‘Social cohesion’ " Bringing people together
Honourable Premier
Honourable Speaker
Fellow Cabinet Ministers
Leader of the Independent Democrats
Diplomatic Corps
Honourable Traditional Leaders
Ladies and Gentlemen
All Protocol Observed
Good Afternoon, Goeiemiddag, Molweni
The work of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport is governed and informed by schedules 4 and 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which clearly speaks to the concurrent legislation relating to cultural matters, language policy and the regulation on official languages and to our provincial competency in terms of archives, libraries, museums, provincial cultural matters, provincial recreation and provincial sport.
In this regard, we believe that this department plays an important role in creating social cohesion between communities of different backgrounds. We believe that through fostering viable cultural and sporting activities throughout this province, we create a catalyst to address the issues which plague our communities on a daily basis. These issues include crime, drug abuse, gangsterism, child abuse and so on. Our efforts will be geared towards ensuring that we build a socially cohesive, creative and active Western Cape.
Former President Nelson Mandela’s Foundation, during the events surrounding his 90th birthday celebrations, urged communities around the world to acknowledge that in order to address social issues within our communities �" allow me to quote “It is in our hands” end quote. We need to take cognisance that as communities, government and civil society it is our collective responsibility to bring about the change which we desire.
This notion is what drives the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, as we proactively engage civil society through arts, culture and sport, with one clear objective to build social cohesion.
The power of sport and culture to do this has in our recent past been so clearly demonstrated through events such as the ‘95 Rugby World Cup, The Pick ’n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour, the Discovery Health Big Walk, the Cape Town International Jazz festival, and the many similar sport and cultural events which take place throughout our province on a daily basis.
It is within this context that the departments vision of a socially cohesive, creative and active Western Cape is located. Whilst the cuts to our budget have resulted in us having to downgrade some of our targets, it is important to note that no service delivery will be stopped. We will continue focusing on service delivery to the people of the Western Cape, guided by the Provincial Strategic Plan.
Our Strategic Intent is informed by amongst others:
- The finalising of new cultural policy and strategy, while utilising community cultural forums to grow understanding and respect for cultural diversity
- Understanding the role of museums and libraries in creating social cohesion
- Identifying, preparing and nurturing talent
- Integrating sport and cultural programmes
- Developing partnerships with sport and culture civil society structures
- Developing skills within the sport and culture environment
The heart of our plan is aimed at uniting people through sport and culture to fully appreciate the common interests which bind us as a nation. The department believes that its success will be measured by an increase in participation and consumer numbers in sport and culture.
Honourable Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen, over the past financial year, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport has succeeded in delivering what it had promised for the 2009/10 financial year.
Die Departement het soos belowe, onderandere gedurende Jeugmaand ‘n Kuns
" en Kultuurweek in die Witzenberg Munisipaliteit aangebied, om sodoende aan die jeug van die omliggende dorpe die geleendheid te bied om meer van kuns te leer.
Erfenis dag was op 24 September met die fokus op die inheemse erfenis in
Vanrhynsdorp op die Weskus gevier. Ook soos belowe, is die Bobbejaanpunt
Grot by Elandsbaai tot Erfenis gebied verklaar. Ons het ook daarin geslaag om drie sportsfasiliteite, in Gamka Oos, Koekenaap en Eendekuil te oorhandig, aan gemeenskappe in die Wes-Kaap.
For the 2010/11 financial year, the department of Cultural Affairs and Sport has been allocated a total budget of R289 million 241 thousand, compared to R302 million 096 thousand being the adjusted budget for 2009/10. This is a decrease of R12 million 855 thousand, which places a further burden on the department.
Die totale begroting van R289-miljoen 241 duisend verteenwoordig ‘n afname van 4,26% vergeleke met verlede jaar se begroting. Wanneer ons egter die verbruikersprysindeks in ag neem, verteenwoordig dit ‘n begrotingsvermindering van byna 9%.
Ons begroting gaan soos volg ingedeel word:
- R36-miljoen 254 duisend gaan aan administrasie toegewys word
- R54-miljoen 156 duisend gaan aan Kultuursake toegewys word
- R118-mijoen 909 duisend gaan and Biblioteek- en Argiefdienste
toegewys word - R79-miljoen 922 duisend gaan vir Sport en Ontspanning gebruik word.
Ek moet egter daarop wys dat R90-miljoen 170 duisend van die totale bedrag voorwaardelike toelaebefondsing is wat van die Nasionale Regering ontvang is
vir die verskaf van biblioteekdienste en massadeelname op die gebied van Sport en Ontspanning.
