Modern, Growing, Successful Province

Sport, Arts and Culture, 2013/2014 Budget Speech

Sport, Arts and Culture,

Northern Cape

2013/2014 Budget Speech

Delivered by MEC PJ Williams


Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker

Honourable Premier

Members of the Executive Council

Members of the Provincial Legislature

Comrades and Friends

Ladies and Gentlemen

Honourable Speaker

It is a great honour and privilege to table to this House, the 2013/2014 Budget Speech of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. I am tabling this budget against a backdrop of several important anniversaries and commemorations in the history and legacy of our country. These are events that many of us will view with mixed feelings and emotions.  Among these, we commemorate those historic events which helped to shape our society and we remember the selfless contributions of those who perished in our long and arduous struggle for freedom and democracy.

With your indulgence, Honourable Speaker and Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to mention a few historic events and anniversaries.

The 100th anniversary of the passing of the Native Land Act on 19 June 2013
The 100th anniversary of the Indian protest March from the then Natal to the then Transvaal which was led by Mohandas Ghandi in October 1913
The 50th anniversary of the arrest of the political leadership of the liberation movement, the ANC, on 11 July 1963 which led to the now famous Rivonia Trial
The 50th anniversary of the formation of the OAU.
The 46th anniversary of the formation of the Luthuli Detachment of Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1967
The 32nd anniversary of the assassination of Joe Gqabi in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1981
The 30th anniversary of the formation of the United Democratic Front on 14 June 1983
The 20th anniversary of the assassination of Comrade Chris Hani at the hands of forces opposed to change and our yearning for freedom.

Honourable Speaker, many of us in this House will acknowledge that 1976 and 1985 are indelible landmarks in the People’s Struggle for Freedom and Democracy. We will remember or may have been part of the spontaneous protest of our people. We will also remember the brutal reaction of the Apartheid state in response to our people’s yearning for freedom and the many lives which were sacrificed. We spare a particular thought to the following tragic events of 1985:

The victims of the Langa and Uitenhage Massacres of 21 March 1985
The Gabarone Raid in Botswana in June of that year
The killing of the Cradock Four, also in June
The disappearance of the PEBCO Three
The assassination of Comrade Victoria Mxenge in August, and
In our own province, the incident which led to the trial and death sentence of 14 members of the Upington 26.

Despite these tragic events, our people still managed to take our struggle a step forward with the launch of the labour federation, COSATU, in 1985.

Honourable Speaker and Madam Deputy Speaker

As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the enactment of the 1913 Native Land Act, we are compelled to delve into our past again, not only to relive the pain of land dispossession, and suffering as a direct result of this land dispossession our fore bearers had to endure, but also to celebrate their achievements as they gallantly fought to oppose those determined to alienate them from their land.

This act had a profound effect on the total Black population across the country. The dispossession of our land did not begin with the passing of the Native Land Act in 1913.

By the time the Land Act of 1913 was enacted, South Africa was already moving in the direction of spatial segregation through land dispossession.

Honourable Speaker, The Land Act’s most catastrophic provision for Africans was the prohibition from buying or hiring land in 93% of South Africa. This still resonates throughout our society today. Today we still experience that our best sport facilities and recreational areas and institutions of cultural expression are still located along these spatial segregation and settlement patterns.

Honourable Speaker, it should be noted that this Act was not merely accepted without opposition from those affected by its implementation.

Solomon T Plaatje published “Native Life in South Africa” as a protest against the Land Act. The passing of the Act also ignited a protest march by Mohandas Gandhi. In addition, the African People’s Organization (APO) also spoke strongly against the Land Act.

Honourable Speaker, It is against this background of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Land Act that I will reflect on the work done by this department over the last financial year.

It needs to be noted that the 2013/14 budget for the department should be viewed against the backdrop of a 1% decrease in the overall budget allocation to this department. This decrease will have a considerable impact on the operations and programmes of the department for this financial year.

