Arts, Culture and Recreation, Ms Barbara Creecy, 2006/07
5 June 2006
Honourable Premier,
Honourable Speaker,
Members of the sports, arts, culture, heritage and library communities present
today,
Comrades and colleagues of the legislature, and of provincial and local
government;
At the opening of national parliament in February, President Thabo Mbeki
identified six key challenges towards which all three spheres of government
must begin to respond to as matter of priority in this financial year. These
challenges and priorities relate to addressing poverty and under development,
accelerating economic growth, sustaining and improving social development
programmes as well as safety and security, ensuring public service
implementation of Batho Pele and the harnessing of our proudly South African
spirit.
In the same vein, Premier Shilowa, in his State of the province address to
this House earlier this year, highlighted the need for Gauteng Provincial
Government (GPG) to move with speed to ensure the full realisation of the
rights enshrined in the Constitution in the shortest possible period of
time.
Our Departmentâs priorities speak directly to the challenges highlighted in
our Premierâs State of the Province and the Presidentâs State of the Nation
addresses. In this financial year we will move faster, consolidate our gains
and redouble our efforts to promote Gauteng as a home of competitive sport,
including the hosting of FIFAâs 2010 Soccer World Cup and as a centre of the
creative industries. We will also enhance, increase and accelerate the pace of
delivery in respect of building mass participation in sports, arts and culture
and developing talent and sustainable livelihoods for those involved in both
these sectors. This we will do within the context of promoting nation building
and deepening democracy.
Comrade Speaker and members of the legislature,
On 8 May 1996 we adopted the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,
the preamble of which says amongst other things and I quote:
âLay the foundation for a democratic and open society in which government is
based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law.
Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each
person and build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful
place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.â
Our Departmentâs priorities are framed within this constitutional mandate.
Our Constitution is a historic document in its own right and a critical
component of our heritage going forward. It constitutionally marks the end of
hundreds of years of tyranny, disenfranchisement and racially divided rule
under the old apartheid regime and the beginning of our countryâs first ever
democracy.
On 16 June, we will remember and praise our youth involved in the Soweto
uprising 30 years ago and on the 9 August we will remember and praise our women
involved in the legendary anti-pass march to Union Buildings 50 years ago. On
both these days we will in effect âhonour those who suffered for justice and
freedom in our land and respect those who have worked to build and develop our
country,â as stated in the preamble of our Constitution.
Comrade Speaker,
I am deeply touched and humbled but at the same time proud to present my
budget speech to you in the year that ârecognises the injustices of the pastâ
while celebrating âthe foundations for a democratic and open society in which
government is based on the will of the people.â
Role of the creative industries and competitive sports sectors in ensuring
shared economic growth and development
Citizens of Gauteng and members of the creative industries and sport
sectors;
Before I detail the activities and projects that my Department will
implement in this financial year, I want to take this opportunity to reiterate
our strategic position that the creative industries and competitive sports
sectors do have a role to play in growing our economy, creating jobs and
reducing poverty and unemployment. It is important for all of us to internalise
this position because it ultimately informs and guides all our departmental
decisions.
The creative industries sector includes design, cultural heritage,
ethno-tourism, the publishing sector, cultural tourism, music, visual arts and
crafts, multimedia, film, television, performing arts and dance.
Until recently, our Department primarily fulfilled a social function with a
focus on sports, recreation arts and culture as a mechanism for promoting
social stability, creating and fostering identity and deepening democracy. This
is an important developmental function which the Department will continue to
perform within the framework of the Gauteng Social Development Strategy
(GSDS).
The strategy commits us to a âpeople centred process of co-ordinated social
change that promotes the well-being of the population as a whole and of
disadvantaged groups within it.â The ultimate aim is to improve social services
towards promoting the overall well being of people by maximising individual,
family and community potential so that we do create a just and caring society,
founded on social cohesion.
Simultaneously, research across the world has shown that the competitive
sporting and creative industries sectors can be key components of regional and
economic development. These sectors have the potential to be one of the fastest
growing economic sectors that can significantly contribute to the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) in developed and developing economies.
As our Premier indicated in his State of the Province address, research done
in 2005, showed a shift in the reliance of our local economy from agriculture
and mining to high value tourism. The creative industries and sports sectors
are significant tourism role players. Nationally the Accelerated Shared Growth
Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) has also identified tourism as one of the
economic growth sectors that has immediate potential for joint interventions,
and the creative industries as one of the sectors with significant growth
potential.