Speaker, my department acknowledges the challenges this budget has placed
on the Department, but we will ensure adequate service delivery and address this as follows:
Arts and Culture
Due to the fragmented nature of the cultural sector, this Department has for some years embarked on a strategy to establish cultural forums throughout the local municipalities to ensure better coordination and integration. The department remains resolute in implementing programmes aimed at rural communities throughout this province. These include women, youth and the disabled, while it at the same time encourages the twinning of marginalised communities and groups with established arts and culture institutions and organisations.
To further ensure equal access to all, the department will embark on activities and programmes which will holistically develop and present opportunities to artists beyond the recreational value that the arts affords us. To achieve this, the department has had to expand its networks, partnerships and strengthen the collaborations with tertiary institutions, professional organisations and local municipalities.
Through the Cultural Forum Strategy, the department has, together with local and district municipalities and community structures established local and district cultural forums. These District Cultural Forums have been established in Eden, Central Karoo, and the Overberg as well as in the Cape Winelands Districts.
This process is aimed at facilitating collaboration between all three spheres of government and communities. Through the programmes planned for the year ahead, the department will be capacitating cultural forums through training in organisational functioning and governance and the training of 20 cultural administrators to facilitate training within communities.
The Arts Week held in the Witzenberg area last year, as mentioned, has proved that there is an endless amount of untapped talent and enthusiasm amongst youth in rural areas which often goes unnoticed. The department’s work in rural areas has elevated the level of dance and, through the department youth from the West Coast Dance fusion group "a product of the dance genre development programme of 2008 - is currently collaborating with “Dance for All” here in Cape Town. These are the opportunities which the departmental programmes afford to youth to showcase and be exposed to different audiences.
The Arts Week 2010, to be held during September in the Overberg will provide an opportunity for the showcasing of the various genres as well as bringing diverse communities together to interact and share both skills and resources within the area. This will further strengthen our efforts in building social cohesion and facilitate meaningful interaction amongst communities.
Through the departmental craft initiative we will train rural women and men on the R62 which will equip them with skills to develop products which could create economic opportunities to generate an income and contribute to improving their quality of life. These persons are largely seasonal workers and thus the acquired skill could be utilised to contribute to economic independence.
During the year the department will endeavour to expand talent development initiatives through the mentoring programmes to be initiated within each genre. A framework on talent identification and nurturing is being developed which will streamline and inform our efforts in the area of talent identification and promotion. Further we will strengthen and expand our partnership with the Suidoosterfees who has afforded three community artists an opportunity to acquire skills in events management as well as technical proficiency which is desperately needed especially in rural areas. The three persons hail from the areas of Beaufort West, Goedverwacht and Clanwilliam.
The 2009 Arts, Culture, Heritage, Museums, Language, Libraries and Archives Awards bears testimony to the commitment of the department to acknowledge and reward the work produced within communities by communities.
Through the annual funding cycle, funding will be available to the NGO sector that will assist in expanding and deepening the understanding and knowledge of the arts whilst developing audiences as well as an appreciation for the marginalised and indigenous art forms throughout the province. The sharing of experiences, skill and resources between organisations is a crucial element of this funding programme as the department and beneficiaries must work SMART to ensure that we derive maximum benefits. The department is aware of the inequalities in terms of opportunities in the rural as opposed to the urban areas and thus will accelerate the narrowing of this divide through embarking on meaningful programmes which could lead to economic viability and opportunities beyond the ambit of our responsibility.
Language
The department, together with its partner the Western Cape Language
Committee, is responsible for oversight of the implementation of the Provincial Language Policy as well as the provision of language services (translation, editing and interpreting) to all departments within the Provincial Government of the Western Cape. In ensuring the equal status of the three official languages of the Western Cape, it is important to bear in mind that an active process of promoting the previously marginalised indigenous languages, isiXhosa as a marginalised official language and the Khoi, Nama and San languages, as well as Sign Language/Deaf awareness, needs to be maintained by means of awareness programmes across the province.
During the past year my department was able to train 100 (one hundred) people in isiXhosa and Afrikaans. Furthermore, the department received the PanSALB Multilingualism Award for its Nama project from the Pan South African Language Board for effective service delivery of a campaign in the public sector that seeks to promote multilingualism.
The priority programme for the department as far as Language Services is concerned, is the continued implementation of the provisions of the Western Cape Provincial Language Policy in Provincial departments and institutions.
