"Partnership with communities, organised civil society organs, the private sector and the media must constitute the key ingredients of our implementation of our developmental agenda.'' - MEC Maile
Firstly, let me convey a message of condolences to Thabang Lebese's family, friends and members of the football fraternity following his passing last night. Banda, as he was affectionately known in his heyday, was one of the few breed of players who played for the two Soweto giants; Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
With South Africa now directing its efforts towards youth sport development, we will miss the renowned football players of Lebese's calibre. May his soul rest in peace.
Following the presentation of the State of the Province by Premier Mokonyane, the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation will continue to focus its energies on meeting the set political objectives of:
- Social cohesion
- Nation-building
- and Inclusive citizenship
Our programmes are geared towards ensuring that we create access to facilities and infrastructure for sport and recreation, sites of cultural and artistic expression and heritage.
Our focus this year will be to build on the firm foundation we have laid over the past few years as part of ensuring that we accelerate the implementation of our programmes.
With regard to Sport and Recreation, the following will constitute our key priorities:
Part of the agenda of positioning Gauteng as a home of champions and a preferred destination of competitive and major sporting events will see us launch the inaugural Gauteng Sport Challenge. The challenge is aimed at showcasing both the development trajectory of sport and the competitive element. We are augmenting on the work already being done through the various tournaments in communities during the festive and Easter holidays.
We note that South Africa was awarded the hosting of the Africa Nations Cup in 2013. As government we will engage SAFA with regards to the implications of this decision. Gauteng played a significant role in the successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and we wish to use this legacy and continue with our efforts of positioning our province as a preferred destination for competitive sport.
Mass Participation continues to be at the centre of our drive to harness development and entertainment sport. It is also part of the broader nucleus of promoting healthy lifestyles, physical education and one of the great contributors to the development of our future athletes. We will target at least 60 000 participants across Gauteng through a whole range of activities; from the Indigenous Games, Golden Games (for the elderly), Disability Games and Adventure Camps for the youth at risk, the Easter and Festive Games, Fun Runs, Walks and Marathons.
These activities will be driven through our various hubs located in the communities and they will constitute part of a partnership programme between the communities, the department, national government and the municipalities.
Water Safety (Learn to swim) remains one of the key driving forces and a good example of working partnerships between government and the private sector. We are in discussion with one of the parastatals to assist the Provincial Government with the building of swimming pools across Gauteng. We have completed an audit that has determined what infrastructure we have and what state such is in. We are in the process of finalising a business plan that will see us refurbish the existing infrastructure and building new facilities in identified areas.
The School Sport Programme is a key centre through which we should be driving our development agenda. This area has not been without challenges. Our principal area of focus remains the challenge of resources, infrastructure and functional structures. A stop gap measure will be the implementation of the programme as per the agreed processes at national level. Consequently we will be consolidating our financial resource base so that we achieve greater impact. This will see grant funding from national being utilised for setting up structures that will see to it that we have functional leagues and that learners play.
With regard to arts, culture and heritage our focus will be as follows:
The Gauteng Carnival is among the key activities through which we show case both our artistic and cultural expression. The carnival has also played a role in the drive to create jobs, develop skills and it is steadily becoming one of our major tourist attractions.
At least a total of 1 768 temporary jobs are created through the programme.
Given its steady expansion, we do envisage that we will increase the number of SADC, continental and other global troupes taking part in the carnival.
Our market access initiatives are showing a steady growth and new opportunities are beginning to emerge as a result.
The 100% Mzansi programme continues to provide a platform for emerging artists to show case their talent. We will later in the year launch a website that will serve as an information portal for our prospective and emerging musicians so that they have access to industry information that will help them build sensible careers.
The Puisano Live Music Show case is one example of the work we are doing to support live music development and establish Gauteng as a Mecca for live performances.
These programmes will be the driving force of our implementation plan of the music strategy.
We will undertake a public consultative process with regard to the celebration of our National Days. This relates to a discussion about the approach, form and content our national days should assume. We proceed from a premise that there is a greater need for South Africans to actively engage about what constitutes the future of the country and the symbolism we must all embrace as part of building a winning nation. In this regard we have commissioned a paper and we will release it publicly in the next few weeks.
We will also focus on Geographical Names. We will be undertaking an inclusive process of consultation as part of renaming and rectifying some of the corrupted names. We are renaming Commissioner Street, in the Johannesburg CBD, Albertina Sisulu, as part of the R21. We will also be renaming Sauer Street as part of the ongoing process of honouring and paying tribute to all those who have contributed to the building of the new South African.
Consequently part of the work we are doing in an ongoing drive to preserve our heritage is the implementation of the National Liberation Heritage Route an initiative of agreed to by the Council of Arts and Culture ministers (MINMEC).
The Liberation Heritage Route is an important element of our objective of recording history and allowing communities tell their own stories as part of processing what has happened and finding a new energy that will inspire successive generations to move forward.
The route will, therefore, be part of a key catalyst that will promote cultural heritage and contribute to the creation of sustainable job opportunities for communities where heritage sites are located.
We have already issued a call to the people of Gauteng to participate in the identification of the sites, provide the necessary narratives so that the stories are appropriately recorded for future reference and education.
Conclusion
The focus of the department continues to be that of strengthening partnerships for the achievement of a shared set of developmental objectives. The allocation of financial resources for infrastructure, training and skills development, including the running of programmes, will be targeted.
On March 2, 2012 - we will finalise and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with municipalities to strengthen co-operation between the two spheres of government. Our approach is that we must all play a role in creating an environment that enables communities' greater access to facilities for sport and recreation and arts and culture.
We will also finalise the conceptualisation of key initiatives such as the sport fund as per the agreement of the Sport Indaba we hosted last year.
We want to take a similar approach with the resourcing of our arts and culture development programme. We are forging ahead with the amendment of the Gauteng Arts and Culture Council from its current form to that of an entity. We would like to establish an entity that is able to undertake fundraising initiatives so that it focuses its attention to the implementation of our creative industries framework and the accompanying sub sector strategies.
Our objective is to position the department as a strategic value driver that spearheads and oversees policy formulation and implementation in both the areas of sport and recreation and arts, culture, heritage and libraries.
Enquiries:
Nino Zama
Tel: 011 355 2702
Cell: 083 473 6725
E-mail: nino.zama@gauteng.gov.za
