APPROPRIATION BILL
(Second
Reading Debate)
Vote 12 – Sport, Arts, Culture, Science and Technology: R110 876 000
The ACTING SPEAKER: Any other statements by Members of the
Executive Council?
Hon
MEC, Mr Papi Kganare, Order! None. Any other statements by the hon Members? None.
We now
proceed with Motions. Motion 1 reads as
follows:
That the Second
Reading Debate of the Appropriation Bill be continued.
The
hon MEC, Mr Mfebe.
[Applause]
Mr M. W. MFEBE (MEC): Hon Speaker, hon Premier, hon Members and
distinguished guests, allow me to firstly identify our guest of honour in the
audience: Anele Magidela, a 5 year old
artist. He is a prolific cultural dancer
whose dancing skills will leave you amazed.
He dances better than any other child of his age. He is part of a cultural group, called, Tsentle tsa Mangaung. Most of his dance partners are more than
three times his age.
*We appreciate your
presence here, Anele.
#Hon Speaker, our Budget
allocation for the 2001/2002 financial year has increased by 17,93%, excluding the transfer payment to Phakisa - one of the three major flagship programmes of the Free
State Government.
The Free
State Government set itself three main priorities, which, if tackled
successfully, will contribute towards making the
(i)
Infrastructure and housing;
(ii)
Job creation and economic
development; and
(iii)
Human resources development.
All three are
equally important.
Our
Department supports human resources development, which contributes significantly
to the job creation and economic development priority. That is why it falls under both the social
and the employment and economic clusters of the Executive Council. It is also located in the social and economic
cluster of Cabinet. This view was
further emphasised at the recent National Cabinet Lekgotla (meeting) in January 2001.
Cabinet identified sectors that are critical in promoting economic
development.
We need to
emphasise the point that human resource development is a prerequisite that
gives impetus to the realisation of the other two priorities, namely
infrastructure and housing and job creation and economic development. People have to make these things happen.
However, we
need to instil a new understanding of what human resources development is all
about. We have to move away from a
narrow academic skills and knowledge perspective, facilitated, gained and
recognised by formal institutions.
However, we have to acknowledge informal social institutions of culture
that teach skills and pass on indigenous knowledge from generation to
generation. Their purpose was, and will
always be, the development of people who can contribute meaningfully to the
upliftment of society by strengthening social, political and economic
institutions, which are at the very heart of the survival of society itself.
If a common
understanding is forged among all of us, we will be in a position to
successfully mobilise and equip our human resources to meet the challenges of
the African Century. We can also say
that the process of creating a new Free Stater is well underway.
These issues
will be further contextualised as we discuss the various programmes. We will indicate how we are going to address
the three main priorities of the Free State Government in the 2001/2002
financial year.
Before I
continue, let me remind you of my Department’s vision and mission.
Our vision is
to contribute towards establishing the
Our mission
is to provide a professional service through a disciplined workforce to
implement departmental policies and procedures, thereby raising the profile of
sport, arts, culture, science and technology in the Province.
1.
Administration
I am happy to
announce that we have, at long last, a Department with an HOD (Head of the
Department), Mr
Our ability
to fill these vacancies, which we have not been able to do since the inception
of our Department in 1997, presents us with an opportunity to effect transformation
at management echelon, in line with the White Paper on the Transformation of
the Public Service, (1995).
The status
quo at management level is as follows:
·
75% white;
·
25% black;
·
66% female (of which 33% are
black); and
·
34% male (of which 25% are black).
The White
Paper requires that 50% of staff at director level should be black and 30%
women. However, we will regard this as a
minimum standard and be further informed by the demographics of the Province,
whose population statistics are as follows:
·
Black - 84,4%;
·
White - 12%;
·
Brown - 3%; and
·
Asian - 0,1%.
In light of
the above, the below-mentioned targets for management will have to be achieved
with the new appointments:
·
44% white;
·
56% black;
·
68% female (of which 59% are
black); and
·
32% male (of which 62% are black).
