. They remain true pathfinders of democracy.
We shall now give highlights as reflected in our programmes. We have resolved labour disputes at a rate of more than 95%. The Department was able to advertise seventy–four (74) vacant and funded positions. The selection process of short-listing and interviewing is still in progress. Through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), we will create two hundred and seventeen (217) employment opportunities. We continue to create job opportunities in the areas of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation directly and indirectly.
To this effect we have advertised forty two (42) School Sport Assistant posts. This is in addition to the forty-four (44) EPWP job opportunities that we have created. New Departmental policies have been developed to address Gender Mainstreaming, and Human Resources Management. This will strengthen corporate governance and sound administration. To support related financial policies, we have established the Risk Management, and Supply Chain Management Committees. We have also developed a risk register and are looking forward to a clean audit in 2014.
Mmusa Kgotla, the Department has studied and considered the previous report of the Auditor General. As part of the audit action list, we have put in place financial delegations to ensure compliance and manage risk. Our focus is now on human resources delegations and control measures that ensure our commitment to good governance. I expect our senior management to be examples in achieving this objective. Closely related with the training support for records management is to capacitate the Archives and Records Management Policy for the Province.
This will in future assist to manage concerns raised by the Auditor General in audit outcomes. The Management of our archives is also an important contribution of preserving legacy and documenting our history. The department will work on establishing a Provincial Archives Council. Honourable Speaker, The department continues to support all arts and culture disciplines in the Province in line with the Mzanzi Golden Economy Strategy. We invite this house and the people of the Province to celebrate young achievers from this Province like Botlhale Boikanyo who scooped the South Africa’s Got Talent Award. Others like Quency K and Poko ya Pina won awards at the South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA).
Honourable Speaker, I wish to proudly announce to this house that our Department won the Best Arts and Culture Department at the South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA). The latest to join the long list of achievers of this Province is the multiple award winning Khuli Chana who took the SAMAs by storm. We acknowledge other artists and cultural activists who are making great strides in their various fields. Mmusa Kgotla, as part of reinforcing cultural promotion we work closely with Magosi a rona in rural communities. Re gopola Magosi a rona a a re tlogetseng, bogolo segolo Kgosi B.L.M.Motsatsi wa Batlokwa. These programmes often go with our support of the War on Poverty programme in which we donated books and food parcels to the needy. These initiatives took place in Logagane, Lebotlwane, Mabule, Manthe, Disake and Oersonskraal.
We are all the time pleasantly surprised by the huge talent of the performing arts in these communities. We have also over the past year partnered with various traditional leaders in local cultural and heritage festivities. These include Isikhumbuzo at Khayakhulu, hundred year celebrations at Lebotloane, as well as arts and culture festivities at Batlhaping –Ba Ga-Phuduhucwana and Manthe in Taung. Honourable Speaker and colleagues, just over a month ago, we gave three groups a chance to showcase their talents overseas. These are Dithaga tsa Ga Mme Halenyane from Sekhing, D’Voted from Mahikeng and Thagamoso from Lehurutshe who went to Ireland to promote South African arts and culture, to showcase talent in Thailand respectively.
These groups also took along crafts and cultural artefacts from the Province to promote our culture and heritage. We have progressed to preserve our languages and supported institutions tasked with this responsibility by appointing a Provincial Language Committee, the Sign Language Forum and hosting workshops on manuscript writing. Our developmental agenda has resulted in Learnerships for Film and Television, Performing Arts and New Venture creation. The department also hosted the Arts and Culture Indaba in an effort to ensure an inclusive strategy for the arts and culture sector in the Province. A new forum, the North West Museums Committee has been established to preserve and promote museums.
As part of revival of our Heritage Sites, we will renovate the war sites of the Mafikeng Siege. On 10 March 1994, the community of Mahikeng and its surroundings took to the streets demanding to be part of a new democratic society of South Africa. Around 60 lives were lost at the time. The area around the Montshiwa Stadium (including Cultural Village) was the stage of the eventual victory of the people. As a result, we will improve the area in preparation for the 20 years commemoration in 2014.
