for Cultural Affairs and Sport
29 May 2007
Mr Speaker
"As we prepare for the centenary of our movement, and as we strive further
to advance towards the realisation of our Vision 2014, we will have to reflect
on the progress we have made, the challenges we have faced and the tasks that
remain in terms of implementing the popular mandate we received in 2004 to
build a people's contract to create work and fight poverty."
The statement made on 8 January also declares 2007 as "The year to intensify
the struggle against poverty as we advance in unity towards 2012".
The President in the State of the Nation Address further said that we should
ask "what progress have we made in the quest to achieve the objectives to which
our people gave us the overwhelming authority to govern our country from 2004
until the next elections in 2009".
"Intensify the struggle against poverty as we advance in unity towards
2012". The Premier in the State of the Province Address says â2007 reflects the
halfway mark of our term in office as the first ANC-led Government in the
Western Cape (WC)." He further says that much more needs to be done, but we
have certainly laid a solid foundation in fighting poverty and creating work"
in the first half of the term.
Speaker, during the week of 12 to 19 April 2007, we had an opportunity to
listen to the people during our Provincial Imbizos.
The people at these Imbizos said that we often do not acknowledge or talk of
the role that arts, culture, sports and recreation play in the building of
social capital, human capital, economic development, tourism and the
provisioning of infrastructure.
They said that arts, culture, sports and recreation respond directly to the
challenges that we are facing as a society: They said that this department is
doing a great deal and can do more to:
* fight gangsterism
* fight drug abuse and crime
* create jobs
* develop skills
* creating opportunities for small, medium and micro enterprise development
(SMME)
* market the province
* increase tourism
* ensure healthy lifestyles
This was echoed in this house during the public hearings of the standing
committee on the 2007/08 budget.
The Premier, in his address to the Annual Sport Awards on Friday, 4 May 2007
in Paarl, confirmed this when he said: "Maybe it is time for the Provincial
Government to have a rethink about the manner in which it is dealing with some
of the socio-economic problems of the province and allocate more resources
towards sport and therefore the prevention of gangsterism and crime "I want to
fully support this assertion, because I think that we are putting to much
emphasis in the measures to cure, rather than dealing with the proactive
prevention of some of the major socio-economic challenges we are faced
with.
Speaker, allow me to take this opportunity to thank all the institutions
such as the sports federations, sports councils, arts and culture organisations
and private sector for the work they are doing in helping this government to
advance its goals to build a people's contract to create work and fight poverty
and unite the people of our province in achieving a non-racial, democratic,
non-sexist and prosperous society.
In the last two and a half years, this ANC led provincial government has
made major advances in the field of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation. Let me
mention a few of these advances.
The Department has made a major contribution to the development of the
economy of the Province by investing approximately R10 million towards major
sport and cultural events such as: The KKNK Festival, Suidoosterfees, Cape Town
Festival, Whale Festival, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the Big Walk
and the Pick 'n Pay Argus Cycle tour.
These major events collectively attract several thousands of tourists to the
province each year and their spending is estimated at several million rands
towards our local economy, providing opportunities for SMMEs. In developing
human capital, the department has contributed towards the enhancement of the
arts and craft design organisations, provided jobs through infrastructural
development of sport and cultural facilities, and the deployment of 127 sport
fitness learners at schools and the fitness industry. An additional 140 of
youth in nine different School Sport clusters have been taken up in the School
Sport Mass Participation Programme (SSMPP) funded by a national conditional
grant and, the Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme (SMPP) has provided
temporary job opportunities and training to 189 sport assistants in 31 hubs
across the Province.
Over the last two and a half years the Department has funded Sport
organisations with more than R8 million. This contribution is aimed at
developing these codes with the objective of building social and human
capital.
In football for example, the contribution we made to the South African
Football Association (SAFA) amounted to only R970 thousand. However, this
contribution helped SAFA reach approximately 120 000 registered footballers in
the Province. This translated into 120 000 youth active in sport and deterred
from crime, gangsterism and drugs and living healthy lifestyles.
During this period we have also spent R14,5 million to upgrade sports
facilities in areas such as Matjiesfontein, Villiersdorp, Matzikama Ladismith,
Langa and Nooitgedag. This has contributed towards building integrated
communities and towards spatial development.