These new
targets will also help to dispel the chauvinistic, sexist and patriarchal myth
that man is best, woman is worst which is prevalent
within society.
An amount of
R6.695 million has been earmarked for this programme and will mainly be
utilised for the establishment of a finance support unit and a corporate
services sub-directorate. The
sub-directorate will consist of a human resources division, a unit for labour
relations, a departmental transport section and general auxiliary
services. We are now en route towards improved service
delivery and the realisation of provincial priorities, despite the 39% vacancy
rate in the Department.
2.
Sport and
Recreation
The
Department’s Sport and Recreation Directorate continuously addresses all three
priority areas, namely human resource development, infrastructure and job
creation and economic development.
2.1 Indigenous Games
In my introductory remarks, I indicated that we needed to instil
a new understanding of what human resource development exactly entails. Our Premier and the National Minister of
Sport and Recreation successfully launched a huge indigenous games project at
the
We have prioritised
eleven indigenous sporting codes for development in the 2001/2002 financial
year. Since the custodians and coaches
of these games are the elderly, there are positive developmental spin-offs for
bridging the indigenous knowledge systems gap that exists between the youth and
the elderly.
This will further lead to
respect for the elderly, since sport and team games, in particular, teach young
people many valuable social lessons. It
demonstrates the value of co-operation, teamwork and team spirit and teaches
the need to abide by the rules and regulations. It also emphasises the importance of
self-control and how to accept victory or defeat gracefully.
The development of our
young people, who subscribe to the said values, is in fact a nation-building
project. This project is aimed at
creating a disciplined Free Stater who can contribute meaningfully to society
through participation in the recreational and competitive aspects of these
games.
In short, this is what,
among others, the African Renaissance is about.
2.2 The
This is also a human
resources development project. It could
be likened to a mini Free State Olympic Games.
These games will take off in full force in the 2001/2002 financial year. These games are aimed at getting Free Staters
actively in line with the theme of the Free State White Paper on Sport &
Recreation. They also aim at
implementing a system for the development of sport and recreation, talent
identification and selection as well as a progressive fast-tracked development
of participants.
At the staging of the
Free State Provincial finals of the Masakhane
Games, more than 126 000 participants from an estimated number of 4 200 sport clubs, shall have participated in the Games, representing at
least 31 different sporting codes. Sport
for the disabled and indigenous games will form part and parcel of these
games.
The challenge facing
indigenous games is to develop them to become fully recognised provincial
structures where coaching, athlete conditioning, technical officiating and
administration will take place.
We must also emphasise
the importance of the Masakhane Games
within the national context. They will
serve as a link to the South African Masakhane
Games, which will be regarded as a platform to identify, select and develop
athletes to represent
2.3 Basic Sport Infrastructure
This programme addresses
the infrastructure priority of our Government.
Although we have been unable to provide funding for sporting facilities
for the current financial year, save for Makeleketla-Winburg, we remain at 53%
of the total
However, in the 2001/2002
financial year, we have managed to secure R5.106 million from the National
Department of Sport and Recreation’s Poverty Alleviation Fund of R40
million. The main aim of the project
will be to alleviate poverty through the creation of temporary and permanent
jobs in the construction and management of sport and recreation facilities,
while contributing to increased participation in sport and recreation. Emphasis will be placed on the priority areas
as outlined by President Thabo Mbeki, for example Qwaqwa.
2.4 Proceeds
of the National Lottery
I am happy to announce
that the National Minister of Sport and Recreation has revealed that a
Distribution Agency for Sport and Recreation has been established. The main focus of this Agency will be the
establishment and consolidation of competitive, sustainable, mass-based sport
and recreation structures and programmes.
These will be achieved through:
·
The training of leaders in sport and
recreation;
·
The establishment of co-ordinated
partnerships with institutions of learning;
·
The establishment of co-ordinated
monitoring and evaluation mechanisms;
·
A visible increase in sport and
recreation structures, activities and physical infrastructure in all the
provinces;
·
The provision of equipment; and
·
The promotion of leagues and
competitions.