Honourable Speaker, the department works in partnership with Municipalities to provide Community Library Services. We are in the process of arranging official openings of libraries in Mogwase, Letsopa, Pudumong, Lebaleng and Khuma. In partnership with the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) the Department has to-date provided internet connectivity to a total of ninety-seven (97) Community Libraries. Recently, we joined hands with the Departments of Education and Training, as well as Correctional Services to host a successful World Book Day which was sponsored by UNESCO.
Honourable Speaker, we managed to launch the North West Sports Council, supported by South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). We have also through our Special Programmes and Mass Participation, facilitated games for the elderly, while also encouraging the youth to take part in sports. The Department conducted an audit of sporting facilities and programmes in the urban and rural areas of the Province. The report will ensure that we plan properly for infrastructure development projects. We are in the process of renovating stadiums in Lehurutshe, and Tlhabane while the Itsoseng renovation of tennis, volleyball, basketball and netball courts are close to completion.
The contractor is expected to hand over the project on 4 June 2013. In partnership with the Department of Education and Training, we again revived school leagues for different sporting codes. This resulted in participation of the Province in the National Schools Championships, where we obtained position five. We also support schools with sport equipment’s, as part of the school sports programme. School Sport forms part of our area of concentration. Activities are rolled-out at service points, and district levels to choose and prepare teams for provincial competitions.
We will pursue this programme with the aim to increase the number of schools participating in school sports leagues. We will increase the sporting codes from five (5) to ten (10). The current leagues are for netball, soccer, athletics, rugby, and cricket. This will also include competitions for farm schools, the intellectually challenged, and Para-Olympians.
The High Performance Centre assisted hundred and eighty (180) Athletes and helped five hundred and fifty (550) School Sport athletes who were part of the National School Sport Championships in December 2012. About five hundred and eleven (511) athletes who took part in National and International competitions were prepared at the centre for scientific, anti-doping and medical support. One hundred and thirty-three (133) coaches and technical officials from Federations also received training at the high performance centre. Mmusa Kgotla, we continue to pride ourselves with the sporting talent from this Province.
Itumeleng Khune, our national goalkeeper, and Steven Mokoka, the 2013 winner of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon are some of the examples that must be emulated. The department will this year support the 90 participants of the Comrades Marathon. They have joined us in the House today and we take this opportunity to wish them well in the competition. We also hosted a successful 2013 AFCON. We are proud to state that four of our citizens participated at the 2012 London paralympic games.
Honourable Speaker, we have had discussions amongst ourselves as a department and collectively agree that we shall restore governance through accountability in line with the necessary legislation. For this reason, we have to go back to basics, and ensure that each of our Statutory Bodies focus on its legislative mandate. We are pleased to announce that we advertised for positions in the Governance Bodies for our State Institutions, which are the North West Arts and Culture Council, the Provincial Geographical Names Committee, Provincial Heritage Resources Authority and the Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sports Foundation. We are putting systems in place to ensure that these governance bodies are fully functional. As we speak, the final selection process for Board Members is almost complete. Our commitment to the values of good governance is unshaken.
One of our hardest working entities, the Provincial Language Committee under the leadership of Goitse Modimo Seleka is currently at work to deliver the strategy called Mosekaphofu with the intention to promote, preserve, and develop indigenous languages. The body recently organised celebrations of the International Mother Tongue Day in Matlosana and Mahikeng.
Honourable Speaker, the Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sports Foundation has put together a change management plan. We cannot continue to do business as before. This has resulted amongst others in the accreditation of most of the learning programmes. Discussions are at an advanced stage with the Artema Institute of the North West University for accreditation. The agreement will benefit the Foundation through the skills development of tutors, accreditation of learning programmes by the University, and incubation. Early this month, Mmabana entered into agreements with the South African State Theatre and Independent practitioners to stage a number of theatre productions at the Foundation.