The department has successfully opened the first Sport School in the Western
Cape on 17 January 2007. The Sport School admitted 67 learners who are
currently receiving advanced coaching in football, netball, aquatics,
athletics, volleyball and gymnastics.
The department funded an amount of R29,187 million to 430 arts and cultural
organisations during the last two years, making it possible for them to develop
their projects and creating opportunities for all.
The historic launch of the first Provincial Musician's Forum on 10 February
2007, will greatly contribute towards the development of musicians, promoters
and producers in this sector.
The work the department has done with regards to the equal promotion of our
official languages and the protection and restoration of our collective
heritage has contributed towards building non-racism and the vision of a home
for all. These are a few examples of the work we are doing to move decisively
forward to eradicate poverty and build a home for all in our Province.
I have also said that this period gives us the opportunity to intensify and
accelerate the work we are doing in order to meaningfully push back the
frontiers of poverty. In this regard, in the 2007/08 financial year, the
department will ensure that its programmes meet this challenge.
Cultural affairs
We continue to recognise outstanding contributions to the development of
Arts and Culture. It is an important tool to encourage and promote interest in
this sector. I want to take this opportunity to welcome our 2006 lifetime
achievers, Robbie Jansen, Winston Mankunku, Mzwandile Ngxangane, Annelene
Hartnick and Antjie Krog who are in the gallery today. The recognition of these
outstanding contributions assists us to continue to promote, develop and
preserve arts and culture of all our people in the Western Cape.
Public entities
We deliver some of these services through three public entities, namely the
Western Cape Cultural Commission, the Heritage Western Cape and the Language
Committee.
These public entities have a specific mandate: to advise the Provincial
Minister and the Department within the framework of the applicable legislation.
I want to acknowledge the presence of their chairpersons in the gallery today,
Mr Lungile Jacobs, Dr Jeanette Deacon and Dr Michael Le Codeur. I want to thank
them and their committees for the work they are doing to ensure that we able to
develop and serve our communities better.
The Cultural Commission
An amount of R640 00 has been allocated to the Cultural Commission that will
be used to register and deregister cultural councils, the management and
marketing of the cultural facilities and the Geographical Names Committee.
Craft and Design
R500 000 is allocated to Craft development this year. This is geared towards
initiatives which will contribute to the process of empowering especially rural
women who often remain vulnerable in our society due to low levels of literacy
and lack of empowerment opportunities.
We will embark on a skills development programme which will focus on
improving the quality and sustainability of arts and craft products in order to
assist crafters to participate in exhibitions, find markets for their products
and enter the export market.
A two-day Craft Dialogue with the theme "The holistic development of women
in the craft sector," will further assist crafters to determine acceptable
international standards for their products - bearing in mind the opportunities
presented by 2010 and beyond.
Geographical names
The South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) Act 118 of 1998
establishes the SAGNC and empowers the Council to establish through provincial
departments the Provincial Geographical Names Committee (PGNC). The functions
of the PGNC are to:
* advise local authorities in applying the principles of the SAGNC to names
under their jurisdiction.
* make recommendations to the SAGNC on names of geographical features in the
Provincial boundaries.
* liase with SAGNC on research and collection of unrecorded names.
To date, a total of 7101 geographical names have been processed and
categorised in terms of the respective feature types. Thus far, 15 formal
written enquiries have been received for name changes and/or ratifications.
Given the sensitive nature of this process, the Department will take all
necessary steps to ensure a comprehensive consultative process that will have
the endorsement of the majority of our people. We want to urge all those who
are involved with name changes to ensure that a consultative process is
followed.
Development of music genres
Robert Sithole, one of the great penny whistlers to have come from our
Province left us with the legacy that the penny whistle remains one of the
indigenous musical instruments of our artistic landscape and that it should be
further developed.
We will invest in the development of music through various workshops
throughout the Province. We are allocating R390 600.00 to ensure that this form
of entertainment and expression is developed. We will enter into partnerships
with many organisations to develop music in our Province.
Cultural forums
Last year, I referred to the formation of Cultural Forums and committed to
establishing these within municipalities. I am pleased to report that an
important partner for the implementation of our work, namely local
municipalities, were engaged in this work and eight cultural forums were
established in the Province, thereby affording local communities an opportunity
to engage Government at local level. These include forums established in
Laingsburg, Beaufort West, Stellenbosch, Saldanha, Breede River, Swartland,
Malmesbury and Prince Albert and an interim one in the Hessequa
municipality.
