Madam Speaker
Honourable Members
Members of the diplomatic corps
Business Leaders
Arts and Culture practitioners and administrators
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
This year heralds the fifth anniversary for me to be at the helm of the Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and to present the sixth budget speech for Vote 15. The road travelled to date has been phenomenal and the tasks ahead remain extremely exciting. In tabling this budget speech for 2011/12, the department is focused on creative, hard hitting interventions that will open dialogue, stimulate creativity, shape a consciousness of becoming active to develop our artistic signature of our nation. Harry Broudy illustrates and embodies the significance of art in our world, by saying, “What a society deems important is enshrined in its art"
Madam Speaker we selected a pathway to carry the voices of our people where a free society shall become a mantle for economic and social prosperity. The Honourable Premier, in his State of the Province Address, emphasised the aspect that, “Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation are the most potent weapons for youth development.”
We will create the synergies and linkages to reinforce the use of these weapons to construct a lasting space for a comprehensive social, cultural and economic development.
Madam Speaker, in the year that passed, we said good bye to a number of prominent artists - Busi Mhlongo, Vusi Ximba, Pregalathan Singaram, Simphiwe Khanyile are a few to mention. At this time I pause and pay tribute to them and recognise their contribution that they have made to the arts in the country.
Art for economic prosperity
Our vision “Prosperity and Social Cohesion through arts and culture” captures the direction for transforming the current ethos of society and embedding a course for sound economic growth and job creation. Our 2011/12 plans ensure that the human quality and ability to embrace change are considered through decisive, sustainable and integrated actions which are aligned to the New Growth Path, Industrial Policy Action Plan of government and the millenium development goals (MDGs). The cultural industries is one of the critical sectors identified to improve tourism and achieve the national objectives of economic growth. Today, I am presenting very bold and creative programmes put together in a way to foster behavioral change, nation building and social cohesion particularly among the youth.
Programme 1: Administration
Within Programme I, the Office of the MEC and Corporate Services, which includes Financial Management, Corporate Governance, Administration Services, are responsible for providing efficient, effective and economical administrative support services to all our stakeholders in an equitable manner.
I can confidently state that the macro and micro organisational structures of the department have been implemented and our service delivery model is yielding the positive results .Our four regional offices are staffed and have become newly revitalised engine rooms for shaping and developing the arts and culture sectors. I have the pleasure of informing you that the two new senior managers appointed during 2010, in Northern Region and in Eastern Region, bring with them a wealth of experience.
The Museum Services is our infant which is now fully assimilated into the department from the Office of the Premier and making strides in changing the heritage landscape of our institutional heritage in the province.
Employment equity
The employment equity figures of the Department reflect that the percentage mix at Senior Management level has 83 percent African, 13 percent Indian, 3 percent white and 1 percent coloured. The disability target registers 0.69 percent persons and in the next cycle, the disability strategy will be enforced in line with the national norms.
In keeping with the President’s State of the Nation Address to fill all vacant budgeted posts and create decent jobs, I have the profound pleasure of informing you that the department filled all 41 advertised posts in 2010/11. This year we aim to fill critical posts in line with the Provincial Recovery Plan.
Up-scaling of community infrastructure programme
Madam Speaker, in line with the New Growth Path, our aim is to maximise access to libraries, museums and arts centres. Part of the department’s goal is to provide equitable access to world class library, information, archives and museum services. This entails building and resourcing libraries, archives, museums and arts centres. The libraries that will be extended will be used to improve usage thereof and also serve as a multi disciplinary purpose, information hubs, exhibition spaces etc.
The building of arts centres and the rendition of arts and culture programmes therein aim to, develop and preserve arts forms and cultures, contribute to creation of sustainable livelihoods and nurturing of emerging artists. They all become critical turbines of creativity and social networking spaces to build on the social cohesion apron of the nation.
The up-scaling of our infrastructure programme would see the construction of libraries, arts centres and museums that would contribute 378 jobs through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). This number is over and above the staff servicing these centers or institutions when they are operational at the following places: Qhudeni Library and Museum in Nkandla Local Municipality (LM); Ntambanana Library inNtambanana LM; Maphumulo Library in Maphumulo LM; Osizweni Arts Centre in Newcastle LM; Mbazwana Arts Centre in Mhlabuyalingana LM; Bulwer Arts Centre in Ingwe LM; Uthungulu Arts Centre in Mhlathuze LM and Ugu Arts Centre in Umziwabantu LM.