Firstly, I would like to extend a word of congratulations to:

Simphiwe Gwegwe from Port Nolloth who managed to reach the Top 5 of the Idols competition during 2012;
The Galeshewe Theatre Organization for winning an “Encore Award” at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown during July 2012;
All the winners of the “Northern Cape has Talent” Provincial Finals: These include Spirit of Praise from Delportshoop who won the Music Category, Splaka Veli from Kimberley for winning the Dance Category, Pierre Cloete from Steinkopf who won the Visual Arts and Fashion category and Masakhane Arts and Culture Group from Upington who won the Poetry and Drama category.

Turning our attention to arts and culture, Honourable Speaker, I wish to update this house on progress achieved over the last financial year.

Together with the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council and the Academy of Music, we have decided to postpone the launch of the Music Development Initiative to the next financial year. This will allow us more time to consult with potential funders and Artists who will benefit from the establishment of the Music Academies throughout the Province.

Our work in consolidating the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council has resulted in us seconding two officials to the Council to assist with the implementation of its mandate.

Honourable Speaker, we have also decided not to appoint the Northern Cape Performing Arts Council as announced last year. Instead we have now decided to focus our attention this year on formalising all our Agencies through the process of Legislation and the listing of these Agencies as Public Entities. Work in this regard is already at an advanced stage. We are confident that this process will be completed by the end of this financial year.

Honourable members, I am pleased to announce to this House that the inaugural      “Northern Cape Has Talent “ programme proved to be a phenomenal success throughout the Province. Through this programme we were able to reach each and every local municipality in the Province, attracting “full-house” audiences at all our events. The programme enabled us to do a proper assessment of the state of our arts and culture facilities in the Province as well as the levels of talent, skills and development programmes in the Province. We witnessed a total of over 1 680 groups and individuals who participated in the municipal eliminations.

We were encouraged by the commitment and passion displayed by both young and old artists at all our events. Most importantly we were humbled by the amazing response and support that we experienced in each of the 27 local municipalities.

In terms of Language Development, honourable members, we are pleased to report that the Language Laboratory has commenced with its key responsibility of providing translation training as well as interpretation and language proficiency training. We have also commenced with basic sign language training and wish to encourage members of the house to sign up for these courses.

During October 2012, the President of the Country assented to the Use of Official Languages Act, number 12 of 2012. The purpose of the Act is to provide for the regulation and monitoring of the use of official languages by national government for government purposes.

The first draft of the Provincial Language Bill has been developed and is ready for the consultation process as required by legislation.

It also gives me pleasure, Honourable Speaker, to report to this house that, in partnership with the National Department of Arts and Culture and the Independent Development Trust (IDT), we hosted the Social Cohesion Community Conversation sessions in all Districts during June 2012. These conversations were followed by the National Social Cohesion Summit that was held in Kliptown during July 2012.

Among others, the objectives of the Community Conversations and the National Summit were:

To get the nation talking on the type of South Africa we desire to build;
To get South Africans to think and re-think the values we want to uphold as a society;
To promote social cohesion and nation-building as a pre-condition for a better life for all;
To encourage public participation in social mobilisation campaigns; and
To establish a platform for government and stakeholders to work together on concrete ways to extend the freedoms South Africans already have and the values we hold dear.

During January and February 2013, we also hosted report-back sessions on the outcomes of the national Summit and the way forward with regards to Social Cohesion in the Province.

It is our hope that all stakeholders will realise their respective roles with regard to promoting social cohesion within our communities and our Province. We will keep this house informed of future developments around this important programme.

Honourable members, we now turn our attention to programmes planned for the 2013/2014 financial year.

During this year we continue our plan, as announced last year, to consolidate the work of the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council (NCACC).

We are pleased to announce, honourable members that we will, later this year be introducing legislation in this house to further formalise the work of this important agency. We will also work towards listing this entity once the legislative processes have been completed.

