The Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation appreciates efforts made by the Free State and Limpopo towards development, maintenance and management of sport facilities but believes more development and transformation is still needed.
This week, the Committee split into two groups and conducted oversight visits to various sport projects around the Free State and Limpopo. The visible relationship between the sport council and federations, the municipalities and the provincial department in both provinces demonstrates the commitment to improving sport development.
The Committee commends emphasis placed on talent identification but is worried about the slow pace of transformation in sport and would like to encourage stakeholders to speed up transformation and development.
In Free State, the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality demonstrated success in how they have rehabilitated swimming pools, in Mangaung and Botshabelo, which were budgeted under the Municipal Infrastructure Grant for the 2010/2011 financial year.
Having such facilities of high standard in previously disadvantages areas will ensure that children from these areas, who might not have had the privilege of accessing such facilities, will now reach their full potential. The focus on school sport and youth development in the Free State province is encouraging as school sport remains the bedrock of talent identification in South Africa.
The Committee is currently visiting the North West and Mpumalanga to continue assessing sport development and how municipalities have spent the 15% of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant that has been ring-fenced to allow for the building of sport and recreational facilities
For media inquiries or interviews with the Leader of delegations, contact:
Faith Kwaza, Parliamentary Communication Services
Cell: 072 122 0371
Tel: 021 403 8062
E-mail: fkwaza@parliament.gov.za
