Deputy Minister Gert Oosthuizen: Sport and Recreation Dept Budget Vote NCOP 2018/19

Speech  by Mr Gert C. Oosthuizen (MP) Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation (SRSA) on the occasion of the SRSA NCOP Budget Policy statement in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, Cape Town

Theme: “I Choose to be Active”

Honourable  Chairperson,

The National Development Plan(NDP) envisions a society where South Africans will be more conscious of the things they have in common than their differences. Their lived experiences will progressively undermine and cut across the divisions of race, gender, and disability.

This Budget Policy statement is delivered at a time when the World Health Organization released alarming statistics regarding the growing inactivity of human kind all over the globe, including South Africa.

The estimates by the World Health Organization, that 35 million people are dying annually of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and cancers, cannot be ignored.

In the face of these challenges caused by inactivity, we urge South Africans to join the active nation movement and support the ‘I Choose to be Active Campaign’

Collectively, we have to address this growing phenomenon of inactivity as the economic costs are unaffordable and the human costs are unforgivable. This cannot be allowed to continue unabated on our watch

In short, let us be practical in shaping how we intend to address and achieve these objectives.

Facilities play a critical role and indeed are an enabler to ensure greater participation by communities.

All Provinces

In the current financial year we will have an improved focus on provinces. All 9 provinces will continue to utilize sport as a vehicle for social cohesion and nation building. This will be pursued towards addressing the need for social unification. Through our “I Choose to be Active Campaign”, all provinces will host the National Recreation Day in their Provincial Capitals on the First Friday of October. Again all provinces will also host the ever-growing Big Walk in the Provincial Capitals with the main event held in Tshwane.

All Provinces will also host the Golden Games. The aim is to encourage active participation among the elderly of our country. We will hold the Youth Camps to foster new patriotism among our youth in pursuit of the objectives of Outcome 14.

Limpopo Province

The Limpopo Province has successfully hosted the COSAFA Cup and will again play host to the Indigenous Games to celebrate our culture and heritage through sport, at the Seshego Stadium in Polokwane. We will also hand over a facility in the Elias Motswaledi Local Municipality in the village of Monsterloos. This fully fledged new community stadium cost R10m to build. We will also hand over a facility in village of Balloon in the Maruleng Local Municipality which cost R5 million to build.

Free State Province

The Free State province has been allocated an additional allocation. It will receive in the current financial year an amount of R95, 9 million for its programmes including an allocation for the building of the National Training and Olympic Preparatory Centre in Bloemfontein. This programme will be funded over multi-years. When completed the Centre will be the country’s leading and cutting edge High Performance Centre and indeed a secret weapon in our arsenal to decimate our sporting opponents. It is envisaged that construction will commence in the next financial year.

[Our MIG projects are being rolled out nationally with all provinces being allocated projects annually. Some of the projects have now been completed and will be handed over to communities in the current financial year.]

Eastern Cape Province

In the province of the Eastern Cape we will hand over a facility in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. The new facility includes Ablution facilities, Athletics track and a soccer pitch. The project cost R10m. We will also hand over a facility in Ntabankulu Local Municipality which cost us R10m. What make us more proud about this project is that it has provided state of the art facilities in a village.
Mpumalanga province

In the province of Mpumalanga we have handed over a facility in the Lekwa Municipality in Standerton. The project cost R11m and included comprehensive facilities including a new pavilion. We will during the course of this financial year also hand over another facility in Msuka Ligwa which cost R10,1 million to build. We will also hand over a facility in eMalahleni Local Municipality which cost R8 million to build.

Western Cape Province

In the Western Cape in Swellendam, we handed over a new club house facility catering for, Cricket, Football and Netball. The facility cost R7m to build.

Northern Cape Province

Northern Cape is close to our hearts due to its low levels of development and conditions felt by our citizens on the ground. We have allocated the Northern Cape additional resources. We have modified the allocation formula with the consensus of all provinces. This resulted in a significant improvement in the total allocation for Northern Cape. We will this year hand over a facility in Umsobomvu local Municipality in the town of Colesberg. The facility costed R6.5million to build. In this project we refurbished ablution facilities and build a new community stadium with a soccer pitch and a pavilion.

KwaZulu-Natal Province

In KwaZulu-Natal in the uPhongola Local Municipality in the village of Ncotshane, we will towards the end of this financial year, hand over a facility that costs R15 million.

North West Province

In the platinum province of the North West, we will hand over a facility in Ratlou Local Municipality in the village of Setlagole. The project cost R15m to build. As the municipality has a serious challenge   of water shortage, the community stadium has been build to be water-wise with artificial turf installed. We will also hand over a facility in Bloemhof in the Lekwa-Taemane Local Municipality. The project cost R11.5m to build.

Gauteng Province

The Gauteng province, will play host to the BRICS Games to be hosted this July. The Games will see Netball, Volleyball and Football being played in the programme. This is part of the people to people relations programme of the BRICS member countries. We will also hand over a facility in the Rand West Local Municipality in the Township of Badirile in Randfontein. The facility cost R10 million to build.

International

International Relations are becoming more and more important. Within the region, South Africa will continue to participate and play an active role in the activities of the African Union Sports Council, Region 5.

The Department will further continue to fulfill its responsibilities in international fora such as UNESCO, the UN Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), amongst others.

Under the leadership of South Africa, MINEPS VI marked a shift from declarations of policy intent towards measurable actions with the adoption of the Kazan Action Plan. In fact; Governments world- wide are experiencing the impact of sport in the different spheres of society.

CIGEPS

On the 26th April 2018, South Africa was unanimously re-elected as Chairperson of CIGEPS for a second term where we continue to play a leading role in the monitoring and implementation of the KAZAN Action Plan.

At the adoption of the Kazan Action Plan, it was declared that: “Active schools, in which physical activity is placed at the heart of the school, support the establishment of healthy lifestyles, behaviour and learning. In addition, quality physical education is a necessary component of primary and secondary education”. i This talks to our call for a stand-alone subject of Physical Education.

We are hopeful that the Davis Tax Committee will respond to our submission relating to Section 18A of the Income Tax Act. In Part 2 of the Ninth Schedule sport is excluded. We know that sport and recreation portfolios are acknowledged as underfunded and recipients of the smallest share of the annual division of revenue.
We believe that, incentivising sponsorship for the projects in these sectors would assist immensely in sport, realising the nation building and social cohesion objectives assigned to us in the National Development Plan.

This is also acknowledged by the United Nations. In paragraph 37 of the document entitled, “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" it is stated and I quote: “Sport is an important enabler of sustainable development.  We recognize the growing  contribution of sport to the realisation of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives.” Unquote

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that the potential of sport, its global reach, its universal language, its impact on communities in general, and young people in particular, is a fact which is increasingly being recognized around the world.

In South Africa, the time to invest and capitalize in and on this potential of sport is NOW. If we as the leaders of the sport sector do not embrace the potential benefits of sport and recreation, an injustice will be done to all South Africans.

Finally Honourable Chairperson, a prolonged neglect of physical education could have a serious negative impact upon national health, education sectors as well as the development of the world’s youth.

An Active and Winning Nation requires citizens who Choose to be Active.

I Choose to be Active;  What About You?

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