With regards to the Mayibuye centre, Honourable Speaker, I am also pleased to announce that we have now succeeded in turning this Centre into an important cultural hub. The various Academies at the Centre continue to attract both young and old members of our community to benefit from the services rendered there. During this year we will continue to support the Music, Dance, Fine Art and Drama Academies in their efforts to provide training opportunities to young and old artists. The Centre has set a target of 300 students to benefit from the various Academies. During the previous financial year we have hosted eight development productions, six programmes presented in music, drama, dance, visual arts and crafts, language and sport. 528 artists and groups were trained in music, dance, drama and visual arts and crafts. We also managed to provide rehearsal space to fourteen artists.

We will also be establishing strategic partnerships and will be providing rehearsal space for the various Art Groups and practitioners.

We will also continue in our efforts to fund the four students at the AFDA Film School in Cape Town who are in their third year of studies. We envisage utilizing the services of these students by 2015, with the formation of a community television service in the Northern Cape.

We are also pleased to announce that the language laboratory at the Mayibuye centre is now functional and has commenced with translation work in the four official languages of the Province as well as basic language proficiency training in African languages for public servants.

We take this opportunity to announce to the honourable members of this house, the basic language proficiency training at the Mayibuye language laboratory. This training programme is currently offered to government departments. Furthermore, we will also continue this year with basic sign language training for the benefit of especially frontline staff within government departments.

To this end, we have allocated an amount of R3,9 million to the Mayibuye Multi-purpose Centre for this financial year.

With regards to the name change process, honourable members, we will, during the first quarter of this year host a provincial capacity building workshop on the standardization of geographical place names. This workshop is aimed at all key stakeholders that include municipalities, farm owners, political parties and other stakeholders. The workshop will be hosted in partnership with the South African Geographical Names Council and the Provincial Geographic Names Committee (PGNC).

The process of naming and renaming of Government owned building will be accelerated this year. Coupled to this, we have already started consultations with the Airports Company (ACSA) for the renaming of the Kimberley Airport. These consultations will continue during the first two quarters. A total of R500 000-00 has been budgeted for the Provincial Geographic Names Committee.

Honourable Speaker, this House is aware of the department’s special focus on the  History of the Liberation Struggle in the Northern Cape. Pursuant to this challenging project, we have managed to publish two books during the past financial year:

The Struggle for Liberation and Freedom in the Northern Cape and
The ANC in the Northern Cape from 1912 – 1994:  An Easy-to-Read Introduction.

We are proud to report that four exhibitions were opened at the McGregor Museum during the past financial year.

The first exhibition was on Chief Albert Luthuli which was opened by His Excellency, President Zuma, when the ANC Centenary Flame was brought to the Northern Cape in September 2012. This exhibition was done in collaboration with the Chief Albert Luthuli Museum. In its quest to entrench awareness of the History of the Liberation Struggle in the Northern Cape, this exhibition was opened by the Honourable Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe during the national Heritage Day celebrations in Upington on 24 September 2012.

Another exhibition, titled “In conversation: Albert Luthuli & Nelson Mandela” is currently on view at the museum. This is a collaborative exhibition with the Nelson Mandela Museum;

An exhibition done in collaboration with the national Department of Sport and Recreation was opened on 20 March 2013 for a month. It featured forty prominent, but unsung sport personalities whose sporting achievements were not recognised during the years of oppression and before the advent of democracy.

Lastly, a two-day outdoor exhibition, titled “Show Us Our Land”, was held in the gardens of the McGregor Museum on 25 – 26 March 2013. This was also a collaborative exhibition done with the Market Photo Workshop.

Two historic churches at Noupoort were repaired by the McGregor Museum staff and turned into museums. These two buildings will now form part of the greater Umsobomvu Municipality’s tourism initiative. An exhibition on democracy will be installed for the opening and will feature the involvement of the town, Noupoort, in the struggle for freedom. This project was successfully completed in collaboration with the Department of Economic Affairs and Tourism and the Umsobomvu Municipality.

Honourable Speaker, We have entered into negotiations with the consultants working on the establishment of the new university in Kimberley to introduce Museums Studies as a niche discipline. The museum will therefore be a serious role player when the university opens. Our collections and disciplines will form the nucleus of a future faculty of the Northern Cape University.

An amount of R2,9 million has been allocated to Museum Services in this financial year.