Internships, bursaries, learnerships
Madam Speaker since 2008, the DAC internship programme appointed 64 interns to enhance and sharpen their skills in various business units of the organisation with 30 interns gaining entry into permanent employment.
The department projects for the 2011/12 period to have 50 internships at a cost of R1 800 000; 20 bursaries for students at a further cost of R400 000 and 200 learnerships at the cost of R3 m in collaboration with the CATHSSETA for the youth in arts programme.
Currently we have 52 cyber cadets (library computer assistants) employed at a cost of R4,9 million. This year a further 10 will be employed with an additional R800 000 to take our overall target to 62. Furthermore, 16 mobile library volunteers have been employed and stipends amounting to a total of R360 000 are provided. All these efforts really fit into the characteristic of job creation stream.
Operation Sukuma Sakhe
The department reviewed its current internal structures and modus operandi in respect of Operation Sukuma Sakhe. Senior Managers have been deployed and armed to build partnerships with the community in order to make a purposeful contribution in the 10 district municipalities and metro with reliable, appropriate arts and culture services.
Development of departmental suppliers database
Madam Speaker, in order to reduce fraud and provide value for money through supply chain management, the Department will embark on the revision of its supply chain management (SCM) processes and will develop its own Departmental Suppliers’ Database for services that will be necessary for expanding the arts and culture industry. The database will be in line with KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Treasury requirements and I make an earnest call to all potential service providers to register on the department’s supplier’s database.
Programme 2: Cultural Affairs
Cultural Affairs consists of four sub programmes, namely Arts and Culture, Museum Services, Language Services and Regional Office Management.
Development of a comprehensive arts and culture database
The department will be establishing a comprehensive electronic database for the arts and culture sectors in this financial year. The database will provide an indication on the number and level of skills, competencies, artistic disciplines and genres. This database will assist in marketing artists and culture practitioners, products and services and to map their locations to assist in ensuring economic benevolence. This database will be linked to our website as well as to other important websites.
Using celebrities for messaging
In response to Outcome 3 of Government’s Programme of Action on a healthy lifestyle and improved quality of life, established artists or celebrities will be used to spread critical government messages such as behavioral change focusing on themes like drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, nation building and social cohesion to youth. The arts centers will be used as magnet points for the youth, woman and children who will be part of diverse activities and will be addressed by celebrities conveying appropriate messages.
Provincial creative industries growth strategy
In the promotion of the creative industries, 2 560 artists and 46 arts and culture institutions will become direct beneficiaries within a budget of R18,540 million. The visual and performing arts, craft, theatre and film development sectors will be used to broaden the needs of the creative industry.
The department will invest R400 000 through the KwaZulu-Natal African Film festival and the Centre for Creative Arts festival to open up platforms for local content in film to be showcased.
A total of R3.3 million has been allocated to various cultural associations and festivals such as South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA), KZN Gospel Crown, MTN Jazz Festival, Hilton Arts, the Ushaka Marine and Wildfees in order to extend the reach of the arts and culture to the community,.
Cultural establishments like Indonsa Arts Centre, Stable Theatre, Bat Centre, Ekhaya, Gobhela, Infusion, Rorkes Drift, and a further six establishments Jambo, Khula ,Osiweni, Uthungulu, Ladysmith, Mbazwana will be receiving funding with an overall budget of R4.8 million.
Arts and culture service delivery indaba
This year the department will facilitate a battery of customer and stakeholder engagements within the arts and culture sectors. The primary aim of this exercise is to evaluate our services, stimulate dialogue and identify new needs and this will take the format of a major arts and culture Indaba that will be incorporated into the annual library, archives, languages and museums conference to be staged at the ICC in Durban.
Piracy
Madam Speaker as the MEC responsible for arts and culture, I am concerned about issues pertaining to intellectual property rights infringements, which affect the livelihoods of artists. The Department aims to work closer with the Justice Cluster of Cabinet to put together an integrated campaign and plan to address the situation.
The Playhouse Company and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO)
The statistics of the Playhouse Company illustrate a positive trend against a backdrop of the global economic crunch with 84 productions, 346 performances, 9 345 arts practitioners and 183 106 persons participating. Its new mobile truck will cover rural areas taking the arts closer to the people and in the process opening new artistic spaces.
Our KZNPO, through its performance of high-profile concerts, featuring of the cream of international and South African music talent, assists to brand our province and country positively. Its cadetship programme opens new doors for local students to enter the classical music genre through the community engagement and rural residency programme. The Playhouse Company and KZN Philharmonic Orchestra receive a combined budget of R15,197 million for 2011/12.
