Strategic Plan & Budget Vote; Approval of Proposed Names for Study Tour: discussion

Meeting report

SPORT AND RECREATION PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
28 May 2002
STRATEGIC PLAN AND BUDGET VOTE; APPROVAL OF PROPOSED NAMES FOR STUDY TOUR : DISCUSSION

Chairperson: Miss N Bhengu (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Budget Vote 19

SUMMARY
National study tours to the three provinces; Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpompo were identified. For international study tours Canada and Brazil were identified. The names of people for the tours was needed not later than 3 June 2002.

The Sport and Recreation South Africa and South African Sport Commission presentations in the two recent committee meetings were discussed. The sport budget was examined to see if the general sport programmes of Sport and Recreation South Africa and South African Sport Commission were reflecting achievements the country was making in relation to sport and the areas in sport that had to be improved.

MINUTES
Study tours
The chairperson needed to reach an agreement on the names of the people to undertake both national and international study tours. She said that for the national study tours three provinces namely the Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpompo had been identified. For the international study tours, she said Canada and Brazil had been identified. She informed the members that the names of the people for both the international and national tours were to be submitted not later than the 3 June 2002.

Discussion
Mr P Swart (DP) speaking in regard to the national study tours proposed seven names for each tour and that the ANC should give four and the rest be left to the opposition parties to on them.

Mr H Chauke (ANC) wondered why the committee should stick to seven people per national study tour. Was this due to budget constraints? He then proposed that the number be increased to ten.

The chairperson replied to Mr Chauke's question by explaining that in the meeting of committee chairpersons she had attended they were asked to have seven people for national/provincial study tours and five people for international ones.

Mr E Lucas (IFP) said that there was a standing formula of four ANC people; two DP people and one IFP in place.

Mr T Lee (DP) said he was aware of that formula but proposed that the committee send as many people as possible.

The chairperson said that there indeed was a formula in place that could not be ignored. She also reminded the members that attached to the formula was also an agreement to negotiate the formula.

Mr Lucas proposed that the committee used the standing formula it had.

In the absence of further input on the issue of the formula, the chairperson embraced the proposal of using the standing formula of seven people per national study tour and said the ANC would decide on its names as a collective. She then asked the opposition to finalize their names not later than Monday next week.

Mr Lee reminded members that the DP as the official opposition was entitled to two names of people per national study tour.

The chairperson informed the committee members that with regard to international study tours Canada and Brazil had been identified. She said the ANC would decide on its members and asked the opposition to do same in respect of their members. She indicated the deadline for submission of names as next week Monday.

Strategic plan and budget vote
Guiding the discussion the chairperson said that the committee was supposed to reflect on the presentations made by the Sport and Recreation South Africa and South African Sport Commission in the two recent committee meetings. She added that the committee must in its discussion look at whether the sport budget was enough and whether the general sport programmes of Sport and Recreation South Africa and South African Sport Commission were in line with the vision of the country. She also suggested that the committee reflect on the achievements the country was making in relation sport and the areas in sport that needed to be improved.

Discussion
Mr P S Swart (DP) said that the important thing that the committee needed to realize was the importance of sport. Expressing his concern about the sport budget Mr Swart said that the committee must accept that the sport budget was a "Cinderella budget" compared with other department budgets. He said sport got little money and that the committee must therefore ensure that the money went where it was due. He voiced his concern that in both Sport and Recreation South Africa and South African Sport Commission the greater proportion of the money was towards personnel.

Mr Swart identified expressed his full support for the idea of funding few sport federations as opposed to give money to all federations.

Mr Swart expressed his sympathy for Sport and Recreation South Africa and said that it was difficult for the latter to see if the money to sport federations went to where it was intended.

Commenting on the issue of school sport Mr Swart said there was a lack of co-ordination between Sport and Recreation South Africa and the Department of Education. He said he did not know how the problem could be addressed.

He cited as a good thing the fact that based on last year's committee discussion on facilities, something was being done to build and maintain more facilities, as was disclosed during the Sport and Recreation South Africa and South African Sport Commission presentations the past two meetings.

Miss R Southgate (ACDP) said her concern was with sport federations. She said, when dealing with communities she had realized the difficulty of getting the different sport federations to assist communities.

Mr E Lucas (IFP) said that there was a general agreement that the budget for sport was far too little. He said the committee should look at how it could change that. He said that, as a result of the little budget for sport, the IFP felt that the rural areas were neglected. He complained that, in prioritizing their needs, the local governments neglected sport.

Ms Southgate, commenting on the issue of school sport, suggested that the committee ask the Department of Education on how it was dealing with the issue of school sport. She said that she supported the idea of an inter-departmental approach to school sport.

Mr A Mlangeni (ANC) said that, despite the common saying that sport contributed to good health, he had noticed that sport and transport received little budgets. He lamented the fact that the sport budget was, as he put it, "at the bottom of the ladder of government priorities". He also noted what he said was a positive improvement this year in budget compared to last year. He said that he supported the idea of giving money only to a certain selected sport federations and the monitoring of where the money was going into in the federations.

Mr T Lee (DP), referring to the oncoming sport budget debate on the 11 June, asked the members to be mature enough to expect people to see things differently. He said, while he agreed with many things in the meeting, he would however try and speak the truth during the budget debate.

The chairperson said that it was the responsibility of the committee to acknowledge the progress made in sport. She said the committee had performed oversight to the department of sport and other bodies and had seen good things, which must be acknowledged. She further said that as a committee they also interacted with constituencies and had identified problems and interrogated the relevant people about those problems.

Mr HP Chauke (ANC) warned the members against marrying the budget debate due on the 11 June with what the meeting was discussing. He said the task at hand was for the members was for the members to look at the role of the committee and its clear programme of action. He acknowledged that there were fundamental issues that needed to be looked at and asked the members not to discuss them now. He suggested that the members withhold their questions or input for after the budget debate for a proper debate.

Summing up the issues touched upon, the chairperson said the committee had indeed reflected on the presentations made by the Sport and Recreation South Africa and South African Sport Commission, the past two weeks; had identified that big chunk of sport budget went towards personnel; had identified improvement regarding the provision of facilities and the programme to maintain them. She also said, based on the past two presentations, that she had also identified a need for improved communication between local government and the national sport department over the issue sport facilities at local government level. She said it was not clear to her how the department of sport at national level was communicating with the local government over the issue of building facilities for sport.

The meeting was adjourned.