Honourable Speaker, our flagship programme, “Honouring Heroes and Heroines of the Liberation Struggle”, has continued to contribute to the transformation of our provincial heritage landscape. During the past financial year, we all witnessed the historic return of the mortal remains of the San couple, Mr. and Mrs. Klaas and Trooi Pienaar, from Vienna, Austria in April 2012. Their reburial took place in Kuruman on 12 August 2012, in a dignified ceremony graced by His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma.

We have continued our programme to recognize the contributions of young people through the erection of tombstones in honour of the deceased heroes and heroines of the Liberation Struggle. We have also continued to deepen awareness of our Liberation Struggle through Memorial Lectures, as the platform for Commemorative days during the 2012/13 financial year.

Honourable Speaker, as a Provincial Government , we would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Vaalbooi and Kruiper families of the Kalahari on the bereavement of Mr. Hendrik Kruiper, also known as Oom Buks  a father, brother and uncle to the San community. Almost one year ago, on 13 June 2012, we all received the shocking news of the passing of one of the great sons of the Kalahari, Oom Dawid Kruiper. His fight for the preservation of his culture and traditions are legendary and well documented. This Province honoured his life and contributions through an official provincial funeral on 30 June 2012. As an extension of the honour bestowed, we have erected a fence around the graves of Oom Dawid Kruiper and his wife. The echoes of his fight for the plight of his people still reverberates throughout the sand dunes of the Kalahari and we will continue to honour Oom Dawid Kruiper as a champion of his people. This year we will launch our Heritage Month programme with the unveiling of his tombstone on 1 September 2013.

For this financial year an amount of R1,5 million has been allocated to the Heritage Resources Services.

Honourable Speaker, with regard to Library and Archive Services, the department assisted municipalities during the past financial year to strengthen their capacity to render library services on a local level through the provision of library transformation and development funding. This will enable municipalities to increase staff capacity and carry out general maintenance work at community libraries.

In our effort to build constructive and sustainable partnerships with stakeholders, the department concluded 27 Memoranda of Understanding with local authorities with regard to Library services. In addition, we have service level agreements with the Department of Correctional Services, non-governmental organisations and Public-Private Partnerships to foster the culture of reading.

During the previous financial year, we succeeded in procuring more than 50 000 items of library materials, exceeding the target by more than the 10 000 items. In order to accelerate access to current and updated information, Internet access is provided to 84 community libraries. This venture added impetus to our program to accelerate transformation in library services through community governance and participation. This created a vehicle to transform libraries from mere book repositories to vibrant community information centres. In addition the Department will also conclude the compilation of an asset register of all library material. This is in response to the fact that library books are now declared as minor assets. Previously it was considered to be inventory items. To give effect to this, an amount of R2,5 million has been allocated for a complete audit of library materials.

Honourable Speaker, the Department is continuing its support to the expansion of library services through the Mobile Book Box and Container library services. This service operates in 76 rural and disadvantaged communities. Mobile Book Boxes operate in 20 communities and the container library service is operating in 56 communities in the Northern Cape. Three Modular library structures will be located in three communities during this financial year.   The budget allocated to support these initiatives is R 7,466 million .

This financial year will affirm our commitment through the continuation of support to municipalities to increase staff capacity at community libraries through the appointment of 132 full-time and part time staff throughout the Province. The funds allocated to give effect to this program amounts to R8, 070 million.

Honourable Speaker, The 2013/14 financial year will also see the Department  capacitate community library workers to enable them to improve and transform their service delivery through skills development and capacity building programs. An amount of R2, 113 million has been budgeted for this purpose. Four bursaries to the total value of R200, 000.00 is available for formal training in the Library and Information Science field.

In addition to this, Library Transformation officers have been appointed and seconded to 11 municipalities to implement the transformation agenda. Five vacancies are in the process of being filled. The main task of these officials will be to promote a culture of reading and library usage and in this regard an amount of R1, 942 million has been set aside.