The role of the creative industries and competitive sports sectors in
ensuring shared economic growth and development is further reinforced in our
Provinceâs Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) which reflects the political
and socio economic growth and development vision and strategy of PGPG. The
strategy includes addressing the constraints, bottlenecks and other challenges
that hamper implementation of our socio economic development programmes. As
such the PGDS, like AsgiSA, is a strategy that identifies key programmes and
development targets that will be met by 2014.
The mechanisms include increased support and investment in targeted economic
growth sectors, two of which have direct relevance to the work of our
Department: the trade and services as well as the tourism sectors. The other
PGDS mechanisms that have a bearing on the work of our Department are those
related to support for Small, Medium Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), skills
development, increased Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE), improved
social services, intergovernmental relations, the Global City Region (GCR),
engaging with the New Partnership for Africaâs Development (NEPAD) and
mainstreaming of transversal issues.
The pending FIFA 2010 Football World Cup is listed as one of the strategic
levers (special projects) in the PGDS which highlights the fact that hosting of
the 2010 World Cup provides us with an ideal opportunity to implement an
integrated approach to maintaining, refurbishing and upgrading current sports
infrastructure as well as building new infrastructure and facilities. Doing
this will contribute towards our broader long term objective of positioning
Gauteng as the home of competitive sport; with quality sporting facilities that
is accessible to previously disadvantaged communities.
Comrade Speaker,
In the context of Gauteng, harnessing, increasing and supporting the full
potential of the creative industries and the competitive sports sector to
shared economic growth and development, reducing poverty and unemployment,
nation building and deepening democracy has to involve acknowledging and
addressing one of the ongoing legacies of apartheid that we have not yet
sufficiently dealt with that participation in the creative industries and
sports sectors and reaping the benefits thereof continue to be the domain of a
privileged minority in terms of race and class.
Our creative industries and competitive sports strategies address this
challenge. Both the strategies provide us with the necessary frameworks to deal
with issues such as appropriate infrastructure development in previously
disadvantaged communities; BBBEE; increased participation and involvement of
marginalised groups at all levels of these sectors as well as identifying and
harnessing the economic and job creation opportunities within the sectors.
Comrade Premier, Speaker, members of the legislature and most importantly
role players in the creative industries and sports sector,
I reiterate in no uncertain terms that reducing and eliminating the
disparities of the past which continue even in the arena of recreation; sports,
arts and culture will be addressed decisively by the Department. We will
therefore leave no stone unturned in the remaining years of this term of
governance to ensure that the creative industries and the sports sectors is
responsive to the needs of all our citizens and that governmentâs input into
and support to the creative industries and sports sector serves to ensure
shared economic growth and development.
I am confident that this view and approach will be supported by the Premier,
my colleagues in the provincial Executive Council (ExCo) and GPG as a
whole.
The creative industries sector
The adoption of our creative industries strategy by the provincial ExCo in
October 2005 provides us with the required political mandate to begin
implementation of the strategy in earnest, including reviewing our current
approach and projects against this strategy. We have allocated R30,869 million
of our total budget of R221,272 million towards the implementation of the
strategy.
The purpose of the creative industries strategy is to:
* explicitly align government initiatives in the creative industries with
the Gauteng Growth and Development Strategy (GGDS);
* provide a coordinating framework for investment and implementation in the
province; and
* further develop a creative industries infrastructure network to maximise
its contribution to the growth of the economy (which has substantial potential
in terms of the establishment and growth of small and medium enterprises),
community development, as well as urban regeneration.
Some of the achievements of the creative industries sector in the past
financial year are a clear reflection that we can fulfil the purpose of the
strategy:
The success of South Africaâs much acclaimed Oscar award winning film,
Tsotsi and what it has come to signify for our country and our continent in
terms of international recognition, boosting of our arts, culture and creative
sector, job creation and economic growth is not an overnight miracle. It is the
result of much hard work behind the scenes some of which started years before
the filming of Tsotsi even started. The star actress in "Tsotsi", Terry Pheto
or Miriam by her screen name, is from PGDPs theatre development programme. She
was part of our workshops at 17 Shaft Training Centre. Prior to acting in
Tsotsi, she performed at our Ishashalazi Festival in 2004 and also acted in
Peter Ngwenya's show "The Toilet."
In addition to our contribution to Tsotsi, a Sedibeng based theatre group
from our Ishashalazi Theatre programme, Tosa Le Madinyane was selected to
participate at the national Grahamstown Arts Festival in July 2006. The Gauteng
Arts and Culture Council allocated grants to a further nine theatre groups to
present their work at the same festival. The Ishashalazi Theatre program
increased its group participation from 143 in 2004/05 to 272 in 2005/06.