Our provincial
institutions and organisations will be invited to submit proposals for one, or
a combination of projects, to the Distribution Agency for Sport and Recreation
directly. This process is expected to
start in April 2001.
We must, however, sound a
word of caution, because we know that where money is involved, there are many
sharks with bloodthirsty teeth, pretending to have been involved in mass-based
sport and recreation for a long time. We
will not hesitate to point out those sharks to the Distribution Agency, because
we know which non-governmental organisations are seriously engaged in
mass-based sport and recreation.
2.5 Phakisa Major Sport Events and
Development Corporation
I am happy to announce
without any fear of contradiction, that Phakisa is achieving its legal mandate
and policy objectives for which it was established, despite its insufficient
operational budget. Phakisa’s
legal mandate is to promote and facilitate the staging of major sport events in
the Province in terms of the Phakisa Major Sport Events and Development
Corporation Act (4/1997).
The policy objectives for
Phakisa are vividly captured in the Free State Provincial Government’s White
Paper on Sport and Recreation, entitled, Getting the Free State Active. Chapter 10 of the White Paper deals with the
economic impact of sport. Its policy
aims to define the role of sport and recreation in economic development and job
creation. It states, among other things,
the following:
Sport and Tourism
Sport is the
lifeblood of any booming tourism industry and it is a major contributor to
tourism worldwide. Sport is therefore
used as the major draw-card for people to visit any country. Whilst people normally visit countries for
sporting events, they also stay longer than the duration of the event and
usually return home later, resulting in more money being injected into the
economy.
Sport and Economic Development and Job
Creation
The new trend
in countries with foresight, is to move away from
conventional ways of economic development and to move towards more creative
means. As such, countries like
·
Creating an enabling environment to use
sport as a vehicle to market the Province for tourism and investment
opportunities, e.g. the Phakisa Major Sport Events and Development
Corporation Act (4/1997);
·
The Department of Sport and Recreation
will work with the Departments of Tourism and Environmental Affairs and
Finance, Expenditure and Economic Affairs to ensure that sport in the Province
benefits from tourism. It will also
ensure that it creates new investment opportunities and that tourism in the
Province benefits from sport.
Furthermore, Phakisa
is listed as one of only three flagship programmes of the Free State
Government, as stated on page 8 of the Provincial Strategic Plan. The aim is to achieve the already mentioned
policy objectives.
I am mentioning this
important policy and legal framework to properly contextualise the existence of
Phakisa as a reminder of, what I sometimes call, the self-intoxicating
ignorance of those who democratically choose to be oblivious to well-documented
facts. I also believe that the
performance of any provincial institution should be judged in terms of policy
objectives and legal mandates, and not on the wishy-washy wishes of some
political warlords.
Accordingly, in just two
Grand Prix events, Phakisa managed to market the Province and
Phakisa has thus far
hosted four world events, namely, two Motorcycle Grand Prixs, a World
Sheep-Shearing Championship and the seventh Bocce World Championship. Phakisa has also established itself in
Phakisa is highly
rated as one of the five top circuits in the world. It has also received a Golden Award from the
South Africa Institute of Civil Engineering for the Most Outstanding Civil Engineering
Achievement in the Technical Excellence Category Award in 1999. This was the Award Phakisa
received. [Applause]
In the media, Phakisa
attracts a lot of positive publicity for the Province - more than any other
Government-owned project in
The third round of the
South African Motorcycle Grand Prix will be held at the Phakisa
Racetrack in Welkom from 21 to
2.6 The
The above institution
will, among others, be responsible for the research on and development of the
strategic plan to implement the White Paper on Sport and Recreation on a
scientific basis.
We have secured funding
of R1 million from the Flemish Government for this project. In this way, we will be able to help 18
disadvantaged students to register for the degree in Applied Leisure
Sciences. Eleven of these students are
from the
I am happy to announce
that, following our visit to
An amount of R500 000 has
been earmarked for the Academy to carry out its function of fast-tracking sport
development. This includes the partial
funding of the academic programme for the development of our elite sport
students.
