Honourable Speaker
Honourable Premier
Honourable members of the provincial legislature
Honourable members of parliament
Executive Mayors, Mayors, Speakers, Councillors present here
Magosi a rona a tlotlegang
Political leaders present here
Chairpersons and representatives of our Public Entities,
Business Community, Sport Ambassadors, Artists,
Members of the community
Ladies and gentlemen
Ke a le dumedisa,
Honourable Speaker, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture would like to take this opportunity to quote what we as the people of this country had said as we adopt the constitution of this country.
“We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustices of our past,
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land,
Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country, and
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.
Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law.
Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person and build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.
May God protect our people.”
It is upon these words and the vision of the department Sport, Arts and Culture in the North West that we find ourselves gathered here today to tell the manner in which we will achieve the objectives as stipulated in our strategic plan. Furthermore, to ensure that the mandate given by our people and voiced by the President and the Premier of the North West province are achieved.
We are also aware that these four pillars namely:
Recognition
Honour
Respect and
Believe
Are housed nowhere else except in the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture nationally and not only in the North West. It is therefore our take as the province to ensure that whilst we create a hub for talent, we do it in alignment with the said pillars, identified five objectives and the ten priorities as set within our National Strategic Framework and the provincial Lekgotla.
The above cannot be done in isolation to the core functions of the department, the main services to be delivered by the department and the demand for the changes in services of the department as stipulated in the provincial treasury budget book for 2010/11.
Administration and management support
Our administration service is faced with a huge task of ensuring that we deliver to our communities without compromise. Looking at the plan that we have developed, it is clear that we need to re-align our structure so that it serves the envisaged plan. This will be coupled with skills audit and ensuring that we make provision for critical scarce skills. The structure produced here, will assist us to fill up the vacant posts as per the reviewed structure.
As we fill these posts our priority will be on ensuring compliance to the employment equity act and other related legislation.
It is within the re-aligned structure that we will be able to locate the public service commission monitoring and evaluation assessment report so as to ensure compliance to the recommendation contained there.
We will create an environment which is enabling for our workforce by acquiring offices that will cater for the needs of the staff compliment in districts and service points. These offices must have reasonable furniture and equipment to enable our workers to deliver on the services expected from them.
Some if not all of this offices do not have security services in their premises and this poses a threat for damage and theft of departmental assets including safety of the same personnel. It is upon this, that we will liaise with public safety and security to ensure that we receive the said services in our offices.
We will further work with Transport unit to ensure that we review the allocation of cars to the work stations particularly at the service point level.
Labour relations
Workshops on all departmental policies, labour agreements and legislation, moral regeneration and team building sessions will be carried out to our workforce. This will be done to maintain and create sound labour relations minimise disputes and maintain high staff morale.
The department will create time where management and recognised unions meet to discuss progress and frustrations from both sides and ensure a way forward that will be beneficial to the going concern of the department.
We are however cautious of this year being the year of action and will expect the workers to also be responsible and ensure that they adhere to the Batho-Pele principles and ensure effective, efficient service delivery. We will be merciless to those workers who find the department to be a luxury coach. It is our understanding that unions are not made to stop production but to ensure that production does not come at the expense of the workers’ rights. It is their role to protect workers’ rights and that we support.
Communication and marketing
Honourable Speaker, if there is an area that is not functioning well and is actually a barrier for the relations between the people of this province and the department is this directorate. We have since diagnosed the problem and we will be attending to it soon.
We are however going to ensure that we partner with the media industry through this department to publicise the departmental programmes, activities and educational work to the people of this province and country.
This we will do by buying air and slots for local, national and international media, further more using our website which will be updated from time to time. We will also use relevant structures and sources to deliver on this utmost important vehicle of information to our society. We are therefore calling for the Provincial treasury to fast track our independency to man the departmental website.
Legal services
Speaker, as you know that without legal service the department runs a risk of being exposed to abuse and vulnerability. It is on those bases that we are going to build a strong legal unit which will be able to assist and advise the department on legal matters. It is this unit that will pick up on new legislation and trends that will cause the department to review its policies and legislation.
Information technology
The information technology within the department will be improved to accommodate and ensure unified approach for Mmabana foundation and Provincial Arts and Culture Council (PACC).
Financial services
As we all know this service is the pillar of each department and without proper controls and management, it can bring the department into a stand still. It is upon this that we will engage the provincial treasury to allow us to have the internal audit within the department as opposed to the shared services.
With the department having to deal with a heavy workload on activities and events, it is crucial to have an in house fraud and corruption unit. This unit will assist in picking up or detecting fraudulent and corruptive activities before they flag the red.