Another theatre group from the same programme was selected for participation
at the Macufe Arts Festival in October 2005 and the Department sponsored R300
000 towards the prestigious Naledi Theatre Awards, as part of its commitment to
promoting the development of theatre work in Gauteng.
On the 18 March 2006, at a function before the final performance of the FNB
Dance Umbrella, the winners of the inaugural Gauteng MEC Annual Awards for
Contemporary Choreography and Dance for 2005 were announced.
On 10 December 2005, the Gauteng Choir âKopano Chorus Youth Choirâ claimed
sixth place at the Old Mutual Choral Festival. The Soweto Youth Choir
participated at the Voices for Africa Equestria and the Standard Bank Joy of
Jazz Festival created opportunities for five developmental jazz artists during
August 2005.
Four Gauteng crafters showcased their products and sold their wares at the
Third National Craft Imbizo that was held in Mafikeng in our North West
Province. One Gauteng crafter was selected to participate at the International
Craft Fair in Milan, Italy where the crafter sold more than R22 000 worth of
products.
On 10 September 2005 we launched the Pale Ya Rona (Ours to Tell) Carnival
with 5 000 participants. 15 Carnival troupes were developed in 15 hubs. Last
yearâs Gauteng Carnival and Johannesburg Jazz Festival exceeded expectations.
The success of these two events has certainly laid the basis for us to achieve
our plans to make them âthe biggest events ever.â
Members of the legislature;
Our Departmentâs interventions and support initiatives over the next three
years will focus on:
* maximising the substantial sector resources and infrastructure currently
available in the province, whilst taking note of its unequal distribution
* co-ordinating the efforts of government in partnership with role players
active in the creative industry sector
* investing in the further development of the creative workforce, creative
clusters and the enterprises that constitute them
* developing and promoting the products and services of the creative
clusters and enterprises
* investing in the support and development of creative communities through
programming, infrastructure development and maintenance and creating access to
cultural activities and opportunities
* creating a range of sector specific initiatives in identified growth
areas.
There are four interdependent but individual elements or building blocks to
a successful creative industries sector. These are creative clusters, creative
workers, creative communities and creative sector initiatives and we are
allocating R5 million in this financial year towards these four elements:
* in terms of creative clusters we will begin to support finance and
business initiatives for organisations, individuals and companies, expand
markets and improve tourism linkages
* our training and after care support interventions for artists, cultural
practitioners, administrators & managers is responsive to the element of
creative workers
* our support to creative sector initiatives will include investments, small
business support, events strategy, art procurement, live performance circuits
and roving community markets in specific sectors.
Through targeted new tourist interventions, as well as integration with
existing ones (such as One More Night), the creative sector can make an even
more substantial contribution to economic growth and job creation. Our Live
Performance and Tavern Circuits and Roving Community Markets initiatives
(linked to existing tourist routes) are aimed at providing emerging and newly
established role-players (such as musicians, traditional dancers and crafters)
in the creative industries sector with a platform to showcase their talent and
access economic opportunities. Not only will the profile of the new and
emerging artists be enhanced, this programme will also begin to identify
relevant infrastructure development initiatives. By linking such performances
to existing tourist routes, the diversity added through additional artistic,
cultural and heritage content will expand tourist attraction levels.
Our partnerships with the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) and the
Department of Trade and Industry (dti) are central to the success of
initiatives within the creative industries strategy. We are presently working
with the GEP to establish a user-friendly referral system of creative
enterprises to apply for the financial and business development support
services offered by GEP. This will allow cultural entrepreneurs to tap into a
larger resource pool than is currently available to them through the Arts and
Culture budget alone. The Department of Trade and Industry is a key partner in
developing the craft sector from a marginalised subsistence sector to a high
value, commercially viable sector.
Heritage Resource Management (HRM)
In this financial year a new Provincial Heritage Resource Agency will be
appointed. Its role in terms of deepening democracy and nation building will be
greatly enhanced. Its supportive role in terms of economic growth will also be
enhanced. In keeping with our commitment to increasing the role played by arts
and culture in promoting Gauteng as an important tourist destination, we
believe that the Kippies Jazz Club in Newtown, provisionally declared as a
National Heritage Site, should be developed as a significant cultural
institution. Together with other significant role players, the Department has
prevented the demolition thereof and developed a sustainable plan for the
preservation and utilisation of this important cultural institution. The
Department recognised the importance of Kippies not only as an international
jazz venue, but also its importance as a cultural institution. We look forward
to its opening launch in August this year.