Provincial Integrated Craft Hub
The successful implementation of the provincial integrated craft hub strategy with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to improve the plight of crafters in rural areas is to be accelerated in all districts in 2011. The crafters are for the first time formalised in a realistic realm where decent economic benevolence accrues with the department supporting 20 cooperatives with starter packs.
Provincial events
Madam Speaker, provincial celebrations contribute towards the national signature of the nation, namely, Freedom Day, Umkhosi KaNomkhubulwane, Umkhosi Wesivivane, Umkhosi WeLembe, Umkhosi Wokweshwama, Reed Dance and the department will play a leading role with a budget of R8.7 million.
Social cohesion
Magnificent Fridays
We will promote the raising, flying and waving of our flag and our national symbols as part of the Magnificent Friday campaign in partnership with the Department of Sport and Recreation. Our intention is to mobilise communities to support national teams that are participating in the forthcoming world cup tournaments i.e. Cricket, Rugby and Netball. The social mobilisation campaign around these tournaments will include encouraging South Africans to wear sports regalia every Friday. Performing artists and other celebrities or role models will convey messages to encourage citizens to rally behind these national teams.
School Cultural Adventure Programme
The “My School Cultural Adventure Programme” is in response to a direct clarion call by the Premier to create a platform for young people to access creative alternatives for quality and meaningful after school opportunities. This project in collaboration with the Department of Education, Sport and Recreation, Health, Local Municipalities, Office of the Premier and other role players in the arts industry will run between April and September 2011. The projects will be rolled out between 14h00 to 17h00, a time which the research has shown school going learners are more vulnerable to negative lifestyles. A cluster of programmes made up of the My School Cultural Adventure Programme will be amplified below and a budget of R2m has been set aside for this programme.
Schools research and debate
KZNDAC’s focus is on arts and culture, educational research and debate where learners are invited to participate in competitions and debate to showcase their creativity through various themes. These will inculcate a culture of social participation and broad understanding of the South African demographics as well as developing linguistic skills and raising awareness about various issues on the public domain such as unity and diversity, anti-discrimination and anti-xenophobia, safe and healthy lifestyles and caring for our environment. This project will increase awareness among learners, educators and broader school community on the importance of the above themes at the same time developing enquiring minds amongst the learners in the following districts: eThekwini, Amajuba, Zululand and uMgungundlovu, which have been identified to kick-start this programme.
School cultural competitions
This project is designed to resuscitate and instill a culture of hard work towards excellence by reviving competitions in various disciplines within the arts and culture sector thus rekindling the cultural vibe that has been slowly diminishing in schools. The competitions will provide a platform for the discovery of talents with a view to pursuing school studies biased towards those talents. Learners in the Districts of ILembe, Sisonke, UMkhanyakude and uThukela and in the disciplines of essay writing, visual arts, poetry, music will also include a talent search element in choral/hip-hop, depending on popular genre in specific districts. The learners will develop and nurture their talents through interaction and exposure from the professional artists who from time to time will mentor and eventually adjudicate in the final stages of the competitions.
Beautification of public spaces
The beatification of public spaces is an initiative that seeks to beautify public spaces with a view to developing and promoting local art work. It is geared towards the creation of employment by making use of local professional artists to serve as mentors to the learners and the youth. The beautification concept uses fine art (paintings, art murals and mosaics) to decorate public spaces such as cultural institutions, arts centres, museums, libraries, stadiums, schools, hospitals and halls. Learners from eThekwini, uThukela, Zululand and UMgungundlovu district municipalities and professional artists will be employed to beautify such spaces creatively with specific themes.
KZN youth bands campaigns
Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) will use youth bands to encourage mass participation of youth in creative endeavors thus channeling their potential positively into productive socially constructive activities.The programme aims at promoting social inclusion by unleashing youth creativity and maximising their talent potential and also intends exposing youth to brass and other instruments. The unemployed youth with disabilities, youth in situations of conflict, in-school youth in four district municipalities i.e. Ilembe, Ugu, Amajuba and Umkhanyakude will be targeted. A total of 34 job opportunities will be created by this programme with 24 teachers working simultaneously in all identified regions with young people having two woman cooperatives per region to design the uniform for the participants. A maximum of 300 learners (200 dance and 100 on instruments) per region will participate as a start.
