The size of our budget makes it almost impossible to carry out our mandate. To this end we have had to develop partnerships with other countries and regions of the world.
As other organisations of our country were going to Germany to ask what business opportunities the world cup brings to them, we were asking, how the world cup can assist in developing our youth and benefiting the wider community.
We have as a result, struck a partnership with Germany, working together with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), mostly known as the German Technical Cooperation and KfW, which is the German Development Bank. The German government has provided €7.5 million for this initiative.
The GTZ and European Union partnership
Sport and Recreation South Africa together with the GTZ have recently signed the implementation agreement on the youth development through Football programme. The project is in line with our Mass Participation programme and supports three of our key strategic objectives namely:
* To contribute to a healthy nation by increasing the number of participants
* To raise the profile of sport and recreation through addressing issues of national importance and
* To contribute in making the 2010 FIFA World Cup the best ever.
The project uses sport to develop social issues affecting the youth. It uses football as catalyst for development. Through the delegated agreement, the European Union will provide funding to the amount of €6 million to the Youth Development through Football (YDF). The amount will be utilised for projects in South Africa and ten Sub-Saharan African countries.
The implementation plans include the following:
* The capacity building on monitoring and evaluation systems
* The training of youth in all nine provinces in development through sport methodologies
* Capacity building covering nine Mass Participation programme (MPP) hubs of activity and two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) per province
* The implementation of the Africa Legacy programme in Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Ghana, Rwanda and Kenya.
The program also includes the development and implementation of the international football village that is known as the Ke Nako Plaza, to be hosted at the Birchwood Hotel, in Johannesburg. A document on this is in your packs.
The program also covers the:
* Building of two five–a-side football pitches to be implemented in Gauteng and Eastern Cape
* Implementation of a caravan ("Strong Youth, strong Africa") touching partner countries and provinces in May 2010 and capacitating governmental and non-governmental organisations to implement youth empowerment through sport initiatives
* Sport for development events being organised and youth in poor communities in South Africa having improved access to sport, recreation, arts and culture activities.
The programme will take physical activity to poor disadvantaged communities across South Africa and also contribute positively towards the improvement of our school sport, which is in most cases still being dominated by urban schools.
The KfW partnership
The programme under the KfW partnership is called Youth Development against Violence through Sport and it is divided into two phases: the pre world cup and the post-world cup.
The overall objective of this programme is to use sport, specifically football, as a catalyst for transmitting life skills to children and youth in order to reduce violence and social ills. The children get off the streets, learn about rules and fair play and practice conflict resolution without violence. The programme is to the tune of €4.5 million. The focus of the programme is the disadvantaged areas.
In terms of the pre-world cup, there is an accelerated construction of seven sport facilities. These facilities are in:
* Ikwezi local municipality: Jansenville
* King Sabata Dalinyebo municipality: Qunu
* Mangaung local municipality: Batho location
* City of Tshwane: Winterveld
* KwaDukuza local municipality: Melville
* Polokwane local municipality: GaManamela and
* Rustenburg local municipality: Lekgalong Village.
The post-world cup phase will focus on Building of over 100 kick-abouts and pitches as well as to provide basic football equipment to children in the townships and poor rural areas throughout the country. On request of the municipalities and communities the kick-abouts and pitches can also be designed as multipurpose sites for various sports.
Approach
The municipalities have to apply for funds and are responsible for the implementation and utilisation at the local level. The municipalities would in conjunction with the community determine the most appropriate facility for the identified area.
The concept of the programme foresees the involvement of non-governmental organisations and other development partners to provide accompanying training and educational activities for the children for transmitting life skills specifically with regard to violence prevention and conflict resolution but also with regard to HIV and AIDS.
In concluding, the 2010 FIFA World Cup presents us with an ideal forum to extend an unforgettable South African welcome to the world. It offers us a golden opportunity to collaborate with all stakeholders in a dynamic partnership based on integrity and excellence.
It is a strong catalyst towards the building of national and continental pride and unity. It is upon all of us, to use this showpiece to show our true identity and help reduce Afro-pessimism. We wish our team, Bafana-Bafana success in the world cup. Let's all go out and support them. They represent our pride.
Issued by: Sport and Recreation South Africa
25 May 2010