Craft sector
The significant potential of the craft sector which is not fully tapped at
present is one of the key drivers in the creative industries strategy. By using
the substantial economic leverage of government we will assist and stimulate
the craft industry through interventions such as craft imperia (other ideas
gleaned from Mexico). The focus of such interventions is bulk buying of craft
products, skills development (design, business start-ups, craft making,
etceteras); quality assurance, as well as marketing of craft products. One of
the immediate impact variables of bulk buying is that the crafters gain
immediate economic benefit and as such act as an important poverty alleviation
mechanism. However, the long-term objective is to develop sustainable
livelihoods and to this effect we will set up mechanisms focusing on incubation
and business support services, financing of the creative industries
interventions and access to the local and international tourism market. It is
within this context that the Department will complete its investigation in
setting up a craft emporium in consultation with the DTI, the fashion district
and other related stakeholders. Roving craft markets will be linked to our live
performance and tavern circuits initiatives and existing tourist routes.
The Gauteng carnival
The Pale Ya Rona Carnival, launched in 2005, is another important driver
within the creative industries strategy. International best practice clearly
indicates that Carnivals has substantial potential to contribute towards
economic growth and development, social cohesion and nation building. It also
provides exciting creative artistic possibilities, as it combines both the
performing and visual arts towards celebratory and collective participation and
the articulation of ideas and concepts of meaning and importance to the life of
the collective. In addition, the economic benefits carnival has demonstrated
across the world how it can contribute to job creation and economic growth
through tourism makes it an obvious choice for the Department. This year, a R3
million has been allocated towards the carnival. Full community involvement in
the carnival will be ensured via the participation of 35 community-based
troupes who will receive preparatory training and support in the hosting of 35
carnival camps, held at our hub centres.
Gauteng Arts and Culture Council
The repositioning of the Gauteng Arts and Culture Council (GACC) in line
with our creative industries strategy has been completed. The GACC is
essentially a PGPG established and supported institution to develop and promote
arts and culture within the province; serves as a vehicle for identifying and
developing young talent and to advise the MEC on the disbursement of grants to
artists, cultural workers and students of the arts and culture sector. A
significant departure in this financial year is the broadening of the scope of
the GACC to include more diverse categories of funding as well as introducing a
three-year funding cycle. This is a significant shift and hopes to address some
of the uncertainty that faces the sector.
Starting in this financial year the GACC will focus on three primary areas
of work namely the awarding of bursaries; supporting development of emerging
groups, programmes and projects which focus on training and developing artists
(whilst simultaneously stimulating the establishment of start up businesses)
and supporting artists in showcasing their work at arts and cultural
festivals.
It is within this context that our budget allocation towards the effective
functioning of the GACC has been increased by more than 100 percent from R2
million to R5 million in this financial year. The primary responsibility for
the arts and culture sector lies with the sector itself, whilst the role of
government is that of creating and promoting a sustainable and enabling
environment in which the sector can thrive. The latter is one of the key
strategic thrusts of the creative industries strategy. The grants in aid
allocations are merely to support targeted practitioners financially in pursuit
of them establishing sustainable livelihoods. This approach dovetails the
approach other sectors of the economy follows.
Comrade Premier,
In your State of the province address, you mentioned that PGPG will be
creating more capacity for the co-ordination of the global city region and
integrated planning. We are aware that the creative industries sector is
considered to be part of the knowledge economy which is an important element of
a global city region. Thus, our Department is committed to supporting and
facilitating the creative industries sector to play a role in promoting and
building Gauteng as a global city region.
The sport sector:
Members of the legislature and representatives of the sports sector;
Our achievements in the sports arena equal that of the creative industries.
Several athletes who participated in our High Performance Academy (HPA)
programme has progressed to participation at international level and made major
achievements.
In athletics, Ruben Majola obtained a silver medal at the XVIII Commonwealth
Games, whilst Khotso Mokoena won a silver medal in Triple Jump. In swimming
Thabang Moeketsane won silver medals in the Commonwealth Youth Games, whilst
Lize-Mari Retief and Suzann van Biljon both received bronze medals in the 50 m
butterfly and 200 m breaststroke respectively at the XVIII Commonwealth Games.
In boxing Jackson Chauke was the Silver Medallist in the fly weight division of
the XVIII Commonwealth Games, whilst Bongani Mwelase was the gold medallists in
the welter weight division. Dudu Msane were chosen to serve as an Assistant
Netball Coach in XVIII Commonwealth Games
In the past year, the Department also successfully partnered with South
African Football Association (SAFA) in showcasing the love for football and in
pursuit of audience development purposes and thus supported games such as the
Ghana versus SA soccer match; the SASOL u/23 Eight Nations Cup, the Telkom
Charity Cup and a host of other sporting code partnership projects.