Intercultural and Intergenerational Dialogues
South Africa is characterised by a number of social ills including high level of crime, drug, women and children abuse, teenage pregnancy, spread of HIV and AIDS, dishonesty, disrespect, etc. The observation that most people seem to be agreeing on as the main cause for this dilemma is that the gap between young and old in our society is widening. The old people (adults) have distanced themselves from the children. The children find themselves learning things from wrong sources because there is a lack of proper nurturing either from home or the society.
The Department of Arts and Culture has designed activities focusing on the promotion of active and responsible citizenship through intercultural and intergenerational dialogues to address this matter. This can best be achieved if learners actively participate in dialogues and symposia where selected topics around traditional values and norms, unity and diversity, gender, xenophobia, teenage pregnancy, human rights, among others, are discussed. The project will be rolled out for school going learners in the following Districts: uMzinyathi, Pinetown, Ugu and uThungulu.
Artists in schools
The department will be rolling out a pilot programme in 2011/12 where 24 artists will be placed in schools to promote and champion arts and culture through education and training in schools. This campaign aims at strengthening and improving the interest in the arts amongst learners. We believe exposure to the arts and practice promote self-directed learning and sharpens critical and creative skills. It is envisaged that these artists will encourage learners to use their creativity as an integral part of self development.
Collaboration with other entities
We will intensify our existing collaborations with Tourism KZN in the Tourism Indaba to showcase what the province has to offer in the area of creative industries and in other Cultural Exchange Programmes. We are also starting collaboration with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to train women and young people on the use of animal skins, horns, indigenous grass to produce beautiful products as part of our job creation contribution.
Language services
Madam Speaker the Department has prioritised the intensification of the implementation of the Provincial Language Policy. Language development is an integral part of the rubric of building a socially cohesive nation and deepening our democracy. To this end the following programmes will be introduced.
Mass Literature Development Programme
Literature writing workshops on various genres including drama, novel and poetry will be conducted and these are aimed at imparting life-long literature writing skills to aspirant writers. This involves the development of anthologies by reading and writing clubs. It should be noted that Nasou Via Afrika has adopted Umbani Reading and Writing Club (Westville) for mentorship purposes.
The department established 20 reading and writing clubs in 2010 and plans to establish a further 29 this year with an injection of R250 000. Reading and writing clubs are used as springboards to inculcate the culture of reading and then writing.
The department will be working with four correctional services facilities namely Qalakabusha, Westville, Serfontein and Eshowe, where inmates will participate in literature writing workshops as part of their rehabilitation programme.
A successful literature exhibition was held in 2010 at the ICC. For 2011, another literature exhibition will also be hosted whereby aspiring publishers and authors will be able to promote their written offerings.
Geographical Names Programme
The department will continue to assist the provincial geographical names committee in facilitating the standardisation of place names in conjunction with South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC), local municipalities and the national Minister for Arts and Culture. The standardisation of names is essential in redressing the imbalances of the past and building an inclusive society. 50 geographical names will be reviewed this year. An awareness campaign will be rolled out across the labyrinth of the province to enlighten communities on the nature of the diverse language services as well as the geographical naming process.
Translation, interpreting and editing
The department will continue to support sector departments and other governmental bodies in the provision of translation, interpreting and editing services as government makes every effort to be responsive to the needs of the citizenry in their language of choice.
Funda Olunye Ulimi or Learn Another Language
Madam Speaker, the provincial language policy aims at encouraging the learning of other official indigenous languages to promote national unity, linguistic and cultural diversity. In its quest to promote multilingualism, the department will introduce a unique project called “Funda Olunye Ulimi' or “Learn Another Language”. The population of KZN is predominately isiZulu first language users, who will be exposed to seSotho language.
The department in collaboration with UKHOZI FM will air a soapie using both isiZulu and seSotho. The script written and played in a way that those who do not know Sesotho will be taught the language starting from basic day to day phrases revolving on the current environment and teaching listeners about good habits and providing updates in the country. The department will finance 60 episodes at the cost of R108 000 which will create employment for local artists and aired for 3 months commencing from 4 April 2011.
Museum services
Madam Speaker, the department wants museums to be reflective of diversity that manifests itself in the province. Museums contain materials and collections that are relevant to the needs of the community and should be a resource tool to learners and educators.
Construction of museums
The department received funding from the Provincial Treasury of which we are really grateful to the Honourable MEC for Finance, Ms Ina Cronje, to accelerate the construction of new museums at Mpofana and Nkandla and upgrades at Umtshezi, Okhahlambha and Dannhauser. Over R5,5 million will be spent over the medium term economic framework (MTEF), with an additional R13 million on a total of 8 museums province wide.The museums services have embarked on a unique project to document the History of School Education in the province and the role that it has played in shaping the historic development of the nation. At this juncture, extensive research is being conducted and the development of a fully-fledged school museum will be established in Durban once a suitable site is established.