2.7
Non-Governmental
Partners in Sport and Recreation
An amount of R400 000 has
been earmarked for our NGO (non-governmental organisation) partners in the
delivery of sport and recreation in the Province. These are:
·
The
·
Women and Sport (WAS): R80 000;
·
The South African Students Sports Union
(SASSU),
·
The Provincial Recreation Council
(PROREC): R60 000; and
·
The National Sports Council (NSC),
3
Arts and
Culture
Arts and culture
is an important vehicle to develop our human resources. It is also a major contributor to the
economic development and job creation priority of our Government. Institutions such as the World Bank are
beginning to realise that development without culture both alienates recipients
and affects the success of projects.
Taking the culture of targeted communities into consideration,
is one of the major aspects of international development models. It has become clear that culture can be a
tool for sustainable development, because it creates and sustains community
assets.
3.1 The Mangaung African Cultural Arts Festival (Macufe),
2001
I am happy to announce
that Macufe will take place from 26 to
3.2
Cultural
Industries
The January
2001 National Cabinet Lekgotla identified
cultural industries as one of the sectors that promotes economic development. These can be defined as crafts, film, music
and heritage.
In line with
the Cultural Industries Growth Strategy, we will establish a new and permanent
Provincial Arts and Crafts Market at
the
A
music-recording studio will also be established at Pacofs to address the
needs of our artists. The music
industry, which generates an estimated R5 billion per annum, is a big
contributor to the economy, since it has the ability to be marketed outside the
country to benefit both the artists and the economy. An amount of R600 000 is earmarked for this
purpose.
3.3
The
Provincial Arts and Culture Council
The Provincial Arts and
Culture Council Bill, that establishes the Council, will be re-tabled before
the end of May 2001. The Council will
also administer the Arts and Culture Trust, which will include the private sector,
so that more funding could be leveraged for the arts.
In order to
encourage young people to regard their own culture seriously, I am very happy
to announce that the Arts and Culture Trust will be called the Anele Magidela
Arts and Culture Trust... [Applause] ...named after our five-year-old guest of
honour, present here today. An amount of
R500 000 has been earmarked for this purpose.
Arts and culture projects in our communities will be invited to apply
for funding. Consideration will be given
to project proposals that:
(a) Are creative and imaginative in approach and execution;
(b) Strive towards self-sustenance and that have a multiplier effect;
(c) Cater for disadvantaged and marginalized groups;
(d) Seek to unite and foster tolerance and understanding;
(e) Seek to redress past imbalances and the lack of opportunities;
(f) Have a capacity to attract and broaden public involvement in the arts;
(g) Fulfil a provincial role;
(h) Are committed to equal opportunities; and
(i) Have the power to communicate with the target audience.
3.4
The
Provincial Language Policy
In line with
the Premier’s announcement that a provincial language policy will be developed,
my Department will enlist the help of the Provincial Language Committee in
formulating a draft White Paper on language matters for consideration by the
Executive Council. This process will be
open and consultative.
3.5
The Musicon
and Mmabana Cultural Centre
These two provincial
assets are at the centre of developing our young artists, particularly
preparing them for artistic creativity and independence.
The Musicon will
extend its outreach programmes beyond the successful Bochabela Strings Project and the Musicon Unity
Ensemble. They will visit schools and
give learners lessons at their schools and at community halls. In this way, rural communities can be reached
as well as learners at schools that are far from the city. We will assist the Musicon to compile
a band - a popular way of entertaining the youth in
Mmabana will
continue with its excellent programmes, which include a variety of art forms,
ranging from the performing arts to visual arts, crafts and design. Mmabana will also continue to service
the Thabong and Zamdela Arts and Culture Centres, which are now operational,
with centre managers trained and paid by Mmabana. An amount of R5 million is earmarked for the Mmabana
Cultural Centre.