This will contribute to social cohesion and our ultimate objective of ensuring that residents of the Western Cape have access to services in the official language of their choice and that all three official languages enjoy equal status within the Western Cape Provincial Government. It is the aim of my Department to engage all provincial departments in order to guide senior management on the practical implications of implementing the Provincial Language Policy. I have urged both my colleagues, the members of the Provincial Cabinet as well as the heads of departments to sign the pledge that the Premier and I signed in February 2010, committing our departments to multilingualism. Awareness projects and workshops will also be held throughout the Western Cape Province to increase awareness of the official languages, especially isiXhosa, the Nama language and Sign Language.
Museums and Heritage
Heritage
The Western Cape, and South Africa, has a rich natural and cultural heritage. Heritage Western Cape, responsible for the promotion and preservation of heritage resources in our Western Cape province, has declared three archaeological heritage sites on the West Coast as provincial heritage sites. A fourth one, the Community House Building here in Cape Town, has been gazetted on 19 February 2010.
During the new financial year Heritage Western Cape will continue its efforts in engaging communities in the province to identify and protect its rich and culturally diverse heritage. The Western Cape province boasts well preserved fossils that could benefit communities economically and enhance tourism. It is therefore envisaged to engage partners to assist in the development of a Palaeo�"tourism framework which will guide our approach in the management of Palaeo-heritage tourism.
The department and its public entities are committed to promoting good governance across all three spheres and in particular at local government level.
Heritage resources are located within the boundaries of all spheres of government. Concerted efforts are under way to ensure that local planning authorities are capacitated to manage heritage resources under their jurisdiction.
In this regard, pro-active measures are being finalised to delegate powers to competent local authorities to manage and preserve local heritage.
The current term of office of the Council of Heritage Western Cape is also coming to an end and the processes to call for nominations for persons to serve on the new Council, to be appointed by 1 August 2010, is already underway.
Earlier this year, the department, together with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, commissioned a study to assess the impact of the heritage sector on the economy of the Western Cape. Initial findings have indicated that the cultural heritage sector employ more than 716 persons and generated nearly R177 million during the 2008/09 financial year.
According to statistics, more than 1 million 315 thousand persons visited the national, provincial and local cultural history institutions in the Western Cape during the period and spent R38.9 million rand. These figures do not include the contributions that the natural heritage sector makes, nor does it take into account the multiplier factor of the value and job opportunities that are created through the rehabilitation and restoration of heritage sites, estimated to be just under R1 billion during 2008/09.
Within the next month I would have appointed the new Western Cape Geographical Names Committee. This Committee will be assisting communities, local authorities and the South African Geographical Names Council and the national Minister of Arts and Culture regarding the standardisation and, where necessary, the changes to geographical names.
Museums
Ten percent of Africa’s museums are in the Western Cape. It is therefore essential that the Western Cape continue to play an effective and a leading role in the management of its heritage institutions. The department assists affiliated museums to preserve and conserved the artefacts and collections that they hold.
During the forthcoming year the Museum Service will also focus on ensuring that the existing collection and conservation management plans are implemented or, where necessary, are updated in line with acceptable professional standards.
This will include visits by specialists and training interventions that are specifically designed to improve collection management. A specific focus will be on the redevelopment of exhibitions of two provincial museums. These are the Worcester and Bartolomeu Dias Museum in Mossel Bay. Major research projects will be undertaken in this regard and the findings will impact on new exhibitions to be developed.
As part of our arts, culture and heritage legacy of 2010, a new permanent art exhibition will be opened in the Sawyer Hall at the George Museum on International Museums Day on 18 May 2010. During the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, the Cape Medical Museum, situated next to the new Cape Town Stadium, will showcase an exhibition on sport injuries in partnership with the Sports Science Institute.
The department has developed a draft new museum policy as part of the acceleration of the transformation of the heritage sector landscape. This draft policy will be consulted with various stakeholders and role-players in order to finalise the new policy and to draft new museum legislation that will empower and enable communities and municipalities to establish and manage their museums, heritage centres and, in partnership with other stakeholders and role-players, contribute towards heritage tourism.
The department will complete a number of permanent exhibitions at affiliated museums. These include the Chris Barnard Retrospective Exhibition and Pictorial Beaufort West, both at the Beaufort West Museum. In addition, the Museum Service will also launch a travelling exhibition on the national symbols on 27 April 2010 as part of its 2010 legacy project. Later this year, a travelling exhibition on medicinal plants will be developed. This exhibition will be supported by extensive educational programmes that will be delivered to school groups visiting affiliated museums, especially at museums such as the Montagu Museum that has an extensive herb garden as well as the Cape Medical Museum.