The turnaround time for order processing will be less than three days and the payment turnaround time will be as per the president’s pronunciation. An audit of the departmental assets has been sanctioned and once finalised it will be used to update our asset register and further help to feed the department of public works, Roads and Transport with information from time to time. We believe that this exercise will assist us to ensure that our service delivery is spread evenly across the province.
We will ensure that our infrastructure unit works with related departments to ensure effective and efficient infrastructure delivery to our people.
Arts and culture
As we have previously indicated, our vision is clear in terms of provision of a representative hub of talent which is internationally recognised and admired. We have since realised that we cannot do this on our own, but we need to hold hands with our communities to deliver on this.
As we interact with these communities, we, through them established a provincial interim arts forum. This structure will work to coordinate the province on arts issues. They will assist both Mmabana and PACC to ensure that services are received by most artists in the province. The challenge for the proper functioning of this structure is resources and provision of such will be done to add on hands that speed up the services to the art industry.
We have already started local competitions for Zindala Zombili as per the State of the Province Address and we are going to continue this competitions for the districts and provincial competition. We will develop a strategy to ensure sustainable development for the winners of these competitions.
The Taung Calabash will be attached to the Taung Skull project as this will enable us to host an increased number of Tourists. A strategy is being developed as to how best we can use this moment to promote our province, culture and art.
The initial stages of these events should be communicated and marketed to the entire province as a build up to the final product which will be used to assess the breakthrough for performing artists and or creative artists.
The craft development institute will be used to further develop and showcase the craft and art work that the province has produced for the entire country and world. Additional 20 SMMEs will be graduated to this level.
Arts and culture infrastructure
The rehearsal places for our communities leave much to be desired, we are therefore going to revisit our arts centres within the four districts through Mmabana foundation. Among others we have since visited the Mamusa rehearsal place and are going to give support to the artist in Mamusa in terms of renovations required there.
As we renovate and upgrade the museums working together with municipalities and with available budget, we will not leave behind the request made by the people of Phela through their Chief and the office of the Premier to ensure delivery of the museum in that area.
The usage of the available structures in the province has since been minimal. The programmes we have will be attached to the different structures that we have as a province. For example Speaker, we have the Mafikeng Civic Centre, Mmabana theatres and halls, Matlosana Auditorium, Rustenburg civic centre, Huhudi stadium Hall and many others which are rarely used for hosting major events. A partnership with municipalities and private sectors should be sort to ensure maximised usage of these infrastructures.
Heritage and culture
Together with the department of economic affairs and tourism, we will educate and promote our people provincially and nationally about the heritage and culture this province has. This is basically to call on the increased number of tourists in the province.
We cannot leave behind the famous gateway project. The information gathered from this project will be used in provincial lectures, seminars, commemorative days and in the cultural villages within the province. It is clear that our area was a combat zone of heroes and heroines of this centenary.
Honourable Speaker, the 2010 Budget speech also seeks to remind the people of the North West of the heroes we had earlier. Among others they include Mme Josie Mpame, Dan Tloome, Dorothy Makgalo, Comrades JB Marks and Thabo Mofutsanyana; least we should not forget that it is a birthplace for one of the greatest revolutionary theoreticians of our modern times, Comrade Moses Kotane. The Province was also a banishment area for revolutionaries and anti apartheid activists around the country in the 1960s. I will be failing if I do not recognise His Majesty Kgosi Moiloa from Dinokana who was banished after women in his village staged the anti pass campaign in the 1950s.
Moral issues has since been our pillar as Africans, it therefore tells that we need to ensure that we promote the culture of respect and responsibility within our province. We will do these through partnership with non-governmental organisations and faith based organisations within the province. As per the national strategic framework, we are requested to provide resources to such organisation to assist service delivery. This is a necessity for our province to further heal the wounds of the past.
Language services and campaigns
Honourable Speaker, we have a responsibility to promote our indigenous languages. The language forums developed and the memorandum of understanding signed between our department and the department of education during 2009/10 financial year will help develop a programme to ensure the delivery of this service. The distribution of books, materials and information brochures and reports will be used to further this service.
It is time that we record our history, activities and events as a province. This we will do by ensuring that our writers are supported and promoted. We should develop a pool of writers who are cautious of the developments within their province. The quality production they do should be within our libraries and book shelves.
The mass literacy campaign will continue and it will not only focus on ABET but further include financial literacy, cellphones and computer literacy.