In fulfilling our commitment to developing and investing in young talent in
Gauteng, we awarded 60 sports development bursaries. These funds are allocated
to students in various sporting codes. The gender distribution of the
beneficiaries is 55 percent male and 45 percent female. In addition,
partnerships with universities have been established to further develop
targeted developmental athletes for specialised training and coaching in our
seven priority codes of soccer, rugby, cricket, netball, athletics, boxing and
swimming.
We also implemented a sports mass participation programme in 21 recreation
centres in historically disadvantaged communities throughout the province. The
programme involves implementation of an integrated recreational programme on a
daily basis at each hub. The programme includes sports and recreation
activities such as aerobics, fun runs, soccer, volleyball, netball and
athletics.
R1 m budgeted for arts and cultural activities at the hubs.
In preparation for the 2010 World Cup Soccer, we began renovations on four
provincial stadia which have been earmarked as practice venues for 2010.
Comrade Speaker,
We have allocated R121,792 million of our total budget to sports and
recreation whose major activities in this financial year will be:
* ongoing preparations for FIFAs 2010 World Cup
* the second phase of upgrading of our four identified stadiums in our
Stadia Legacy Programme
* the development of sports and recreational facilities in the provinceâs 20
identified townships that was announced by the Premier in his State of the
province address.
As already mentioned, the Premier and my colleagues in the provincial ExCo
adopted our Competitive Sport Strategy in June 2005. Based on our commitment to
participatory democracy and consultative governance, we presented the adopted
strategy to all stakeholders at a Sports Indaba in July 2005. The 400 sports
administrators and officials who participated in the Indaba endorsed the
strategy which in essence re-positions sports development to balance its social
services role with that of maximising its contribution towards economic growth
and development of Gauteng. The declaration adopted at the end of the indaba
noted that the Department will be developing an overall provincial sport
strategy that will serve as a blue print for the province, with the up and
coming 2010 FIFA World Cup as a particular focus point.
The Competitive Sports Strategy repositions Gauteng as a preferred home of
competitive sport through the home of champions concept that includes the
Department proactively soliciting proposals and bids to host major sporting
events. Priority will be given to our seven priority codes namely soccer,
rugby, netball, cricket, athletics, swimming and boxing although other codes
will also be supported. In the forthcoming year we are looking forward to
bringing Manchester United to participate in the International Challenge
(formerly known as the Vodacom Challenge), establishing the Gauteng Cup a
tournament targeting Gauteng based Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams supporting
the City To City Marathon, the National Games for the People with Disabilities
Sector and many partnership programmes such as the National Karate
Championships. To ensure the promotion of locally based competitive sport, we
will also be supporting a range of local tournaments including the OR Tambo
Games in Watville, the Festive Season Games in KwaThema, the Soweto Games, the
Vaal Canoe Marathon in Sedibeng and of course, the Masakhane Games.
As part of making Gauteng a home of competitive sporting events we have
allocated R46 million towards the upgrade of the four identified sport stadia;
namely HM Pitje, George Thabe, Sinaba and Rand stadiums. Phase one is now being
completed and phase two will be initiated in this financial year, as scheduled.
Three of these stadia are already serving as home grounds to Mamelodi Sundowns,
Cosmos, Maroka Swallows and Benoni United. These initiatives will prove a
significant factor in the ability to position the stadia as potential practice
venues for 2010.
High performance sport
An important linkage in the strategic departmental approach to sport
development is the High Performance Programme. It is envisaged that the
Department will conclude its discussions with South African Sport Confederation
and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) on the establishment and location of the Gauteng
Sport Academy in this financial year. Until such discussions are concluded, the
Department will continue with its current talent identification and development
endeavours. The high performance potential and talent identified in our mass
participation and its community-based capacity building programmes, is targeted
for further professional training and education. To this end we have
established partnerships with five tertiary institutions and their high
performance sport centres. Thus far we have supported 110 students through our
bursary support programme. This programme will contribute towards ensuring
demographic representivity of teams which represent the province and
subsequently the country.
The budget allocation for the High Performance Sports Programmes is R7,164
million.
FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup
Comrade Speaker and members of the legislature,
The give effect to PGDS which highlights the FIFA 2010 Football World Cup as
a strategic lever to stimulate economic growth and development, we will
continue to implement our commitments in the bid book to ensure that we derive
maximum benefits that this event offers.
I am proud to announce that we have appointed a 2010 Project Manager, Mr
Mandla Mazibuko who will report directly to the office of the MEC in the
Department of Sport, Arts, Recreation and Culture. We have allocated R1,8
million for the further establishment of the 2010 Special Project Unit which Mr
Mazibuko is heading and for staffing it with appropriately skilled
personnel.
