Makhenkesi Stofile, sport as a catalyst for development in South Africa
31 May 2006
Salutations and acknowledgements
One of our rallying calls during the struggle for the liberation of our
people and our country was that the struggle for a non-racial sports
environment was an essential part of the struggle for freedom. We argued that
sport in every part of the world reflected the society it is practiced in. A
racially divided society, a society which gives preference to a particular
gender or class, all these things tend to be reflected in the sports of a
particular country subtly or sharply.
Sports people can be exposed to anti-social traits like violence,
corruption, hooliganism, excessive nationalism and cheating. Sports people can
be exposed to the dangers of child labour, doping, early specialisation,
exploitative commercialisation and over exertion. These ills of society
invariably affect the health of citizens; create a premature separation of
juveniles from their families and a loss of cultural and communal ties. So yes,
sport is a reflection of society; its miseries and woes, the socio economic
challenges and a societyâs values.
A positive and developmental approach to sport has potentially positive
benefits. In a transforming society like South Africa, Department of Sport and
Recreation must necessarily contribute to our countryâs transformation agenda:
An agenda which seeks to create a non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and
peaceful South Africa. Sport must contribute to the redressal of the
disparities of the past. Equal opportunities, access to infrastructure, access
to equipment and kit, yes equal access to skills and skilled coaches, referees
and efficient managers.
What guides our work
Our President in South Africa has persistently highlighted the potential
that sport has to build social cohesion and national unity. Who can understand
that more than us who experienced how South Africa was bound together in joy
when we won the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and when we won the right to host the
2010 Football World Cup in 2004. Of course we were also in a national
solidarity of misery, woe and anger as we lamented being knocked out of the
list of nations to participate in the Football World Cup in Germany.
Honourable members, I am reminding most of you of what you already
understand. But success for a sport activist does not rely on a periodic
remembrance of these facts. It does not rely on merely talking about them. What
is important for us is the passion in implementing these ideas. That is the
brief and mandate given to our Ministry when the President entrusted me with
sport and recreation for our country.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa affirms the democratic
values of human dignity, equality and freedom.
Section seven (1), participation in sport and recreation is recognised by
the United Nations (UN) as a fundamental human right which all governments must
access to all their people. As such, access to sport and recreation is a
non-derogable right.
In line with these Constitutional imperatives, our President assigned us
powers and functions to develop and implement national policies and guidelines
for our people and our country. This way we contribute to transforming South
Africa into a country that belongs to all who live in it, united in our
diversity. This way we contribute to the healing of pains caused by an
unfortunate dispensation in our country.
Our President also reminds us all the time that our ideals and objectives
for the South Africa of our dreams cannot be achieved through spontaneity or
mere aspirations. The transformation agenda cannot be left to the whims of the
market either. For the President correctly points out âmarket forces are not
sympathetic to the poor.â So we have a responsibility to make sport and
recreation unlock its potential in transforming and developing the
underdeveloped parts and people of our country.
Both Mr Kofi Anan speaking for the nations of the world and our President
for the African nations declared that well designed sport based initiatives are
practical and cost effective tools that could help the nations to achieve ether
development goals identified in 2000 by the UN. The well-known Millennium
Developmental Goals (MDGs). I think we should investigate the extent to which
in real terms the continued marginalisation of sport and physical education in
a number of countries undermines the success in delivering the MDGs. The
underperformance of sportspersons from such countries tends to attest to
attitude of seeing sport as mere luxury in society.
Our mass participation programme positions our sector well to make a
contribution to human resource development and poverty alleviation. We have
trained 353 unemployed young people to run this programme. The little stipend
we pay them contributes in feeding an average family of five people per
trainee. We have also trained young volunteers in the administration of sport
and recreation. 1293 entry-level coaches, 655 referees and more than 450 young
people have been trained. The latter number of 450 in events management and
first aid.
Some sports federations and other institutions have supported us admirably
in these initiatives. Only two weeks ago together with SAFA, SuperSport and the
University of Johannesburg, we launched a senior management training course.
The benefit of such acquired skills will benefit a number of federations in
lifting up their management capacity.
We consciously support these initiatives because we have prioritised the
good governance of our federations as a priority. It is true that facilities,
physical conditioning, sponsorship etc are important tools in the making of
world beaters. But if the management of these tools and the environment are not
up to scratch, it is highly unlikely to see success. Unhappy athletes do not
perform as well as they could. Good governance should improve the quality of
our sport. We are making a humble but important contribution to Accelerated and
Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and Joint Initiative on
Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA).