At least 15 more Cultural Forums will be established by the end of this
financial year in the 15 priority areas for action against drugs and gangs as
directed by the Premier in his State of the Province Address. Such priority
areas include Mitchell's Plain, Khayelistha, Manenburg, Hanover Park, Nyanga,
Gugulethu, Elsies River, Bishop Lavis, Delft, Kleinvlei, Muizenberg,
Vredenburg, Paarl, Oudshoorn and Phillipi.
In addition to the work we are doing with Cultural Forums, the Department
will make R7,6 million available in the form of grants, to deserving arts and
cultural organisations to further develop culture in our Province Heritage.
Western Cape Heritage
Western Cape is the appointed heritage resource management authority for the
Province. Heritage Western Cape plays a critical role in the built environment
and in the conservation of our heritage landscape.
An amount of R950 000 has been allocated for its programmes to preserve and
develop the existing heritage sites and both tangible and intangible resources
for future generations.
The challenge we face is with the processing of a large volume of Heritage
Impact Assessments applications. The growth in the Construction Industry has
placed a huge responsibility on Heritage Western Cape to deal with applications
promptly so as to ensure that we do not comprise economic growth and
development. Therefore, sustainable development will be achieved, by striking a
balance between development and conservation.
The term of office of Heritage Western Cape will expire at the end of July
2007 and a new Council will be announced after the Standing Committee has
concluded its process of short-listing. The new Council will assume office on 1
August 2007. I want to thank the outgoing Council under the leadership of Dr
Deacon for their hard work and dedication during their term of office.
Ubuntu Conference
In September of this year, the department in conjunction with the National
Heritage Council will host the first Ubuntu Awards and Imbizo in this Province.
The public will be able to witness the honouring of this year's Ubuntu award
recipient, the second recipient of such Award since it was first bestowed on
former President Nelson Mandela. The award is bestowed on someone of
international stature who embodies the spirit and values of Ubuntu. This major
public event which will be held in Cape Town will attract interest from all
over the world.
Museum Services
On the 28 March 2007, Cabinet gave an approval for the drafting of the Western
Cape Museums Bill which will result in the development of new policy options
for our museums from which new provincial museum legislation will be developed.
This will take us closer to transforming the museum services that we are
currently delivering to our people and, allow us to introduce more museums into
our network.
This legislation will help to advance the work we have done with
community-based museums such as District Six, Lwandle and the Oscar Mpetha
Foundation. We will also be consulting with the labour movement about the
establishment of the trade union museum. This museum will focus on the historic
development of the trade union movement, its role and the struggles of workers
in bringing about democracy and advancing the struggle for a better life in our
Province. We hope to call this museum the Oscar Mpetha Museum. We will make
further announcements before the end of this financial year.
The Department will concentrate on the regular and extensive marketing of
the hidden treasures and history of the people of the Western Cape and showcase
the untold indigenous perspective through our newly developed Oral History
Programme.
This project will gain momentum this financial year and will be rolled out
throughout the Province. Citrusdal will be the first to benefit from a
partnership with the National Heritage Council.
The Language Committee
The Language Committee monitors the use of the three official languages by
the Provincial Government, promotes the principle of multi-lingualism and
develops previously marginalised indigenous languages.
The allocated budget for the Language Committee amounts to R602 000 to
effectively deliver on its mandate. This financial year, we will actively
address the situation around the lack of Xhosa and Afrikaans books by actively
concentrating on stimulating creative writing and reading in these
languages.
The department is currently engaging with publishers, the Department of
Education and Library Services to stimulate the need for more literature in
Xhosa and Afrikaans.
The department successfully attracted stakeholders to enhance the second
isiXhosa festival in Langa. This festival is aimed at promoting the language
and creating a platform for social cohesion. The intention is to bring more
sponsors on board and lift the profile of this cultural festival to become a
tourist attraction this year. I want to thank the V&A Waterfront, ArtsCape,
Zindala Zombili and SABC for their contribution to the festival. I invite the
private sector to partner with us to make the isiXhosa festival a world-class
event. Soon we will be inviting interested parties to tender for the management
of this event.