We take this opportunity to invite and urge you to attend these performances. Pela e tlhokile mogatla ka go romeletsa. The Foundation also hosted an International Poetry Festival which was well received and featured local poets. At the same time, the Department has requested the National Department of Arts and Culture to consider Mmabana as a National Cultural Industries Skills Academy (NaCISA). The establishment of the academy is a call by the Mzanzi Golden Economy Strategy. The North West Province has the advantage of a teaching and learning institute for different art forms in the form of Mmabana. A month ago, we had discussions with SASCOC on the accreditation of the Artistic Sport department of Mmabana as an Academy with a special focus on Gymnastics, Aerobics and Karate.
The vision is to turn Mmabana into a hub of future Artistic Sports Olympians. Considering the change management plan of the Foundation and its deliverables, the department will review the funding allocation for Mmabana. The global market for craft is significant and growing, and therefore requires that issues for craft enterprises be addressed. Since 2007, there has been an influx of South African craft into the European Union (EU), the United States of America, Canada and Australasia market. At the local front, crafters from the North West have been performing exceptionally well at major events, including Decorex (Decoration Exhibition).
The craft sector in the country creates jobs for 40 000 people and contributes Two billion (R2b) a year to the economy. The Mmabana Foundation, supported by the North West Craft and Design Institute (CDI) will host the first Lehika Crafts Market later this year. The market will ensure a regional economic activity that can be supported to access local, national and international markets. The ultimate aim is to build the commercial sustainability of the sector and the Lehika Crafts Market will become an annual event.
Currently, the department is reviewing its memorandum of understanding with the relevant sector training authority, Cathseta. We must also work with M.I.C.T Seta for film, television and video skills development in the Province. This will result in a comprehensive training service plan for the sport, arts, culture and heritage sector in the province. Our new job creation and sustainability efforts will therefore be an addition to the Expanded Public Works Programme of the Department. Working closely with the Department of Economic Development, Conservation and Tourism, we are promoting a common approach for the National Heritage Month in September. Sport, Arts, Culture and Heritage are closely linked to Economic Development and Tourism.
This collaboration should be encouraged for many years to come. During the month of September, the collaboration by the two departments will be on supporting the programme of the Aardklop Festival, the Taung Cultural Calabash, and the N12 Treasure Route. Activities during this month are expected to create short and medium term sustainability jobs for our people. Honourable Speaker, the promotion of sports, arts, culture and heritage cannot only be achieved by government alone. It requires partnership with the private sector. Since the beginning of the year, we have had a number of meetings with the private sector with the aim of encouraging them to assist government through their corporate social investment programmes.
We take this opportunity to thank SABMiller for supporting the upgrade of the Disaneng Stadium. We look forward to more agreements with a number of institutions to support our objectives. Discussions are at an advanced stage with other potential partners. In another development, we are in discussions with SEDA (Small Enterprise Development Agency) on a model for the establishment of a business incubator for our artists and crafters. SEDA has identified the Mmabana Foundation as the best placed institution to establish the incubator. Other potential partners in this initiative include Productivity South Africa, North West University and the South African Bureau of Standards. It also gives me pleasure to inform the house that our strategic partnerships approach has resulted in the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, and the National Heritage Council hosting funding workshops in the Province.
This approach will extend to all municipalities and traditional authorities of the province on sports, arts, culture and heritage. Mmusa Kgotla, Motswana a re „Tlhako ya morago e gata mo ya pele e gatileng teng‟. One of my predecessors, Honourable Ndleleni Duma, said in this house in 2008, “our programmes in the department seek to afford the African child to grow in conditions of prosperity, unity and democracy. These should be values that transcend all continents of the world so that each child must enjoy world peace and security, sustainable growth and development of all countries and where all nations are equal. This child should be protected from tasting xenophobia, tribalism, and racism.” It is against this background that we will strengthen our recreational programme. This will require us to partner our communities to achieve this. In so doing, the department will also work closely with the Department of Education and Training on enhancing the art in schools programme, school sports, and the dramatic performances on school set works. This will assist in youth development in the Province.