Our vision is to see the participation in our programmes lead to community
clubs. These will in turn be the basic sites of sport development and the
building bricks of social cohesion. Together with school sport, community clubs
are also where the catchment of players for skills development and
transformation will come. This is the rationale for us placing so many premiums
in their proper organisation and management. Better mores, a new positive value
system that will contribute to a moral regeneration will be born in these
close-knit clubs and schools
Madame Speaker and honourable members,
We are not just putting together human beings who must just get fit and
entertain us. We hope to transform selfish and money driven players and
managers to people of great integrity. Patriots who want to serve our country
more than they want to be millionaires (Cf Roland Schoemanâs refusal to swim
for Qatar).
The first Minister for Sport and Recreation in our democratic country the
late comrade Steve Tshwete always emphasised that; âChildren do not learn to
swim in their cots. They need a swimming pool.â We jolly agree with that great
patriot.
The provisioning of facilities and amenities all South Africans is a
sacrosanct imperative for us. As such we regard the accessing of sports
infrastructure to rural areas and townships as part and parcel of
transformation in sport and in society. This is why, Madame Speaker, the
preparation for the FIFA World Cup in 2010 is more than just preparing for a
mega sport event. Our preparations for 2010 have to be in synchrony with
government plans for the betterment of the lives of our people. This is why we
opted for 10 match stadium instead of just eight. That is why we will also
build or refurbish practice stadium in smaller areas like Kimberley. The road
infrastructure, the technology and business opportunities must have an impact
on the lives of our people and on the economy of our country. The mindset of
our country must also change. This is why we are building football stadium
where they have never been built before. South Africa is not just a rugby and
cricket country. Swimming pools and tennis courts are not just for the
city.
We hope our municipalities will continue co-operating with us in these
plans. We hope they will stop the bad habit of selling public facilities or
leasing them to monopolies that exclude our people through exorbitant
registration or participation fees. Sport must belong to all. It must be
accessible to all. We hope the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) will
perform better this year in delivering the much-needed infrastructure. We also
believe that the National Lottery funds designated for sport and recreation
will be focusing on the needs areas than to date. Honourable members of this
House could be catalysts to those aspirations of the people we represent.
Madame Speaker, we also firmly believe in collaborating with other
departments as we deliver on our mandate. The departments of housing, education
and local governments agree that we should be part of their planning of human
settlements, schools etc. Departments of safety and security, social
development, health and correctional services agree we have a role to play with
them in dealing with health and anti-social behavioural patterns of some of our
people. Both departments of defence and foreign affairs as well as the UN agree
that sport can contribute in changing the war psychosis of child soldiers. When
the guns go silent in Africa, peace must take root for development.
Our transformation agenda cannot be complete without attention to gender and
disability issues. I believe, Madame Speaker, that the performance of our
paralympians speaks for itself. Some of these great athletes draw tears from
the hardest of hearts. The national question as well as gender equity is
improving. Both swimming and tennis have responded positively to our calls for
integration. Cycling is also getting there. The first African woman won a medal
at the Commonwealth Games. This is progress.
On the negative, we have seen an upsurge in doping. This is a serious
challenge for our Department and for education. But above all it is a serious
challenge to the federations and the sponsors. The African Regional Office in
Cape Town is doing sterling work for WADA. South Africaâs voice is taken
seriously by the World Anti Doping Bodies. So the upsurge is painful but not
intimidating. Dr Manjra of South African Institute of Drug-free Sport (SAIDS)
thinks the doping cases are Athletic SAs annus horribilus. Lets hope so.
Success in sport cannot be realised without resources. We appreciate the
partnership we have with such entities as the Sports Trust, SuperSport, SCORE
and a whole range of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We also appreciate
the seriousness with which sponsors and federations take us. This is real unity
in action and it must win. The support of a number of countries for sports
entities in our provinces is also highly appreciated. Last but not least; the
team must be acknowledged, the Deputy Minister and the Director-General (DG)
lead a group of enthusiastic operators.
Please support our budget proposal so that we can help South Africa remain
at the top.
Thanks
Issued by: Sport and Recreation South Africa
31 May 2006