Library services
An amount of R32 million has been allocated for library material for 2007/08
to ensure that this critical service fulfils its strategic goal of building
human capital. To promote real economic growth and job creation through
dissemination of information and knowledge, we are providing material for
Library Business Corner. This is in line with our focus to promote
entrepreneurial skills. An amount of R150 000 has been budgeted to increase
business related material in our libraries.
There are currently, 85 Library Business Corners in the province, 43 in the
City of Cape Town and 42 in the rural areas. In an effort to bridge the digital
divide, a project connecting Public Libraries to Information and Communication
Technology will be implemented during 2007/08 financial year. Four libraries
will be connected to Computer PALS and Internet for use by the librarians. The
Libraries to be connected are Green Haven (Mossel Bay Municipality),
Touwsrivier (Breede Valley Municipality), Piketberg (Bergrivier Municipality)
and Vredenburg (Saldanha Bay Municipality).
Two libraries in the Prins Albert Municipality, Leeu Gamka and Klaarstroom
will receive R260 000 to complete upgrading. The Constitution of the South
Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996, Schedule 5A), stipulates that all libraries,
excluding the national libraries, are the exclusive legislative competence of
provinces. The perception that municipalities will no longer be responsible for
the rendering of library services is triggered by this unfunded mandate to
provinces. To further compound this challenge, the Municipal Structures Act,
1998 and Municipal Finance Act (Act 56 of 2003) do not provide for public
libraries and their funding by municipalities.
The shortage of staff leads to the following consequences:
* high loss of library material due to inadequate personnel
* shortened library hours
* inability of municipal libraries to be involved in outreach programmes
In an effort to address these challenges, the national Minister of Arts and
Culture allocated R1 billion for the enhancement of public library service
delivery throughout the country over a three-year period commencing on 1 April
2007.
The Western Cape received R16,74 million as a conditional grant from the
Department of Arts and Culture, which will mainly be utilised to alleviate
staff shortages at public libraries. In this regard, an amount of R15 626 000
has been set aside to address the critical staff shortage at public libraries
and this intervention will considerably improve service delivery.
As part of the conditional grant, the Wheelie Wagon service will be extended
even further to remote rural areas. The new sites will be Protem (Cape Agulhas
municipality) Noll (Eden District Municipality) and Fairhills (Breede Valley
municipality). R551 760 has been allocated to purchase these Wheelie wagons and
relevant library material to stock them.
Archives
Since its integration with the Western Cape Provincial structure in May
2006, the Western Cape Archives has sought to realign its institutional vision
and functioning with that of the province and the Department of Culture and
Sport. In addition to the continued day-to-day functioning of the Archives as a
document repository and a research centre, the Western Cape Archives has sought
to promote the usage of cultural institutions to all of the Province's
inhabitants, to empower the Western Cape communities.
The Western Cape Archives will constantly seek to engage with the many forms
of media recording the history of the Province's inhabitants. Therefore, the
Western Cape Archives will continue to examine the challenges posed by the
digital revolution in the area of record keeping in order being able to engage
meaningfully in the digital age of record archiving and storage as part of its
institutional obligations.
Last week, we celebrated the national Archives Week and exhibitions were
mounted in public places throughout the Province. School and community groups
were hosted and shown around the Archives.
Sport and Recreation
Sport and Recreation is a very important vehicle to bring about fundamental
socio-economic transformation and nation building. I want to take this
opportunity to welcome the leadership of all sport codes and federations in the
gallery. In particular, I want to welcome the Western Cape Sportspersons of the
year, Mr Janus Roberts and Ms Geraldine Pillay. These two outstanding athletes
have represented our country with distinction at numerous international
events.
In our midst, we also have the Western Cape Sportspersons with disabilities,
Mr Hilton Langehoven and Ms Elna Madolo. They continue to excel against all
odds in athletics and have also represented South Africa and the Province with
distinction. Speaker, we are also honoured with the presence of the newly
crowned International Boxing Federation light heavyweight champion, Mzonke "The
Rose of Khayelitsha" Fana.
School sport
I am happy to announce that the Provincial Co-ordinating Committee for
School Sport was finally launched on 12 May 2007, paving the way for a more
co-ordinated sport development at schools. I want to wish them well with their
term of office.
