Madam Speaker and Deputy Speaker,
Members of the Executive Council,
Leaders of political parties,
Honourable members,
Head of Department and Executive Management,
Ladies and gentlemen:
Today’s presentation coincides with a number of important milestones in the life of our nation.
Amongst the important things, we continue to be in the midst of the celebration of the centenary of Africa’s premier liberation movement, the African National Congress.
Tomorrow will see the township of Alexandra also celebrating its own centenary. We are also in the middle of our national heritage month and a number of activities are taking place as part of the celebration of this period.
These include the programme of the provisional declaration of the seat of our constitutional court, the constitutional hill, as a national heritage site. We will also unveil the sites that have been nominated as part of the National Liberation Route, a process that has seen the active involvement of our communities in determining the final list.
The route is part of the preservation and recognition of the role our communities have played in the liberation struggle of our country. It is also part of the broader vision of promoting heritage tourism and the creation of opportunities with economic benefits for these communities through innovative initiatives that will see us developing a set of products and services, adding to the already diverse range Gauteng has to offer.
The Provincial Government has also been engaged in an important process of consultation following the public release of the Gauteng vision 2055 discussion document. The discussion document is part of Gauteng’s long term plan that thrashes out various scenarios with regard to our development trajectory and defines for us what should be an ideal state.
Thus all of us in the sporting, arts, culture and heritage sectors must actively engage with the process that seek to build the future on the firm foundation we have already laid since the advent of the democratic dispensation. We are also half way through to the current term and all of us will have to take stock of the midterm report as part of assessing whether we have made progress with respect to the attainment of the political objectives as set in 2009.
Accordingly we will have to subject ourselves through a rigorous review process by the people and we will be required to honestly reflect on the progress we have made with regard to the implementation of our programme of action, indicate what the challenges are and continue with the quest to redefine our vision for our common future, united in diversity.
Synopsis on the delivery of programmes as per outcomes
Speaker,
A brief overview on the delivery of our programmes for the period under review reveals that we are making strides in the task of giving practical expression to our policies as espoused in our vision of making “Gauteng a home of opportunities, artistic and cultural excellence that contributes to social cohesion and nation building”
In this instance some of the work we have done includes the successful hosting of the Gauteng Pale Ya Rona Carnival a flagship project that serves as a breeding ground for creative industries skills development, job opportunities and the improvement in economic conditions.
The carnival whose permanent home is now Soweto has seen about 18000 people attending the spectacle. There were at least 200 people with disabilities who took part in the carnival, show casing large and small costumes prepared over months of hard work. We have created 1837 temporary jobs through the establishment and support of small enterprises.
The live music performance industry is one of the catalysts through which we spur economic development, domestic tourism and the development of audiences.
It is through the Puisano Live Music Showcases that we provide a platform for unsigned and emerging live performance bands to display their talent and have the opportunity to be exposed to the workings of the music industry.
These are unemployed young people who are given access to markets and during the period under review a total of 154 musicians took part in the programme.
Craft has become the centre of attraction in the tourism sector. The strategy is in place and we focus on enterprise development as a consequence of which 50 crafters have been trained. We have established three craft hubs and these are in the City of Tshwane, Mogale City and Sedibeng.
Speaker,
I am certain honourable members will agree that, although much more will still have to be done, we have demonstrated exceptional leadership in our commitment to development and the use of sport and recreation as a tool for social cohesion and nation building.
The period under review saw the hosting of the last installment of the Vodacom Challenge; an off season where our Gauteng PSL based teams took part. We have since introduced the Gauteng Challenge, a multi coded tournament that is made of a rugby benefit, a marathon and the Gauteng Cup.
This is in addition to some of the major competitive and development events we have hosted. Among these we have the following:
- SA Open 2011
- The Nike Manchester Premier Under 15 Cup
- Under 17 Future Champions
These events are meant to position Gauteng as a preferred destination for major sporting events. We are also on a drive to be a pioneer and a leader when it comes to the development trajectory of sport in our country.
Additionally acting in partnership with the department of education we are pleased with the progress made with regard to the LEARN TO SWIM programme. We want every child to be a safe swimmer.