Library, information and archive services
The projects of construction of community libraries have been fully funded and are in progress in Greenspark (Merafong City Council), Ipeleng (Tlokwe City Council) and Ipelegeng (Mamusa Local Municipality). Plans are underway for the implementation of building projects of community libraries in Letsopa (Tswaing Local Municipality), Boikhutso (Ditsobotla Local Municipality); Dertig (Moretele Local Municipality); Utlwanang (Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality) and Mogwase (Moses Kotane Local Municipality) Khuma [Matlosana city council]. The Conditional Grant allocated for community libraries has provided the needed funding for these projects.
As per the State of the Province Address we are tasked to deliver library materials to the tune of R11,7 million. This will be distributed to different libraries. It will include indigenous language books, early childhood material, educational, referral, historical and many more books from different writers and of relevance. It therefore tells the importance of and relevance of library awareness campaigns.
Whilst we pride ourselves that we have been top of range in provision of toy library service in the country, we are not going to be blinded by the achievement made but will continue to provide this service and ensure that all libraries within the province have this service and this we will do in phases. We salute our employee who has been nominated to serve on the international board for toy libraries. [Ms. Desriee Mtshweni]
Archives services
The archives service will be provided through engagements and workshop to the traditional leaders, government departments and institutions, municipalities and public entities. It is therefore crucial for the government departments to ensure recruitment of record managers. This will enable us to fast track service delivery for archives.
An awareness programme will be developed to ensure that communities, schools and different institutions know about this facility.
Sports and recreation
Honourable Speaker, allow me today to honour the goal keeper for Bafana Bafana, Itumeleng Khune. He is from Ventersdorp which is situated within the district named after Dr Kenneth Kaunda under the leadership of Mayor Cecillia Phoyane and Executive Mayor Pinky Moloi which is in the North West province. His family should be proud of him as we are. We pledge our support behind him, the entire national squad and our 2010 ambassador Phillimon Masinga and family. We will be rolling out a programme that will ensure that our sung and unsung sport heroes are recognised in a proper manner.
I must say we are ready to receive our guests as a province. All the departments within the province have delivered on what was expected of them. We praise the work done by the Rustenburg city council as the host city together with the Royal Bafokeng Nation under the leadership of Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi. The work done by Ntate George Khunou and his team in ensuring the delivery of all necessary infrastructure of the stadium. Executive Mayor Wolmarans in absentia and the current Executive Mayor Mme Jeanette Dibetso Nyathi, the Local Organising Committee and the workers that ensured that all services needed were rendered.
As the teams arrive in the province from 3, 5 and 11 June 2010 we will indeed begin to realise the dream we all have been dreaming as the entire society.
The people bus will conclude its tour within the province this week in Bojanala. We will hold concerts and festivals within the province to popularise the historic events amongst our people. The reviewed public viewing areas (PVAs) will be prepared for the delivery of this sport to the doorstep of our people.
- Bojanala: Moretele
- Dr Kenneth Kaunda: Maquassie Hills
- Ngaka Modiri Molema: Mahikeng Stadium
- Dr.Ruth Segomotsi Mompati: Vryburg show grounds
We will be hosting six matches within the province at Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
- England versus USA
- New Zealand versus Slovakia
- Ghana versus Australia
- Mexico versus Uruguay
- Denmark versus Japan
With the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa has not only gained a status of being the first country in the continent to be afforded this immense opportunity of responsibility. This event has brought about changes to the landscape of our country with the construction of new stadiums, roads, hotels and B&Bs as well as improvements to our transport system.
It has been said many times Honourable Speaker, how sport could unify and indeed we are a living proof of the power of sport as a unifier. The world cup could have not come at the right time to our country. At 16, South Africa is still very much a teenager that needs proper guidance and mentoring. We are however pleased with our level of maturity of this teenager that will welcome multitudes of football fanatics and other tourist who will be with us for the duration of the tournament.
Programme 1: Administration – R65,342,000
An amount of R65,342,000 is allocated to programme one, administration. The programme’s main objective is to account and manage public funds, to provide human resources, financial and general administrative support services. In addition, it provides executive management, technical and administrative leadership.
Programme 2: Cultural Affairs – R92,664,000
An amount of R92,664,000 is allocated to programme two, cultural affairs. The programme’s main objective is to promote culture, conserve and manage the cultural, historical assets and resources of the province by rendering various services.
Programme 3: Library and Information Services – R106,179,000
An amount of One R106,179,000 is allocated to programme three, library and information services. This programme’s main objective is to assist local library authorities in rendering of public library services and providing of an Archive in the province. Included in this programme is the libraries conditional grant an amount of R59,275,000
Programme 4: Sports and Recreation – R136,058,000
An amount of R136,058,000 is allocated to programme four, Sports and Recreation. This programme’s main objective is the promotion of sport and recreation to contribute towards the reconciliation and development of the North West province community through the provision of equitable, accessible and affordable facilities, programmes and services. Included in this programme is the sport and recreation conditional grant an amount of R34,022,000
Total Budget: R399,243,000.00
Mass participation
The activities of our Mass Participation Programme (MPP) are funded mainly through conditional grants to the provinces. The creation of employment and skills development for the unemployed youth, it has become clear in implementing this system of sport participation that we would achieve more if the hubs were related to municipal boundaries.