We introduced the school cluster concept in 2006 to enhance inter-school
participation. These clusters have been formed to ensure sharing of resources,
facilities and equipment among schools in particularly previously disadvantaged
areas.
The introduction of the SSMPP and its subsequent launch in March 2007 will
enhance school sport. The SSMPP conditional grant for the Medium Term
Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period now increases to R8946 000. As already
stated above, through this conditional grant, 140 sport assistants got
employment opportunities and have been deployed in 118 schools.
Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme
The department has established 31 sport hubs in communities throughout the
Western Cape to provide sport and recreation programmes for the youth and aged.
The SMPP received a R8250 000 conditional grant this year. A key task of the
SMPP will be to partner with Sport Councils in order for them to be
strengthened and capacitated.
This year, we initiated an Easter tournament in Gugulethu known as the
Easter Sports Festival. The purpose of this tournament is to get our youth off
the street over this period and give them an opportunity to play and learn
different codes of sport. In Gugulethu, I witnessed gangsters participating in
street football. This tournament will be extended to all 31 hubs.
Through the Siyadlala programme, we will be sending 40 members of Western
Cape Gymnastrada team to the World Gymnastrada event in Austria later this
year. An additional 8 communities will be incorporated into the programme in
the 2007/08 financial year.
Rugby development
Rugby was once a very popular sport in the townships such as Nyanga,
Gugulethu, Grassy Park, Manenberg and many others, particularly in the time of
KWARU, City and Suburbans, Tygerberg and WP Platteland etc.
We have however seen a steady decline of rugby in these areas. We have
developed a strategy to revive Rugby in the townships in partnership with the
South African Rugby Football Union. During this Easter weekend, we successful
organised a rugby tournament featuring 24 teams. This tournament will be held
annually and will be rolled out in the 31 hub areas of the Siyadlala programme
in this financial year.
Riaan Loots Violence Free Sport Campaign
Violence and bad behaviour have become a very serious problem in sport. This
resulted in the tragic death of Riaan Loots on 23 June 2006. After a number of
these incidences over the last three years, I found it imperative to launch an
investigation into this undesirable phenomenon. A report in this regard is
currently being completed.
The department will launch a campaign that will identify the root causes of
this problem and begin to deal with it decisively. The Riaan Loots Violence
Free Sports Campaign is aimed at the eradication of violence on the field of
play. The campaign will focus on the following:
* Marketing with the aim of capacitating club officials on how best to market
their clubs. Training courses and workshops will be organised during school
vacations.
* Supporter education programme â together with community news papers and
radios we will embark on public education programmes which will be known as the
"Know your game programme".
* Capacitating Match officials â we will engage with federations in a training
programme for match officials.
* Recognition â we will recognise the best club supporters, the best behaved
club on the field of play, the club with the best marketing strategy and the
best match official.
There is no better way of honouring Riaan Loots and all those players who
have lost their lives on the field of play. Together we say "No to violence on
the field of play". The campaign must result in a drastic change in the
behaviour and attitude of our spectators and players alike and eradicate
violence on the field of play completely. A detailed strategy will be
developed. I have consulted with the Loots family and the Boland Rugby Union
and want to welcome the family, Willie and Lana Loots, parents of Riaan in the
gallery today and also thank uncle Jackie Abrahams and his union for the
support they have given to the campaign.
Football development
On the 8 May 2007, Edries Burton bid farewell to playing professional
football. I want the house to note that he retired after playing 595 games. He
always competed with dignity and pride. We wish him well in his retirement as a
football player and his contribution on the field of play will be greatly
missed. We hope that many young players will take over the baton from Edries.
Knowing him, he will continue to be a shining light and role model for our
youth. However, you still have much to contribute towards football development.
The department is increasing its involvement and contribution in development
tournaments such as the Bayhill Premier Cup and Christmas Tinto football
tournaments. These tournaments are aimed at the development of young
footballers, coaches, technical officials and administrators.