The programme is a response to two challenges:
- Drowning is listed among the top causes of unnatural death
- There is a need to develop more swimmers for competitive purposes
Therefore together with Swimming SA and the GDE we are providing swimming lessons to learners in schools that have pools in their vicinity.
We already have 71 young people trained as instructors and during the period under review a total of 7394 children have taken part in the Learn to Swim Programme. Lessons have been conducted at 86 schools.
Three swimming clubs have been established in Attredgville, Coronationville and Soweto. An estimated 23 127 learners have taken part in the Learn to Swim programme.
Outcomes of the audit and matters of governance
Speaker,
The department receives an unqualified report for the period under review (2011/12 financial year). Whilst we are pleased that the report is unqualified, we are concerned that there are matters the Auditor General has raised as requiring our urgent attention.
These matters relate to:
- Compliance with laws and regulations
- Expenditure management
We must emphasise the point that we must always seek value for money in our utilisation and management of public finances. For a department like ours it is also critical that there must be some measure of social impact.
Thus, the department has already begun with an improvement process that will seek to ensure that we do things even much better.
Key among these initiatives:
- The institutionalisation of demand planning within the department
- Monthly and quarterly forecasting
- Expenditure management
By putting these measures in place we want to ensure that the department plans better for its needs, meets its contractual obligations with regard to the payment of suppliers within the prescribed 30 day period, and that we better manage the general cash flow within the organisation.
Additionally matters relating to financial management, planning and the execution of related decisions will now form an integral part of the performance management system for senior management.
Proceeding from the premise that the timely payment of suppliers is the lifeblood of sustainability for the SMME sector, a key driver of employment creation and a catalyst for economic development – we have taken note of the Auditor General’s concern.
In this regard regular meetings will be conducted with the various programme managers as part of an elaborate process of managing cash flow, budget and expenditure management within the department.
With regard to governance the Auditor General has found no deficiencies and we do welcome the recommendation that the audit committee should provide an independent review in relation to inputs to the annual performance plan to determine whether the objectives and targets do meet the SMART principles.
Strengthening our capacity to deliver through strategic partnerships
When we tabled the budget vote in June we indicated that our focus will be to strengthen our capacity to deliver through a whole range of interventions in addition to what we already have in place.
The intergovernmental relations dispensation is beginning to see light and if we sustain the momentum we should be able to see the intended outcomes.
We have concluded and signed all Memoranda of Understanding with the municipalities and we will conclude the only outstanding with Ekurhuleni within a matter of days.
The technical committee chaired by the HOD sits regularly to conceptualise, plan and coordinate our respective plans guided by the various policy instruments in place; among these the competitive sport strategy, creative industries framework and the concomitant implementation plans.
The MEC-MMC Forum continues to be the principal driver of the set vision and the execution of political objectives. We will continue to strive for the improvement of the planning and coordination of our work by ensuring that our structures work effectively and understand the policy prescripts that guide the work of the various spheres of our government.
Our desire must be that of serving the people through a process that does not expose them to delays as a result of internal red tape.
The success of any of our initiatives will be largely dependent on the exercise of prudent leadership by those of us who occupy positions of responsibility.
As such this is amplified by the assertion in the IGR toolkit of the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs which reads thus:
“….although the three spheres of government are autonomous, they exist in a unitary South Africa and they have to work together on decision making and must coordinate budgets, policies and activities, particularly those that cut across the spheres…’’
All of us therefore have a responsibility to make the system work as enjoined by the constitution of our country.
Given the scarcity of resources available to the sport, arts and culture sectors from the public purse – we continue to make a call to the private sector to join government in partnership for development.
Speaker and honourable members,
From what we know and what the Auditor General has said with regard to the state of the department, we are convinced that we are presenting an organisation that is taking shape and we are well on the road to liquidity.
We are also convinced that the organisational machinery we have is receptive to change and understands very well the challenges we face.
We are engaged, on an ongoing basis in a process of ensuring that we enhance the capacity and organisation of the department.
The strategic plan enjoins us to:
- Be activist
- Interventionist and
- Developmental
Our knowledge of the environment within which we do our work improves on a daily basis. Our engagement with our stakeholders has placed us in a better position to execute our work. Our ideal state must therefore be that of a department that is responsive, demonstrates empathy, understands its customers and posses the capacity to deliver. In this regard I believe that we are on course.
Thank you.