The role of our Department and thus of this special project unit is to
co-ordinate, facilitate and monitor implementation of the provinceâs 2010
Integrated Implementation Plan. The upgrading of the stadia and other related
infrastructure development activities, specifically for 2010, will be
implemented in partnership with national government 2010 committee, our Gauteng
Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works and relevant local and
provincial government structures within our province. At a recent meeting the
local organising committee recognised the important role PGPG must play in
overall co-ordination and preparations.
The successful hosting of the World Cup is also critical in positioning
Gauteng as a globally competitive city region. 2010 provide us with an ideal
opportunity to meet the challenges facing us in our evolvement towards this
goal. As we prepare for hosting this globally significant event, we are
building a long-term sustainable legacy of infrastructure and human capital
where we successfully merge economic growth and social development. Whilst we
will reap the substantial economic benefits associated with this event, our
infrastructure investment will significantly contribute towards the
regeneration of our inner cities through targeted investments in transportation
systems, road networks, safety and security mechanisms and other economic
infrastructure. Through preparations for this event we will develop lasting and
sustainable partnerships and cooperative structures with other spheres of
government which will endure long after 2010 is gone.
Besides the economic and social development spin offs, 2010 will also
contribute towards enhancing the common South African spirit and pride of our
South African nationhood. The global marketing exposure associated with this
event (especially in terms of hosting the finals of the event) will also
provide us with an ideal opportunity to further entrench the concept of Gauteng
as the âHome of Champions.â
Delays in developing the consolidated 2010 plan were due to lack of clarity
in the identification of match venues and revenue streams. We now know that
Gauteng is home to three match venues and that 80 percent of all foreign
spectators will enter the country through Johannesburg International Airport.
Besides clarifying that in addition to renovating the Soccer City, Ellis Park
and Loftus stadiums, provincial and municipal governments will also focus on
transportation and safety plans. By the end of July, this integrated and
consolidated plan will be completed and that the implementation thereof will
proceed with speed.
Deepening transformation in sport
Comrade Speaker and members of the legislature,
For Gauteng to succeed in its objective of being a home of competitive
sport, there need to be clear linkages between mass participation development
and competitive sport. In this regard it is necessary to move beyond a project
or programme based approach to an integrated strategic approach. It is
necessary to move beyond disjointed approaches by provincial government and
federations to a synergised approach.
I am happy to announce to this House today that early in May this year the
Department met with Gauteng based Sports Federations where it was agreed that
we had a joint responsibility to develop sporting talent; promote mass
participation in sport and recreation in communities and promote mass based and
competitive sport in Gauteng schools. It was further agreed to adopt a
transformation scorecard to guide resource allocation by government and
sporting bodies; to establish a provincial sport forum where sport structures
can address common provincial related sport responsibilities within six months
and support the development of an overall sport strategy encompassing the
national commitments around good governance, equity, ethos and equitable
resourcing.
The significance of this workshop is that we have now moved beyond the talk
shop mode to agreeing on practical initiatives provincial government and
federations can collectively implement to change the face of sport in our
province.
Mass based sport and recreation participation
Members of our communities and stakeholders of the sport sector,
Research conducted by the Human Science Research Council (HSRC) two years
ago has indicated that historically disadvantaged communities have limited
access to direct participation in regular sporting activities. It found that
less than 20 percent of young people regularly participate in sport. Amongst
those over 35 years of age, the percentage drops to below 10 percent. Such
limited participation does have an impact on the daily health and fitness of
our people as well as the social stability of our communities. It also means
that sporting talent identification and development programmes are limited to a
very small section of the provinceâs population. Therefore, one of the focus
points of the Department is to partner with support and assist both federations
and communities to overcome this legacy.
The aim of our integrated recreational programme is therefore focused on
taking a definite stand against this legacy being perpetuated. In this
financial year we are proud to announce that the programme will run in 32
recreation centres across the province. Using a budget of R4 million, we will
provide access to sporting facilities (complete with equipment) for local
clubs, support community based coaches to improve the standard of sport played
at these centres and in surrounding schools and organise recreation programmes
for young people during school holidays. We will also field teams from these
centres in some of the major sporting activities in the province including
702âs Walk the Talk, the City to City Marathon and the 94,7 Cycle Challenge.
Through these programmes we intend to promote the full utilisation of
recreational centres, amongst those who cannot afford club and user fees and to
encourage a larger number of people to participate in some form of sporting or
recreational activity.