Relationship with SAFA
The department has a good working relationship with all six regions of SAFA
and regular interaction is giving impetus to this relationship. I am glad to
announce that the Cape Town region of SAFA, has successfully held its Annual
General Meeting on Sunday, 6 May 2007. This brings the number of fully
constituted regions to 4 out of 6 in our Province. The six Presidents of SAFA
who are present here today, know that our department is ready to assist them in
their work to ensure that this Province is geared towards the successful
hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Club development
The National Department of Sport and Recreation has made a conditional grant
available last year and urged Provincial Departments to adopt a minimum of 6
clubs per annum for the purposes of providing them with resources as a
strategic intervention towards club development. We identified 12 netball clubs
during a netball tournament in Khayelitsha last year and accordingly resourced
them. During 2007, a further 12 netball clubs and 10 football clubs will be
identified for club development in the 15 priority areas with the R2 million
conditional grant received from the national department.
Christmas Tinto tournament
The annual Christmas Tinto tournament is organised in conjunction with SAFA
regional structures and provides an opportunity for under 15 boys and girls to
participate at a provincial level. This year, the Christmas Tinto tournament
will be hosted by the SAFA Overberg region and as mentioned before this region
will also benefit with the upgrading of a regional sport facility to the
maximum of R1.5million rand. The Gans Bay community will host the December 2007
Tinto event and the associated legacy will accrue to this community The Langa
and Manenberg communities were the first recipients of this programme. As a
result this tournament an amount of R1.5million will be made available to
Manenburg to upgrade The Greens Sports Complex.
Sport School
In my introduction, I mentioned the progress with regards to the Sport
School. The earmarked allocation for the Sport School represents R11 890 000
over the MTEF period and R3 137 000 for 2007/08. The Sport School is an
investment in nurturing talent and already during the past quarter, the
following outstanding achievements have been recorded:
Athletics: athletes at the school won 13 Gold, three silver and one bronze
medals at the Discovery a Start and University of Western Cape athletic
meetings respectively. Two athletes, Luyanda Du Toit and Rohan Rhode qualified.
Luyanda qualified for the WP Senior Schools team and Rohan qualified for the
Western Cape Team.
Swimming: Byron Titus won the under 15 50m backstroke at the SA championship
in Port Elizabeth and Shannon Ferguson won gold in the relay.
Netball: Tasneem Toyer, Emerentia Smith, Lizelle Cootee, and Samantha
Petersen have been selected for the WP schools netball team.
Volleyball: Miles Thompson, Richard Sampson, Cody Isaacs, Carlo van Nelson,
Clint Saunders, Robin Wessels and Dean Layters made the WP boys Volley ball
team and Savannah Kok, Brittany Daniels and Nadine Katnis made the WP girls
team.
Football: They are currently involved in pre-season training
The Department shifted to Vote 10 an amount of R1 million in 2007/08 for
capital maintenance of the sports school in Kuils River. We have also built a
relationship with the Farouk Abrahams Goal Keeping Academy and offered the
facilities at the school to the academy for the benefit of all involved.
2010 World Cup
The Premier in his State of the Province Address said "World Cup 2010 is an
opportunity to accelerate key development investments that can be used in the
fight against poverty and underdevelopment".
We are delighted that the artificial threats and obstacles to stop this
process have been removed. This allows us to concentrate on the programmes that
will be required to make this great event a success.
The R212 million contribution towards the initial cost of the stadium has
been a significant catalyst in moving the process to build the stadium forward
and has seen the commencement of the actual building thereof.
Practice venues
The second phase of the Athlone stadium upgrade has been completed and the
third phase will see Athlone stadium completed as a suitable practice venue for
teams participating in the 2010 finals.
The upgrading of Phillipi stadium is well on track. The plans and budget of
the stadium are currently being prepared and will be submitted to cabinet for
approval to secure the development of a practice venue with a capacity of 10
000 seats.
Fan Parks
During our visit to Germany, we learnt that Fan Parks were used to get
people together to provide entertainment in a festive mood and to watch
football on a big screen. This concept will be repeated in South Africa and we
have a responsibility to assist municipalities to develop Fan Parks. We have
consulted with municipalities in this regard and this process is
continuous.
Our Department will assist rural towns to build the capacity and develop the
concept for them to be able to host Fan Parks. In this regard, the Department
piloted the first Fan Park at Bituo municipality on 28 April 2007 which will be
used as a lesson for what a desired Fan Park will be.
Mobilisation strategy
The corner stone of the success of the 2006 Germany World Cup was the
attitude, involvement and enthusiasm of the German people. To ensure that we
generate the same atmosphere, the Department has developed a multi-pronged
strategy to ensure that all our people are excited and welcome our many
visitors come 11 June 2010.