Honourable Speaker, the construction of the two new libraries in Groblershoop and Churchill was started in the 2012/13 financial year and will be concluded in this financial year. The total amount allocated for these library construction projects is R9,4 million. The construction of the Sesheng library in the Gamagara municipality has been completed, and the e-library project in the Tsantsabane Municipality is nearing completion. An additional R1,2 million has been set aside to construct a community library and arts centre in Lukhanyisweni, Phillipstown, in the Renosterberg Municipality. The Department also intends to commence the construction of a 1200 square metre library facility in the Siyanda District during the last quarter of this financial year. To this effect an amount of R1,2 million has been made available for the completion of the required feasibility study.

The Department will support infrastructure improvement at 27 library service points throughout the Province.  An amount of R1,3 million has been budgeted for minor infrastructure improvements and maintenance at community libraries.

Honourable Speaker, to date the department has purchased and placed toy libraries at 80 service points. Some of these educational libraries need replacements and for this, an amount to R 420,000 has been budgeted.

In heeding the call to promote a culture of reading, library usage and life-long learning the Department supports the programs of the Department of Education. The  Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is set to provide additional learner and literacy support material, as well as reading materials to all libraries in the Province. More than 50 000 books will be acquired for this purpose. An amount of R9,8 million has been budgeted for this.

Honourable Speaker, in its effort to promote reading and library usage, the Department intends to hold outreach programs at all community libraries and schools throughout the Province. To this effect 19 programs are envisaged at all five Districts in the Province, and 6,000 learners, 2500 youth and 150 disabled persons are expected to participate. These programmes include sponsorships to various NGO’s, The Northern Cape Writer’s Festival, the annual Run to Read marathon, the Premier’s Choice Reading Competition and the Library Week celebrations. An amount of R 7,5 million has been budgeted for these programmes.

The Library Automation project commenced in the previous financial year and aims to provide uncapped public internet access to 140 community libraries. In addition to this, we are migrating from a manual circulation system to an automated system. To date, we have successfully migrated 42 community libraries and will complete 98 community libraries during the 2013/14 financial year. The funds budgeted to support and provide for maintenance and public access to the community to sustain this project during this financial year is R 6,610,000. To increase the access and ease the ability of the library users to interface with the information communication technologies in libraries, we intend to appoint 27 “Net Nerds” in all municipalities as part of a dual strategy to create jobs as well as provide free access to the internet to our communities. These “Net Nerds” will also assist with training of community members in interfacing with the Information and Communication Technology. R14,7 million has been set aside for the appointment of 147 support staff members.

Honourable Speaker, We are also responsible for the preservation and approval of records classification systems for government departments and municipalities. Our Archives Unit has made some significant progress in this regard through the training of Records Managers and Registry Clerks within government departments and municipalities. Records inspections were conducted in identified client offices and advice was given on the correct disposal of records. As a department, we continue to raise awareness on the importance of managing our records properly and preserving the archival records through information sessions in client offices.

The National Archives Week, held from 6-10 May 2013 at the McGregor Museum, is annually celebrated to popularize our National Symbols and to raise awareness on the importance of preserving our heritage for future generations.

Honourable Speaker, I am proud to announce that the first phase of the construction of the archives repository has been completed and the archive repository will be activated in this financial year.

Currently the focus will remain on ensuring compliance with Records Management procedures in client offices. Added to this, the Archives Unit will prepare Archival records for transfer from client offices to the Archives Repository. We will further continue to work in partnership with SALGA, providing guidance and training to Municipalities on Records Management, thus supporting ”Operation Clean Audit 2014”.

The department will further continue to engage with the National Archives and the Western Cape Archives to develop a Memorandum of Understanding that will ensure the repatriation of the Northern Cape archival heritage.

Honourable Speaker, in our efforts to streamline the management and preservation of our archival material, a Draft Archives Bill is ready for the consultation process as required by our Constitution. Various stakeholders will be requested to input on this Bill before it reaches this House for consideration.