Revamp of museum collections
A total of three comprehensive museum displays will be revamped and this includes phase 3 of the Zululand Historical Museum, the Vryheid Museum, Howick Museum and a community museum will be established at Mpophomeni. We will embrace the digital age with the process of digitising our collections and making it accessible to a global audience.
Mobile Museum Unit
The department will commence the process towards establishing its first mobile museum bringing collections closer to the people and also reinforcing relevant societal needs as part of the moral regeneration, social cohesion and nation building emphasis. The planning phase has commenced and will be realised later this year with a mobile museum unit.
Time Travels
The ‘Time Travels’, project examines the teaching of history through the enactment of a chosen historical period which is considered an important resource tool for educators and learners. This programme opens up new artistic and creative spaces for reenactment to take place which targets the youth and hence will be done in collaboration with the Department of Education. This concept entails having mobile museums containing exhibitions, artifacts and resources relating to themes studied in history at schools.
International Museums Day
The museum services will bring together curators, museologists, researchers, industrial technicians and historians as part of the annual celebrations of International Museums Day under the theme “Museums and Memory”. Museums store memory and tell stories and we anticipate stimulating dialogue on collective memory at a conclave to be hosted on 15 May 2011 at Fort Amiel Museum in Newcastle.
Provincialisation strategy
The department is in the process of developing a new museums’ provincialisation policy in order to accelerate transformation of the heritage sector landscape in the province. In 2011, we anticipate finalising the provincialisation of museums strategy. These will address aspects of Schedules 4 and 5 of the Constitution which focus on competencies regarding museums. Extensive work will be done to complete the development of the KZN Museums Act to replace the existing old Ordinance. During this year 35 affiliated museums are supported with subsidies to the tune of R3.88 million.
Programme 3: Libraries and Archives
There are four sub-programmes, namely, Library Services, Archives Services, Recapitalisation of Community Libraries and Management.
Madam Speaker during 2011, the role of public libraries in fostering behavioral change and the constructive use of leisure time by the youth and the wider public is given greater impetus. Today’s youth find themselves living and coexisting in a dynamic world more crowded and sophisticated than ever before, with competing pressures, opportunities and temptations. Appropriate leisure programmes for youth are elements aimed at fighting social ills such as drug abuse, juvenile delinquency and other anti-social and self destructive behaviors.
We are introducing the following programmes which are all aimed at addressing the needs of the youth through the: New Literacy Initiatives for 21st Century
This programme aims to keep the youth gainfully occupied and to raise interest levels. 21st Century Literacy is the ability to use a range of tools and skills (technological, interpersonal, communication) to effectively participate in the workforce. It includes print, visual, media, information and communications technology (ICT), multimodal, scientific, technical and many other types and modes of literacy.
The young people are becoming non readers and there is a need to create alternative options and ways of spending their leisure time – that are constructive, sociable, competitive and fun.The department intends rolling out the Gaming and Wii @ Your Library Project. A pilot will be run in 20 libraries targeting those in previously disadvantaged communities, it will serve as a draw-card to non-readers for computer games such as Nintendo – play stations, group game playing on asocial and competitive format, Wii Sports etc.
Provincialisation of libraries
I am delighted to announce that the Department of Arts and Culture has pushed the envelop in terms of the provincialisation of libraries and become the forerunner in the country.
The department received additional funding over the 2011/12 MTEF for the continued provincialisation of public libraries. It is proposed to use the funding to provide a subsidy of 50 per cent of the staffing costs of the libraries based on provincial salary scales, in all areas including uMgungundlovu and the eThekwini Metro with the latter only receiving funding from 2012/13 onward. It is planned that, from 2013/14, the subsidy paid to all districts will be 100 per cent of the provincial salary scales.
Within outcome 1 which focuses on improving the quality of basic education, support is given to 229 affiliated libraries in the form of 138 000 new book items and learning material to benefit both school going learners and those pursuing their studies at institutions of higher education through distance learning in 2011/12. Over the MTEF 265 000 new items will be procured over the next two years.