This strategy will include issues such as arts, culture and heritage. In
particular we will use our national symbols as a means to unite and mobilise
our people with a common goal toward 2010.
Football ambassadors
We assembled 20 of the most outstanding football personalities to assist the
department to develop football and enhance the profile of football ahead of
2010 and beyond in our province. They range from imminent administrators,
journalist and footballers, both women and men.
Given the critical priority of 2010 World Cup, we will also expect of them
to contribute towards motivating and encouraging our people to support and be
part of the 2010 project. They will be deployed to schools, youth clubs, sport
clubs and all corners of our Province to mobilise our people. Given their
stature we know they will make a huge contribution. We want our youth to find
new role models.
International Club competitions
Leading up to 2010, a number of international teams have shown an interest
to visit our province. The department has been in discussion with numerous
clubs in Netherlands, Portugal and Germany to host international club
competitions in our Province.
We are in a process to finalise plans to secure a Cape Town leg of the
Vodacom Cup for the next 3 to 5 years. Last year we were privileged to host
Manchester United at Newlands during July. This year, I can announce that we
have secured a Cape Town Leg for the Vodacom Cup with another top European
team. The details will be announced soon.
During the Ajax Amsterdam visit to our Province on 11 January 2007, they
committed themselves to participate in a tournament with local clubs in January
2009 and, the possibility of another European team accompanying Ajax on this
trip is now being investigated.
Fan Base Development strategy
We are engaging football supporters across the Province to actively support
football and increase attendance at football games. Supporters of other PSL
teams are being encouraged to attend and support football. We have had a number
of meetings with various supporters clubs. During Heritage month, we will stage
a supporter's tournament which is at their request in these meetings.
We will use the tournament to launch the "Buyela Ebaleni" campaign. We hope
that this programme will help us to improve the attendance at football games in
the Province. This will also assist us with the development of football and the
"know your game" programme will be extended to football. We still want to knock
on the doors of the two professional teams and the business community to
support this programme.
Football newspaper
The Department is in the process to finalise the publication of a monthly
football newspaper that will report exclusively on professional and amateur
football matters. We are confident that this newspaper will engender interest
from all our football supporters as it will report on all Local Football
Association leagues from under 9 to seniors, including "Action Replay" and over
40's.
Legacy programmes
The following programmes will leave a lasting legacy for the people of the
Western
Cape:
* Football infrastructure: Athlone Stadium will become the first Home of
Football in the Western Cape. Phillipi Stadium is located as a central point
where the majority of football supporters reside. Professional football will be
brought closer to our people way after 2010.
* Increased fan base: Through the fan-base development strategy, we will have
increased the support for football and spectators to football games. This will
contribute towards more sustainable PSL clubs
* Football development: The numerous football programmes will contribute
towards a larger and improved football pool. The Stars in their Eyes programme
will have a direct impact on improved coaching skills, technical skills, and
administrative skills. It will also build linkages with communities.
* Nation building: The promotion of our national symbols and national treasures
such as museums will contribute towards a common identity and mobilise our
people in support of 2010. This will lead to increased national identity and
nation unity. This will afford us an opportunity to promote all our cultures
and market our province.
Conclusion
Speaker, the President asked in the State of the Nation Address "what
progress have we made in the quest to achieve the objectives to which our
people gave us the overwhelming authority to govern our country from 2004 until
the next elections in 2009?" The Premier responded by saying "we have certainly
laid a solid foundation in fighting poverty and creating work". Certainly this
budget is testimony to the fact that we are making great strides towards the
realisation of our vision 2014. Speaker it is because of the above assertion
that I table this budget to the house.
I want to thank all people who make it possible for this department to
deliver on its mandate, particularly those people in the gallery from arts,
culture and sports organisations. They are the ones that make a huge difference
in our communities on a voluntary basis.
I want to thank the staff of the department under the leadership of the HOD
Mr Lindie for its hard work to ensure that this department contributes towards
the achievement of a better life for all.
I also want to thank my family for their continuous support.
I thank you
Issued by: Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Western Cape Provincial
Government
29 May 2007
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government (http://www.capegateway.gov.za/)