Honourable Speaker, our Provincial flag is flying high in the field of Sport and Recreation. We wish to congratulate and applaud our Provincial School Sport teams that participated with distinction at the Inaugural National Schools Championships’ in December 2012 namely:

O Kiep High School, under 17 Boys Football team, who scooped gold and was crowned as champions,

The following volleyball players from Weslaan High School in Douglas who obtained second position, were identified for bursaries and scholarships by various institutions  in the country:

Janice Kolberg, was selected by the University of Johannesburg for full Scholarship in 2014. Janice is currently in Grade 12 at Douglas High School.
Christa Van Staden’s talent was identified and she was absorbed by the Western Cape Sport School for the current academic year,
Jonathan Nero, Brayton Stenekamp, Telano Hendry and Keenan Lucas are being considered for the 2014 academic year,
We congratulate our Disabled Power lifters Ricardo Fitzpatrick, Chantelle Stierman and Johannes Matthysen who have been selected to represent South Africa at the International Power Lifting Championships in Lithuania in May this year,
We congratulate the gold medalist, Connor Norman, aged 10, a young Kick boxer who represented the Province and the country at the Sport Martial Arts 2012 World Championships in Orlando, Florida in July 2012.
We also extend our congratulations to Diego Rosier, a home-grown rising cricket star, on being selected for the following: He was selected as the first under 19 schools captain from the Northern Cape and was selected as captain for the SA under 23 “Future Cup” tournament held in Kimberley in April 2013.
We would also like to congratulate Gihahn Cloete on being selected for the SA under- 19 cricket team.
To Susan Benade who was selected to the SA Women’s Cricket team’s tour to Bangladesh and SA fifty-overs World Cup tour to Sri Lanka



Honourable Speaker, we wish to convey our deepest and sincere condolences to the following sports people and their families who passed on:

Ms. Karen Muir: a sport person par excellence who broke world records at a tender age in a number of sporting codes,
Mr. Olihile “Whynie” Manong: a Footballer and Administrator of note pre and post 1994 within the Soccer fraternity in the Province and country.

May their souls rest in peace. Their contribution to the development of sport and as sport ambassadors, compel us to honour their memories and legacies in the development and promotion of Sport and Recreation in the Province.

Honourable Speaker, during the financial year 2012 – 2013 the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture continued its mandate of creating an enabling environment for sport participation. This was evident in the successful hosting of the following provincial flagship programmes, namely:

The inaugural Chief Albert Luthuli Games which was held in Upington during   September 2012 where 330 young and aspirant athletes gathered to showcase their sporting prowess. These sporting codes included netball, amateur boxing, amateur golf, tennis, handball and swimming. The aim is to identify talented athletes who will be developed for participation in major tournaments such as the National Youth Olympics.

To date a total of 160 athletes have been identified, who will, during the coming months, benefit from various high performance programmes which will be implemented throughout the Province. This will be done in collaboration with the Northern Cape Academy of Sport.

During the 2012/ 2013 financial year, the Department has provided assistance in the form of transport, accommodation and attire to various federations and clubs to participate at National and Inter- Continental Championships. These include:

Gymnastics.
Table Tennis,
Power Lifting,
Sport for the Physically Disabled,
Deaf Cricket,
Dance Sport , The Noeleen’s Dance Academy participated in Las Vegas, in the United States of America

Honourable Speaker, we hosted a successful Provincial Youth Camp programme which was a clarion call from the Ministry of Sport and Recreation. It was aimed at providing our young people with a platform to interact, network and share experiences. This was a bold initiative at advancing social integration and the promotion of leadership amongst young people. More than 600 young people participated through the District programmes. 300 young people were selected for the Provincial programme that was held in Warrenton in the Magareng Municipality from 29th September 2012 to 6th October 2012.

The Youth Camp participant, Ms Gayle Nomalungelo Nkebana was selected to participate in the “Youth Development-through-Football” exchange programme. This programme will take place in Germany over a period of 4 weeks and ends on 9th June 2013. The purpose of the exchange programme will result in a mutual exchange programme between Germany and South African representatives from the Sport sector.

