MEC Anroux Marais tables Western Cape Cultural Affairs and Sport budget vote 2021/22

Minister Marais tabled R897.5 million budget for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport

Yesterday, 30 March 2021, Minister Anroux Marais tabled the 2021/22 budget appropriation of R897 510 000 for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown regulations have impacted our social, economic and personal worlds and forced us to think, function and embrace the new environment. Physical distancing and its associated demands and needs of the past financial year further established the use of technology to execute our mandate and remain relevant in this evolving digital environment. However, it has also allowed us to reimagine our present and in turn future to socially connect and with imagination comes hope and in times of despair, hope is all we need. 

The work of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) is aligned to all the strategic priorities of the Western Cape Government, inclusive of VIP 1: Safe and cohesive communities; VIP 2: Growth and jobs; VIP 3; Empowering people; VIP 4: Mobility and spatial transformation and VIP 5: Innovation and Culture, and with the R897 510 000 appropriated for the 2021/22 financial year, the Department will focus on service delivery to all who call the Western Cape home, guided by the provincial and departmental Strategic Plan.

The effects of the Coronavirus had significant social and economic impacts on the sectors we serve. The restriction of gatherings brought about by the lockdown regulations had a devastating impact on the sport, arts and culture sectors which resulted in the cancellation or postponement of planned events in the 2020/21 financial year. The impact of COVID-19 has resulted in a loss of income and opportunities for the sport community, most prominently on individual athletes; limited opportunities for creatives to generate an income especially in the gig and live performance economy, and as such a loss of income for creatives along the entire value chain of the Cultural and Creative economy. These will have a ripple and lasting effect on the sport, arts and culture sectors over the 2021 MTEF.

The 2021 MTEF budget is therefore premised on prioritizing the recovery of our sectors by aligning it to the Western Cape Recovery Plan in the areas of Jobs, Safety and Wellbeing and Dignity. Youth employment will be at the heart of the Department’s plans to contribute to the reduction of unemployment rates amongst youth in the province. The Department will leverage the whole of society through the Year Beyond, MOD and EPWP programmes. To achieve this, the Department will partner with donors, NGOs, Government, schools, learners, parents and unemployed youth, to address social and economic challenges.

In summary, below are highlights of Minister Marais’ budget speech delivered yesterday. The full speech can be found on https://www.westerncape.gov.za/gc-news/99/56405

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport 2021/22 Budget of R897. 510 million:

Supports our arts community

  • Despite the constrained fiscal environment imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the department supported 75 NPC/NPOs to an amount of R11.9 million during the 2020/21 financial year.
  • The department also developed a COVID-19 Relief Fund Strategy to provide relief to the creative industry and a total amount of R4.5 million was allocated to support 598 vulnerable artists and organisations.
  • R20.4 million is set aside to contribute to the revival and stimulation of demand for products of the sector in order to help the sector recover. This investment will be targeted at professional arts organisations, NGO’s in the arts sector, artists in the gig economy, arts in all sectors from Performance and Celebrations, Visual Arts and Crafts, Books and Press, Audio Visual, Design and Creative services to Multi-Disciplinary Arts.
  • We will invest in cultural production, as well as promote an investment in digital infrastructure to help this sector recover.
  • We will promote greater collaboration between the department with other departments and sectors. To this end we will scale up work opportunities for artists without jobs through the Artists in Schools programme and create more work opportunities for Safety Guides in Museum Galleries.

Supports the Sport and Recreation sector

  • The Department has allocated R 6. 587 million to fund sport federations in all 6 districts of the province in the 2021/22 financial year with administration, development and capacity building support.
  • The Sport Promotion Directorate is serious about transformation in sport and assisting marginalised groups by:
  • Supporting DISWEC with R150 000
  • R230 000 for Disability Sport
  • An allocation of R 250 000 was made available for capacitating Women in Sport while R304 000 is available for Sport Legends for the 2021/22 financial year.
  • The academy system will continue supporting 210 athletes in the six district academies, including the support to Paralympians residing in the Western Cape.
  • As we build-up to the 2023 Netball World Cup, we have prioritized upgrading and providing Netball facilities across the province in support of the much-needed Legacy Project to increase access to the code to optimize our pool of talent for participation at higher levels of excellence. To host the very best Netball World Cup in 2023 R4.5 million is earmarked for 2021/22, R5 million for 2022/23 and R5.220 million for the 2023/24 financial year.

Supports community sport clubs:

  • Our Club Development Programme supports 180 clubs across the province which includes clubs from rural and farming communities.
  • Clubs in the programme have been assisted with transport, registration fees, capacity building courses, equipment and apparel.
  • The Rural Sport development programme has been supported at grassroots level to revive participation and support talent identification in rural areas.

Strengthens the After School Programme

  • As the lead Department, DCAS will be extending After School Programmes to no and low fee learners across the province this year.
  • In the last year we set up an online portal and training and this will be further strengthened with the allocated R3.144 million for the 2021/22 financial year.

Creates the enabling environment to afford youth with needed opportunities to reduce unemployment in the Western Cape.

  • The YearBeyond Programme provided almost 500 volunteers per annum with experience and training, and 6 000 learners with academic support in literacy and numeracy and life skills in the 2020/21 year.
  • In 2021/22 we hope to reach almost 1 000 youth and 10 000 learners to strengthen the capacity of the youth office to provide holistic support to youth on the programme, as well as pathway support to those exiting. 

Prioritizes digitization:

  • R1.350 million is allocated to the new Archives Website to empower the public to conduct online research from anywhere in the world.

This means:

  • Reducing or eliminating the need to access original master records
  • Equal access to records to all researchers
  • Online access will save time and travelling costs
  • Records will be protected from damage due to physical handling
  • R408.3 million is appropriated for Library Services:
  • An e-book service will be rolled out to all public library members in the province. This means library members will have access to library material from anywhere in the world.
  • We have partnered with the SA Library for the Blind in establishing 7 Mini libraries for the blind facilities. This service will continue in the new financial year to enable blind and visually impaired people to be able to access the internet and reading material for free.
  • Most of the small rural library centres are provided with free internet through the Rural Library Connectivity Project (RLCP).  To increase free access to the needed gainful opportunities, we will have 229 rural libraries connected to the internet in the new financial year.  

 

Media enquiries:  
Stacy McLean - Spokesperson for the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais  
Cell: 083 504 1171

Province

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