As a lead department in social cohesion, the Museum Service and provincial museums will host a number of events on public holidays and other commemorative special and historic days, including the Freedom Day commemoration, International Museums Day and Heritage Day.
Library and Archive Services
The Western Cape Archives is the oldest archive service in South Africa and is the custodian of South Africa’s earliest written records. To ensure that official records are managed efficiently and effectively by all organs of state, the Records Management component will continue to monitor and evaluate the implementation of approved systems.
The Archive Service will continue to play a major role in the electronic filing project of the modernisation process on which this province has embarked upon.
A highlight this year will be the annual Archives Week. This event that takes place in May 2010, aims to raise the awareness about the services rendered at the archives. Various programmes such as Genealogy Research will be presented at the Archives during this week.
The Western Cape Library Service, which provides library services in partnership with municipalities at 329 service points throughout the Western Cape province, will continue to provide appropriate library material to all the people of the Western Cape. A highlight this year will be the long awaited migration to a new computerised library system.
The outdated dos based PALS system will be replaced with the new web based Brocade system. The scope of this project is huge, as more than 6 million items and all current processes and procedures will have to be converted to the new system. We will go live in January 2011.
The rural ICT (Information and Communication Technology) connectivity project will enter its third phase during 2010/11. This project, which brings free access to 12 the Internet and computers to library users at rural libraries and is funded from the conditional grant, has so far been very successful. Library usage has increased at centres which have gone live and its popularity is proven by the fact that members flock to public libraries to use this facility. We will be expanding the ICT to a further 20 sites, which will bring the total number of active sites to 60.
Sport
Speaker, exactly eleven Fridays to the day sees the start of the biggest sporting event that this country has ever hosted. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will focus the attention of the world on South Africa and more importantly our province. My department has been mandated to ensure that a legacy that goes beyond the mere physical is left behind.
The Department has completed the first phase of the Philippi Stadium upgrades, to FIFA standards.
The legacy of this project is that the Philippi and Kosovo communities now have, on their doorstep, a sports facility which is of international standard. The project fits in well with broader programmes to upgrade the area as a whole. The sustainability of the project will depend on the successful appointment of a tenant for the grounds and the ability of that tenant to organise matches and events which inspire excitement and ownership by the local community.
Knysna is base camp to two of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Teams. The Loerie
Park sports ground has for this reason been upgraded to FIFA Standards, to accommodate them. The upkeep of these grounds will be done by the local Municipality, and the benefit to the local population is enormous.
The international partnership arrangement with Holland, namely the “Stars in their Eyes” Project has produced, so far, 120 highly trained coaches, who are working within their communities to ensure that the skill of football reaches some of the most remote areas of the province. The programme will continue with the signing of new agreements beyond the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
A wide range of football development programmes, including training; capacity building; street and playground football and programmes run by our Provincial Football Ambassadors have been implemented in the run-up period to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. All of these, with the exception of the ambassadors’ programme, will be deepened and continued after the final whistle has been blown at the World Cup and will be sustained by the department.
Speaker, the department will establish five provincially added public viewing areas during the period of the World Cup. These public viewing areas, located in each of the districts outside of Cape Town will give the people of the Western Cape the opportunity to experience the World Cup. All economic opportunities associated with the public viewing areas will be directly linked to the local population.
In addition to this we have purchased six countdown clocks - 1 per district and 1 for Cape Town CBD. These high resolution outdoor screens will be left as a legacy for each of the District Municipalities to use for advertising; notices; screenings of events; traffic management etc. Training is provided for the upkeep of the machinery and the resource will be available for Municipalities to use them as they see fit.
The department has also supported the Cape Craft and Design Institute �" provincially supported craft training and networking organisation - to equip a network of crafters from throughout the province, to produce products which are specifically designed to be sold to football tourists and fans.
Within the next month the department together with the Western Cape Education Department and Department of the Premier will implement the "My 2010 School Adventure" programme. This project will run after school and on Saturday mornings and has soccer as well as a cultural aspect to it. The prizes are designed to equip school learners with an opportunity to both “touch the World Cup” through a soccer competition, but also to learn about the various participating countries, in relation to their culture, traditions, economy and history.
The department has trained 99 volunteers for the Confederations Cup and will train a further 215 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We believe this is an important programme as a number of the volunteers trained for the Confederations Cup went on to secure employment soon after the tournament. This is the development legacy our interventions will have.
In the 2009/10 financial year the National Symbols Programme, which aims to create social cohesion, was rolled out at schools throughout the province.