Working together with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) we should be able to sharpen organisation and coordination in this programme. Since 2005, this programme has created decent jobs and supported our small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs). It also produced sports men and women who are part of the SA Teams.
We have a young man, who was able to put North West and South Africa on the map, by reaching at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. We salute you, John Kwenane! You made us proud! Let me also salute all the youth, men women who made this province proud, in being national champions for the Indigenous Games since 2003 five times in a row. We have made a commitment to win this trophy nine times at their respective provinces, and have certainly accomplished that thus far.
This programme also changed lives of our ordinary citizens, got our senior citizens playing on the Golden Games Project, and exposing them to national participation, which took place in PE, which will be an annual event. Total of 470 oldies got exposed to national interaction, and has drastically improved their health status. The province has been requested by the national department to host the second National Golden Games for 2010. It will be our privilege to fill our stadium with senior citizens participating in all these activities.
The Mass Participation Programme has borne the Gymnaestrada Project, which we are proud to announce that we have taken the mother federation (SAGF-S.A. Gymnastics Federation), the country, and the international world by storm. The team received an invitation to form part of the South African team that will be participating during the World Gymnaestrada Festival in Louisiana, Switzerland in July 2011.
In the 2010 State of the Province Address, Premier Modiselle said: “Sports is a national builder of repute, we sing and praise together during games. Our healthy lifestyle depends on sports related physical engagements; hence this administration is investing in creating integrated facilities for such.
We will be resuscitating school sports as the ultimate integrator of South Africans. In the financial year beginning April 2010, 270 Community Development Officers will be appointed as sport development facilitators to work in all Districts in the province. The relevant department will announce details in due course.”
She further states that: “The key pillars of our social development intervention include the creation of a sustainable social welfare system that reduces social ills such as drug and substance abuse, child abuse, violence against women, poverty eradication, protection of marginalised sectors of our communities such as orphans and persons living with disabilities as well as poverty eradication programmes through self-help schemes and cooperatives creation.”
The department, through its Collaborative Agreement will ensure that State of the Province Address pronouncements are delivered. We shall ensure that school sport work to feed into high performance sport, and produce stars. We need to work towards a School Sport Coordinating Structure. Different countries of the world have organised sport around code-specific associations who then form a national umbrella structure to coordinate sport at school. Africa is not different in this respect. Neither is the Southern African Development Community (SADC) sub region. The only exception is South Africa. We must correct this during this financial year.
On the subject of deracialisation and transformation, some will accuse us of repeating ourselves. We may even sound pedantic. Yes, we are all the above things for effect. South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black or white; rich or poor. And sport is no sacred cow in this respect. We cannot live the issue of unequal access to opportunities to chance or the market forces. If we did, sport will divide, not unite South Africa. We have been there before.
We must redress the ills imposed on the present by our past. Not all our programmes address this. The School Sport Mass Participation Programme will be a pillar in this regard, as well as the School’s Football Flagship Programme. The department, together with our partners, will be hosting the Sanlam-Kay Motsepe Schools Football Cup from 23 to 26 September. This is the biggest schools football sponsorship, under the leadership of Mr Patrice Motsepe.
The winning school takes away R1 million prize money, while the second position gets R600 000, third place R500 000 and forth place R400 000 in a form of prize money. The two provincial winners automatically qualify for R100 000 each. This cup has ensured that for the first time, our Independent schools register and participate, in enhancing social cohesion.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup is an International Sporting spectacle that seeks to unite all nations of the world. It is an effective instrument of bridging ethnic, language and racial barrier. Any nation state that hosts the World Cup does not only accrue the economic benefits, but the International tournament also plays a major role of enhancing the diplomatic standing of the host country. In supporting 2010 FIFA World Cup, we have rolled out the “My 2010 Schools Adventure” project, we also integrate all other school sport codes. The project focuses on the following:
- Participation Pillar Football Tournament, Unite Mzanzi Unite and Cultural International Dialogue.
- Development Pillar-Capacity Building of football administrators, coaches and technical officials.
- Education Pillar-Schools Adopt-a-Nation; essays, art, poetry, performing arts and the schools recycling programme.
The aims of the “My 2010 Schools Adventure” are the following:
- Mobilise our young people, to host and participate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
- Promote national pride and unity and build values of non-sexism, anti xenophobia and tolerance.
- Promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles.
- Promote mass participation of learners around the legacy themes of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in music, arts and cultural activities and soccer.
This programme is preceded by the Schools Confederations Cup which took place in Gauteng in May 2009, and one of our High Schools in Brits, Lethlabile - Eletsa High School obtained position one nationally. Currently we have 534 schools registered, with 801 teams of 13 617 boys and girls, as well as learners with special need (LSEN). For the remaining two months, up to May 2010, the project continued at various elimination levels through competitions, to produce provincial teams, which represented North West during the national championships.
North West came victorious and won overall. The following schools made us proud:
- Seiphemelo Secondary School from Tlokwe - under 18 boys gold medalist. This is a product of the Schools Mass Participation Programme and the British Linkage Programme and the players have also been put under one of the Development Programme of one of our Premier Soccer League Teams.
- Keurhof Secondary School from Matlosane - under 18 girls gold medalists. These are Learners with special needs (mentally mildly handicapped
- Keurhof Secondary School from Matlosane - under 18 boys silver medalists. These are learners with special needs (mentally mildly handicapped)
- Kgosi-Thebe Primary under 14 girls silver medallists.
- Odi Primary School under 14 Boys Bronze medalists.
We shall leave to see the above athletes turning what the President said into reality. In the State of the Nation Address (SONA) President Zuma said: "Sport is a powerful nation-building tool. Working together we must support all our national teams from Bafana Bafana to the Proteas and the Springboks from Banyana Banyana to Paralympians. The 2010 local organising committee (LOC), together with Adidas, allocated a total number of 1 656 tickets to the teams, parents, participants, team and technical officials who participated on both the education pillar (posters, poetry, drama, performing and visual arts, essays and crafts), the Adopt–A-Nation Pillar and the Participation Pillar (football)of the My 2010 Schools Adventure Project. They will all get the opportunity to watch different games at Royal Bafokeng.
Centrality of schools and community
We are supporting development in sport through club development, community sport and school sport programmes. In areas where all sectors are involved in sport development, there is evidence of increased participation in mass participation and competitive sport programmes. To sustain the many programmes that have been initiated, an integrated approach to delivery is being developed by the different directorates within Sport and Recreation South Africa.
In areas where there are no sports facilities, schools are being identified as points of delivery for sports development programmes to the community. The existing infrastructure in schools provides a platform for the launch of sport and recreational activity. The revival of School Sport and Community Clubs minimises the loss of talent when learners leave school. This approach also serves to intensify school and community links, thus building stronger communities.
The establishment of clubs and community sport programmes also provides access to learners from schools where there is little or no sport programmes largely due to inadequate resources.
Sports structures and infrastructure
We will continue our relation with different sports structures in the province and ensure that we better coordinate sports programmes within the department. The review of priority sporting codes is of utmost importance during this financial year.
Our partnership with South African Football Association (SAFA), South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and high performance academy will be looked at to improve on the output and further to look at expanding this service to other related service providers within the province. Love life games which involved the address to HIV and AIDS are an issue we need to follow up.
Our legacy unit will embark on club development and skills development for referees, coaches and managers of teams. A programme to sustain these services and the products of such will be developed.
Our recreational facilities will be upgraded and put into use for the betterment of Sport, Arts and Culture issues.
Mmabana and PACC
These facilities will be used mainly to develop and assist learners to partake in the economy of this province. The review of policies within these institutions is a necessity and further improving on their structural arrangements.
Having said this it is clear that the budget allocation to these institutions is not sufficient. We will ensure that we revisit this issue so as to ensure effective service delivery by these arms of our department.
Speaker, I would like to conclude by thanking all leaders present here, the sports people and artists of this province and the workers of this department for the support and challenges they gave to me as those became lessons to me for the future.
I further would like to thank my family and mostly my husband, who at all time through sickness and bad times has been giving support and encouragement to me.
It will be unfair of me not to thank my colleagues and members of this house for the whippery they have done throughout the year.
Last but not least, I would like to Honour the Pampiri family and the alliance leaders for their support and guidance to my work. My mother, sister and my three boys, Padi, Thapelo and Mohato, I appreciate your acceptance for my service to the people and chose to be on your own in most of time.
I will always remember the humble oversight of the portfolio committee for Education, Sport, Arts and culture under the leadership and chairpersonship of Mme Fenny Motladiile.
Kea le leboha basia, batobatsi batho ba mantsha thebe di ome, di se nna di omela mokgoabo tlung.
I thank you.
Source: North West Provincial Government (http://www.nwpg.gov.za)