Honourable Speaker, we have also hosted a successful Provincial Girls Schools Football tournament in celebrating Women’s Month in August 2012. More than 250 young learners representing around 20 schools met under the umbrella of Football development.

This programme was followed by the Provincial Schools Championships which saw more than 35 schools representing a total number of 800 learners participating in Football, Rugby, Netball, Basket ball, Cricket, Athletics, Chess, Gymnastics and Volley ball. Schools representing Learners with Special Educational Needs, (LSEN), joined in and converged in Kimberley to select athletes who went to participate in the inaugural National Schools Championships. We are indeed proud of them.

Honourable Speaker, during this financial year, the Department will again focus on providing support to teams with the emphasis on the poorest of the poor in all communities of the Province. In this regard, the Department will, through Club Development programmes, promote the establishment of sustainable clubs and leagues for which an amount of R2.7 million has been allocated through the Mass Participation Programme.

The department, in collaboration with the Department of Roads and Public Works, will upgrade the Floors Public Swimming pool in Kimberley. This programme, for which R500,000.00 is budgeted, is aimed at promoting water safety and the further development of swimming. In addition to the infrastructure upgrade, the department will also facilitate the renaming of the Floors Swimming Pool to the Brian Hermanus Swimming Pool.

We are also excited by the initiative of Sport and Recreation South Africa to advance high performance sport throughout the country. This initiative will see an injection of R1,078 million into the Northern Cape Academy of Sport. The aim is the establishment of district academies which will ultimately contribute towards athlete preparation and the effective participation of athletes in Provincial, National, Inter- Continental and International Championships.

This will further enable the Provincial Federation Development programme to build and sustain sport structures in the Province. The Provincial Sport Council, through their respective federations, will see the injection of around R900 000-00 to give effect to the establishment of District structures and support towards the administration and the implementation of Sport and Recreation programmes in the Province. During this financial year, we will be working tirelessly to finalize the regulations that will give effect to the establishment of a Provincial Sport Council as mandated by the National Sport and Recreation Plan adopted in 2012.

Honourable Speaker, in our efforts to increase the capacity of the Sport and Recreation sector to continue to deliver on the development and promotion of Sport and Recreation in the Province, the Department has set aside R2, 996 million for the purpose of education and training programmes within the Sport and Recreation sector for the financial year 2013/ 2014. This accredited training to be provided will include aspects of sport management, referees, coaching, Life Skills, First Aid and Events Management. We trust that these efforts and commitment will further deepen the involvement of school-based educators to contribute broadly and positively in building a solid School Sport foundation in the Province.

This year will also see the intensification of the Provincial Skateboard development programme towards provincial participation in the Maloof Money Cup. This programme has seen considerable growth and interest across the racial divide, in particular participation from our young people both boys and girls alike. To date, approximately 10 000 young people have benefited in the programme since its inception in 2011. The benefit for young people came either through participating in activation programmes or Skateboard development programmes. Some young skateboard enthusiasts have even been selected to be part of the Pro Championship extravaganza that is held annually in Kimberley.

This year we intend to develop a programme that will see at least 5 local Skaters, one from each District, participate in the amateur section of the Maloof Pro Championship.  A further 200 young Skaters throughout the Province have been provided the opportunity to experience the Maloof Skateboard Pro Championship fever at the Skate Plaza in Kimberley. This venue has become synonymous with Kimberley during the 2010 FIFA World Cup period, acutely described as “the hustle and bustle” of Sport in the country. The Skate Plaza is alive with young and old on a daily basis making their way to and from, consolidating our theme “ a Child in Sport is a Child out of Court” . R1,8 million has been set aside for the programme this year.

Honourable Speaker, we have initiated a highly interactive and successful Golf development programme in the Province. Currently it is piloted in the Sol Plaatje Sub Region of the Frances Baard District and has also been extended to the Namakwa and Siyanda Districts. This will also be extended to the Pixley Ka Seme and John Taole Gaetsewe Districts of the Province. In its current form the programme forms part of the Employee Wellness programme, creating a healthy and active lifestyle amongst government employees. The programme will also be extended to communities and schools. Already the programme has created 8 temporary jobs in Kimberley, Upington and Springbok.