Honourable Speaker, our community of artists has raised concerns on how we support them and how we decide to support them. After listening to their objective concerns, the Department has agreed on a framework to support, local, regional, district and provincial flagship programmes. This approach will result in the North West Arts and Culture Council being responsible for proposals received from the community of artists. Calls for proposals will be made on a quarterly basis for the different art forms. This approach to funding will not discriminate against any art form, and will be based on a transparent criteria and adjudication format. We will therefore revise the annual allocation to the North West Arts and Culture Council in order to fulfil its mandate.
One of the areas which require our attention is the development of the film industry. For this reason, the Department will consider whether to establish a Film Office or a Film Commission for the Province. This consideration will also consider whether a short learning programme on film studies can be developed and offered by the Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sports Foundation (MACSF). We will work with the Department of Social Development, Women, Children and People with Disabilities on Toy Libraries and Early Childhood Development Centers. At the same time, we will obtain the support of the Department of Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison to wage war against piracy.
Kana motho kgomo o a thijwa. Iphapheng bagaetsho pele ga re lo etela. Ka ga re mafeto mantle. Through the Recreation and Siyadlala mass participation activities, we will partner the Department of Correctional Services in the rehabilitation of our offenders through sport and art programmes. We intend to partner the National Youth Development Agency, Provincial Recreation Council, Age in Action and Love Life in this project. The Clubs Development programme will result in teams being provided with playing attire. In the same spirit, the department will continue to offer necessary support to needy schools, clubs and community structures in the form of basic equipment’s.
It is a standing principle of our ancestors in our movement the African National Congress that "The People Shall Govern". Those who came before me have laid the foundation and we are confident that we are following on the right footsteps of that vision today by serving our people. Honourable Speaker, given our past rich history and our current standing in the national scene, the department will this year host the first ever Sport, Arts, and Culture Awards (SACA). The awards will recognise our talent, complement it, and preserve it for future generations as a point of reference. In addition, the awards will serve to encourage the youth to consider careers in sport, arts, culture and heritage. Mmusa Kgotla, in conclusion, I wish to thank the Head of Department (Acting), Mr Kgotso Khumalo and his officials of the department for their commitment to improving the lives of our people. Equally, I would also like to thank the Head of my Office, Mr Stoffel Mahlabe, as well as his two predecessors, the late Mr Mike Mokhutshane and Mr Moatlhodi Dilotsotlhe together with the rest of my support staff.
Motlotlegi Mmusakgotla ke rata go leboga Modulasetilo wa Portfolio Committee ya Metshameko, Botsweretshi le Setso Mme Galaletsang Gaolaolwe le Komiti, Tonakgolo ka go nkaga, go nthotloetsa le boeteledipele jo bo tsepameng, Badirammogo mo kabineteng ya Profense ka tlhotlheletso ya bone. Ke rata thata go leboga go tswa botennyeng jwa pelo mokgatlho o mogolo wa kgololesego, ANC, lekoko la bokomonisi (SACP) go bo ba mphile tshono ya go direla baagi ba Bokone Bophirima le Afrika Borwa, maloko a lelapa lame, bogolo segolo mme motsadi Mme Keitumetse Modise, yo o kileng a nkgodisa, wena Thakadu seepela tse dingwe matsatsa. Ere tse dingwe di tsenwe ke boitseme, o intshe setlhabelo go di epela. Wena setlogolo sa Ba-Nompe, nonyane ya motsoga-pele e bonwang ke basadi ba sa tswala, le lelapa loora Motswasele, bana, le molekane wame Rre Sello ka kemo nokeng ya bona.
I wish to say to all the people who continue to provide support in all that we do that Kalu Ndukwe Kalu reminds us that: “The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy”. A re semeleleng! Honourable Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to table in this house the Budget of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for 2013/2014 as follows: Programme 1 Management and Administration is = R83 436m Programme 2 Cultural Affairs = R113 777m Programme 3: Library and Archives = R124 000m Programme 4: Sport and Recreation = R144 669m Our total budget is R465, 882m
I thank you
Ke a Leboga