However, government alone cannot address the legacy of underdevelopment of
sport alone. In this regard we are also calling on sports federations to play a
central role by basing their development programmes at the same recreational
centres where we are currently working. We are already working with Titans
Cricket on piloting this approach and we hope that other clubs will soon join
this important initiative.
However, mass participation and development programmes must also result in
the establishment of a comprehensive club system throughout historically
disadvantaged communities. Recognising the challenges federations face in this
regard, the Department is currently exploring ways to support the
sustainability of local clubs through shared administrative support for our
seven priority codes.
Our Department has set targets to increase and intensify our support to
marginalised groups such as the youth, women, people with disabilities and the
elderly either as participants or beneficiaries in all our programme areas in
response to President Thabo Mbekiâs and Premier Shilowaâs calls to deepen
democracy and nation building. The community based hubs and cluster work will
be the main arena where we will actively ensure achievement of our targets in
implementation of our activities.
School sport
On 17 March 2005, the two national Ministers for Education and Sport
Recreation South Africa (SRSA) signed a Memorandum of Collaboration between the
two Departments defining their respective roles in the co-ordination and
management of school sport in public ordinary schools and apply to all aspects
of school sport and physical education programmes.
In Gauteng we also have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between South
African Council of retailers (SACR) and Gauteng Department of Education (GDE)
with regard to their respective functions pertaining to sport, arts and culture
and library services. Within school sport, we are in the process of developing
a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with GDE that will allow us to jointly
co-ordinate and manage the function in public schools, with specific reference
to competitive and mass based school sport programmes. A provincial working
committee has been established to co-ordinate school sport affairs via the
establishment of a joint provincial co-ordinating body for school sport, as
well as the signing of a MoA during the course of this financial year.
Whilst all these strategic and policy issues are in the process of being
shaped and finalised, the Department has implemented joint programmes with GDE
since April 2005 and commenced with MECs Ball Games in Sedibeng District.
School mass participation programme
During this financial year, Sport Recreation South Africa (SRSA) has made
available a conditional grant of R7,8 million for the promotion of Mass
Participation (MPP) in school sport activities. It is important to note that
the programme do find synergy with aspects of early childhood development
principles. This programme targets 120 previously disadvantaged schools across
the province (of which 75 is primary schools and 45 is secondary schools) and
will also focus on capacity building initiatives in sport administration,
coaching, mentoring and technical officiating of both learners and educators.
Initially the programme will target six age groups for both males and females
in the following sport codes: football, rugby, athletics, netball, volleyball
and cricket.
SRSA will conduct a baseline research study to assess the performance of the
programme, as well as to determine the impact of the school mass participation
programme on learners, educators, volunteers, as well as the general school
environment. The Department will fully participate in this research
initiative.
We will engage with SRSA as to streamlining the modalities regulating the
utilisation of the conditional grant.
Competitive school sport programmes
Gauteng has achieved major success in this arena over the past 12 years and
has been proclaimed champions in almost every national tournament throughout
the country. It is worth mentioning that Gauteng has again successfully
defended its 12 year National Track and Field Athletic Championship titles for
both primary and secondary schools.
The Department will in partnership with GDE co-ordinate and facilitate
various provincial and national inter-school sport programmes: winter, summer,
spring, and autumn games and championships; the farm and rural schools project;
Cross country championships. We will also be hosting the Confederation of
School Sports Association of Southern Africa (COSSASA) ball games in (when)
conjunction with SRSA as part of our African Renaissance and New Partnership
for Africaâs Development (NEPAD) initiatives with the region of Southern Africa
for schools.
Although not specifically intended to be part of broader competitive sport
strategy, this programme will partly serve as an induction phase in a process
for our youth to be exposed to the competitive sporting environment and
eventually become participants in our High Performance Sports Programme.
Deepening democracy and nation building and a functional Gauteng Youth
Commission
Comrade Speaker and members of the legislature,
Our Department is responsible for hosting all national commemorative days
such as 16 June, 9 August, 10 year celebrations of the Constitution, Freedom
Day, Human Rights Day and Heritage Day. We have allocated R10,1 million of our
budget for these events.
Two of the commemorative days this year are of special significance to us.
On the 16 June our province will host the national event to commemorate the
30th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Uprising. We will do this in partnership
with the National Youth Commission, relevant national government departments,
our provincial departments and the city of Johannesburg. This yearâs event to
be held at Soccer City in Soweto will be a celebration that honours the past
and current contributions of our youth in bringing about democracy in our
country and continuing to work tirelessly to consolidate and build a better
life for all.