Community Library Conditional Grant
The purpose of the community library conditional grant of R45 million in the 2011/12 budget is to enable communities to gain access to knowledge and information that will improve their social, economic and political situation. While the department is expanding its infrastructure capacity to build new libraries, a significant increase over the 2011/12 MTEF relates to a transfer to the eThekwini Metro for the building of a new state of the art mega-library.
The mobile library units are being systematically introduced to promote services to remote rural areas where there are no libraries in the short term. The conditional grant will see the portality of the library services through the introduction of the mobile library truck.
Madam Speaker, the department has seen the benefits of the Mobile Library Truck Project (MLTP) as a major intervention for 2011 where four mobile library trucks have been purchased and will become fully operational by April/May 2011. Each truck will be placed in a region, aimed at reaching out to deep rural areas and provide access to the much needed information through internet access on the Mobile Library LAN, Educational toys and story telling for the very young, photocopying service for rural communities, etc. Our libraries will be used as vital information outlets to complement the Education Department in building a socially cohesive and proud nation.
Internet access
The department will boost its free internet access cafes’ in rural libraries with 10 additional units to an overall target of 62. Funding is provided for the appointment of cyber cadets to assist the public in information and communications technology (ICT) skills. With skills training from cyber cadets opportunities for the employment and human development can be leveraged in the precinct of libraries for users.
The migration to the new SITA Library and Information Management System (SLIMS) was completed in the department’s head office, four depots and nineteen public libraries and it is planned to have 54 libraries fully automated on the SLIMS automatic control system.
Archives services
Madam Speaker I am delighted to inform you that the department will for the first time with effect from the 1 April 2011, have a fully functional satellite archives service in our Western Region in Uthukela. This office will be operational from the Regional Office in Murchison Street.
Records management
One of the fundamentals of any public service is the ability to have systems, processes and procedures with proper records management practices in place. The department will have a total of 300 records management staff trained province-wide which will include all municipalities and sector departments.
Oral History Family Tree Project
The oral history family tree project has its foundation on the interest that young people have in tracing their genealogical path, understanding their origins, their clans and izithakazelo. It instils a great sense of pride and becomes a cornerstone in nation building. It opens the doors for understanding the present and thus sets a scene for a conceited effort to sketch a more prosperous future.
Young people can research their own family history and receive an authenticated family tree. This will lead to the development of each individual’s memory box, which can be kept and updated continuously. Schools are expected to play a major role in providing a captive audience for a massive rollout of this project. Individual homesteads and traditional authorities that have their basis on family kinship and churches have a vital role to play in providing a base to which young people will refer when embarking on their projects.
A family tree software programme has been provided by the Genealogical Society of Utah and will be made available in cyber cafes in public libraries. Archives staff will train at least one person in each municipality to demonstrate how information must be collected, processed and archived. A budget of R200 000 has been allocated to kick start this programme
Documentation of the history of the legends in the creative industry
Madame Speaker, I have the pleasure to announce that the department has set up an interdisciplinary unit to roll out a new programme with seed funding that will recognise and document the lives of those artists living and no longer with us and we need only to look at Ruth Cele or Vusi Ximba who have contributed significantly to the creative industry. This initiative will stitch an essential thread to the creative industry of the province and we anticipate establishing partnerships with the private sector and also the unions representing artists.
Conclusion
Madam Speaker, the Department of Arts and Culture have explicitly made decisions in shaping the road still to be travelled in order to ensure economic and social transformation. Our desire is to make the citizenry prosper in our beloved land where the peoples of diverse circumstances and origins work collectively, to accommodate each other in the spatial puzzle. I have pleasure tabling the budget of the Department of Arts and Culture for 2011/12 as follows:
Programme 1: Administration: R79,606 million
Programme 2: Cultural Affairs: R117,869 million
Programme 3: Libraries and Archives Services: R167,381 million
Grand total of all programmes is R364,856 million.
I wish to thank and express my gratitude to the Premier, uKhabazela, for trust and confidence that he has in me in providing political leadership in steering the Department of Arts and Culture as we continue to build this nation and deepen our democracy; the Head of Department Mrs CN khumalo and her team for their continued commitment, dedication and support. My family for the support and strength you have given me over the year to manage two departments. My political party, the ANC, for the political guidance and the KZN women who always inspire me, more especially the ANC Women’s League for their continued support, advice and direction they offer me. I thank you.I wish to leave you with this thought that I found appropriate to attain the goals of the department, which was articulated by the father of the Nation, Nelson Mandela, “The ways in which we will achieve our goals are bound by context, changing with circumstances, even while remaining steadfast in our commitment to our vision”.
I thank you.