Honourable Speaker, the department as an employer continues to commit itself to the development of critical skills to ensure the effective management of its programmes and activities.  During the 2012-2013 financial year, four Managers successfully completed the Management Development Programme at the University of the Free State funded by the Department and the graduation ceremony was held on 27 January 2013.  This brings the total for skills development in management among departmental employees to fifteen. An additional fifteen serving employees were funded to improve their current academic qualifications in the following fields of study:  Public Management, Human Resource Management, Sport Management and Library and Information Studies.

The department also facilitated formal training for a National Certificate in Office Administration for seven administrative clerks. This was concluded in the 2012/13 financial year.

Honourable Speaker, apart from supporting our staff in the development of skills and qualifications, we also support the adage, “A Healthy Workforce is a Productive Workforce”. The department has also been identified as the champion for Employee Health and Wellness and also successfully hosted the Launch of the Provincial Health Screen Rollout as part of the provincial strategy. Public servants tested for life style diseases within the workplace which included Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure, Glucose (sugar), Cholesterol, HCT, Eye testing, TB Screening, Urine Testing, HIV/Aids and STI screening.  Through this initiative public servants were afforded the opportunity to know their health status and a number of people were diagnosed with various life-style illnesses, without being aware of it.  Wellness management emerged as a priority due to the acknowledgment that the health and wellness of employees directly impacts on the productivity of the entire department.

The HIV Counseling and Testing Intensification project has its origin as a national programme announced by the Honourable President Jacob Zuma in 2010 to test 15 million South Africans.  The programme was later adopted by DPSA in line with current HIV/Aids, STI ad TB Management Policy Implementation in the Public Service.

Honourable Speaker, this ANC-led government has committed itself to create better communities through the creation of job opportunities. For the 2013/2014 financial year, the Department will prioritise the appointment of interns in the fields of sport, heritage, library and archive services. The department is also a recipient of two EPWP Grants, i.e. the Social Sector Grant as well as the Environment and Infrastucture Grant. These grants will be utilized to support the job creation initiative and will result in the creation of an additional 58 employment opportunities. 

In light of the above, Honourable Speaker, I herewith table the budget allocated to Vote 7: Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. This department has an allocated budget of R235,837,000.00 million, which in turn will be allocated as follows:

Programme 1: Administration, an allocated amount of R51,016,000.00 or 22% of the total budget

Programme 2: Cultural Affairs, an allocated amount of R49,865,000.00 or 21% of the total Budget

Programme 3: Libraries and Archive Services, an allocated amount of R95,764,000.00 or 40% of the total budget

Programme 4: Sport and Recreation, an allocated amount of R39,192,000.00 or 17% of the total budget.

Honourable Speaker, as we approach the 20th anniversary of the advent of democracy in South Africa, I believe my predecessors have laid a firm foundation for the department to make a meaningful contribution to the socio-economic development of our Province and our country.

In closing, I wish to thank the Head of Ministry and ministerial staff as well as the Head of the Department and his team for the comradely support and wise counsel.  Thank you for the assistance you have given to me. I am grateful for the advice and gentle guidance of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Honourable Mbinqo-Gigaba and members of the Committee for their commitment and hard work. I hope all members will support our budget for the 2013/2014 financial year. Working together we can do more to contribute to the creation of a better life for all South Africans.

I thank you

Ndiyabulela

Ke a leboga

Baie dankie

PJ Williams

Member of the Executive Council: Sport, Arts and Culture

CONTACT DETAILS

DEPARTMENT OF SPORT, ARTS & CULTURE

Physical Address: 22 Abattoir Road, Ashburnham, Kimberley 8300

Postal Address: Private Bag X5004, Kimberley, 8300

Telephone no: 053 – 8074700

Fax no: 053 - 8074600

Website: www.ncsac.gov.za

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Facebook: dsac ncape

Twitter: @NCapeDSAC

Entrainement Nike

Mail Us

Office of the Premier 
Private Bag X5016 
Kimberley 
8301

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