Our province will also proudly host the national event commemorating the
50th anniversary of our historic Womenâs March to Union Buildings on the 9
August. This event will also be hosted in partnership with all other relevant
role players from all three spheres of government. The seed planted by our
women on that day has grown and borne the desired fruit. We do indeed stand
side by side with our men, we are recognised as equal contributors to the
social and economic development of our country and province and we are heard
and are listened to. We have achieved and delivered on gender equity more than
was conceived possible in 1994 given the challenges that we faced.
Comrade Speaker,
The full and active participation of our youth and all our communities in
our commemorative days is critical. These days offer us an opportunity to
reflect on respect and understand our political history; to appreciate and
cherish what we have achieved and to re-commit to continue our endeavours to
build a better life for all. It is for this reason that we actively work with
scholars in preparation for our commemorative days. To celebrate Human Rights
Day, we visited schools in Sedibeng with survivors of the Sharpeville Massacre.
Just prior to Freedom Day celebrations we visited schools in Tshwane. Currently
we are working with schools in Johannesburg to talk about Youth Day. These
visits allow for direct face to face interactions with scholars and of course
gives us sufficient time to share the information we have and respond to
questions from the scholars.
We also wish to announce that we are honoured that in this year of the 30th
anniversary of the 16 June uprising, we will be supporting the development of
the newly created Statutory Gauteng Youth Commission. We will therefore
transfer R3,8 million to this structure in this budget year. We will also
continue to co-ordinate the Gauteng governmentâs own monitoring of the
implementation by Gauteng departments of the Gauteng Youth Strategy.
Library information services
Members of the legislature,
We have allocated R14,646 million towards our library, information and
archival services function. We fully recognise the importance and value of
access to information and the role its plays in development and also inform the
following departmental interventions in this sector.
We will continue discussions with Gautengâs Department of Local Government
and relevant municipal structures regarding the devolvement and assignment of
the Library Information Services function to the local sphere of government for
more effective delivery of services. Central to these discussions will be the
capacity and resource strength of local government to perform this function
efficiently and effectively.
We envisage that in this financial year we would have put in place a Library
Information Services (LIS) Policy and Act, resulting in a streamlined and
regulated LIS service delivery environment between provincial and local
government. Such a regulatory framework will not only ensure the duplication in
service delivery but also further facilitate the rendering of relevant services
to not only municipal community libraries, but also institutions such as
prisons, orphanages and hospitals. Such relationships will be further cemented
by entering into memorandum of agreements between the two spheres of
government.
In a similar vein, we will also develop a regulatory framework that will
guide the development of a Gauteng provincial archival service. It is important
that we keep record of the substantial amount of work that government is doing
to better the lives of all our people and thus further substantiate the
accounting processes of government.
We will also work with and support local government in their endeavours to
inculcate the love of reading and to facilitate timeous access to relevant
information, which are critical to the Outcomes Based Education (OBE). We will
transfer funds to local government libraries in line with submitted business
plans guided by Service Level Agreements (SLA) that will target specifically
the upgrading of services in the 20 township libraries. R757,800 has been
budgeted for such support interventions. Further to this, the Department will
also provide information resources to community libraries with the specific
intention to narrow the gap between information poor and information rich
libraries. 70 percent of the R3,779 million will be allocated to information
poor libraries, and 30 percent to information rich libraries.
Further support interventions include research into the establishment of an
integrated and functional Information Communication Technology (ICT)
infrastructure network to facilitate more effective networking, co-operation
and sharing of resources between the various community libraries. Once again
the 20 township libraries will receive priority focus. R 870,000 has been
budgeted for this purpose.
Conclusion
Comrade Speaker, Premier, members of the legislature,
In conclusion, I would like to once more congratulate and thank our sporting
people, artists, library and information workers, crafters, community
participants and other role players for their role in the achievements we
recorded in the 2005/06 year.
My staff and I are thankful to the Premier, my colleagues in ExCo and
members of the standing committee who continue to provide us with the political
leadership and support required for us to deliver on our priorities and
objectives.
Thanks also to all local government structures and other provincial
government departments for working closely with us in the spirit of
collaboration and co-operative governance as espoused in our Constitution and
the Inter-Governmental Relations Act.
Members of the creative industries and sports sectors, I look forward to
further strengthening our partnership and working relationship with you in this
and the subsequent financial years.
And last but not least, accolades go to all the officials in my Department.
Under the leadership of my head of department (HOD) and senior management team,
they work tirelessly to implement our activities and projects so that we can be
part of the proud GPG team that can hold its head high and say, Yes we have and
are delivering a better life for all in this province.
Aluta continua, we will deliver!
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng
Provincial Government
5 June 2006