The programme has succeeded in giving learners and educators alike a new sense of understanding and a real pride in our National symbols. The programme will be further enhanced with the launch of a National Symbols Travelling Exhibition.
Speaker, while the 2010 FIFA World Cup has certainly given the impetus to the projects to which I have alluded, these projects will continue after 2010 as they have been designed in such a manner that they will be seamlessly absorbed into the work programme of the department.
Within the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, we have adopted a saying which states, and allow me to quote “a child in sport is out of court” and we believe that our efforts in sport and recreation represent a true alternative to the social issues which plague our community. School Sport plays a critical role in giving as many young people as possible access to sport.
During 2010/11 we will be establishing two mass participation centres or MOD centres in each of the 49 Western Cape Education Department and School Sport Circuits, which will give us a total of 98 School Sport-based mass participation centres.
At each of these 98 mass participation centres, 2 sport coordinators will be appointed. The School Sport-based Mass Participation Centres will be supported by 8 School Sport-based high performance centres which will be established in each of the 8 Western Cape Education Department and School Sport Districts. One Centre Coordinator and approximately 10 Code Coaches will be placed in each of these centres.
The main purpose of these mass participation and high performance centres will be:
- to create access and opportunity with regard to after-school hours sport and recreation activities for all school-going learners and
- to develop the skills and capacity of potential athletes at a very young age
- to use these platforms to infuse social awareness messages (e.g.
anti-crime, anti-drug, and HIV and AIDS message)
The operating hours of these School Sport Centres will be of such a nature that day to day schooling will not be interrupted. We want to ensure that our children are kept busy after school, thus we envisage that these programmes take place after hours.
Through the Club Development programme and with the cooperation of our key stakeholder, the federations, we hope to increase the club development footprint in more communities. In rendering continued support to clubs it is hoped that we will stimulate ongoing sustainability and not make clubs over dependant on funding resources from the department received via the SRSA’s conditional grant programme.
Speaker, during the 2010/11 financial year four municipalities will receive financial support for the upgrade of eight sport facilities and the building of one new facility.
The Riaan Loots Campaign which focuses on combating violence in Sport will focus on rugby, football and hockey during the new financial year.
Targeted awareness programmes and interventions will be designed to deal with the hotspots within these codes. The SWD Club Championships have been identified as one of the areas for special intervention and the department will be launching an awareness programme to address some of the past challenges experienced at these championships.
The Farm Workers Sport Programme will be further supported during 2010/11 financial year with the upgrading of a sport facility at Buffelsdrift in Oudtshoorn. Additionally we will also be providing various life skills courses and a basic sports administration course to equip farm workers to run their sports structures more effectively.
The Department has also provided sporting attire and sporting equipment for this programme, in 2009/10 financial year. Our relationship with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture will also result in the development of another sport facility at Aan De Doorns.
The highlight on the farm worker’s sport calendar, the annual Farm Workers Sports Day will take place on 1 May 2010 in Worcester. The Siyadlala Community Mass Participation Programme has given many of our youth access to recreational activities such as the indigenous games and modified games such as street football, mini-cricket, mini-netball, and mini volleyball.
The Mass Participation Programme is driven from the 45 hubs which are spread across the province. The coordinators located within these hubs will continue to ensure that Mass Participation, talent identification and development happens within their specified hubs. The highlight of the programme will be the Winter Indigenous Games to be held during the June/July Holidays and the Summer Games which will take place during the holidays in December.
Our relationship with the Western Cape Sport Academy will be further enhanced this year with the establishment of two satellite sport academies: One will be opened in Oudtshoorn and the other in Saldanha Bay.
In conclusion, Mr Speaker, sport and culture, no doubt serves as a platform to bring children, mothers and fathers, communities and society from a diverse background together around a common interest.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the sport community, sport federations, cultural organisations and other civil society structures for partnering the department in ensuring that we built a socially cohesive Western Cape.
Mr Speaker, our combined effort ensures that all communities have a sense of belonging, of togetherness. Sport and Culture has the potential to bring alienated youth back into mainstream society while making them feel accepted. As a society we have come through 16 years of Democracy, however cultural reconciliation is still lacking. Without being exposed to other cultures, beliefs and customs and developing a mutual respect for their value we as a society will never truly be reconciled.
Speaker, we need to ensure that although we are diverse in our essence, as a nation we stand behind each other and our shared humanity and indeed build a socially cohesive Western Cape.
Qala, qhubeka, gqiba - We have started, we must continue, and we must finish.
I thank you, Enkosi Kakhulu, Baie Dankie.
