3rd Term Review and Adoption of 4th Term Programme
Sport, Arts and Culture
19 September 2006
Meeting Summary
A summary of this committee meeting is not yet available.
Meeting report
SPORT
AND RECREATION PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
19 September 2006
3RD TERM
REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF 4TH TERM PROGRAMME
Chairperson: Mr B Komphela (ANC)
Documents handed out:
St Conrad
College on Transformation of
Sport in South Africa
Presentation
to the Portfolio Committee
SA Rugby submission on National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill,
2006
National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill B17-2006
Submission by Colin
Webster on National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill, 2006
SUMMARY
The work of the Committee over the past quarter was reviewed. Members expressed concern over a perceived
lack of progress in developing the national football team in preparation for
the 2010 World Cup, and the roles of the SA Football Association and the new
coach were discussed. The importance of developing the tourism sector was
discussed. Members felt that not enough
planning was being done by the relevant Department.
Members discussed the release of funds to municipalities to develop
infrastructure projects. It seemed there
was a lack of understanding of the process.
Members were critical of the lack of leadership being shown by the
Department of Sport and Recreation. The
Local Organising Committee was also not providing enough information to the
Committee.
There was concern about the reasons for the head of FIFA visiting South
Africa. Members felt that important
information was being concealed, and the Chairperson undertook to meet Mr
Blatter.
The position of Boxing South Africa was still unclear, as their latest report
conflicted with what had been presented to the Committee a week previously.
The Committee’s programme for the fourth quarter was outlined. It would include a week of public hearings on
the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill. Copies of submissions were distributed to
Members. Other meetings would also be
held, mainly in connection with annual reports, while a meeting with the owners
of local football clubs was also planned.
MINUTES
Chairperson’s overview of
last quarter and adoption of work programme for fourth quarter
Copies of submissions received from the public on the National Sport and
Recreation Amendment Bill were distributed to Members of the Committee.
The Chairperson reviewed the work done by the Committee during the last
quarter. A study tour had been conducted
to eThekwini Municipality.
Two meetings had been held with the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee
(SASCOC). It was good to see that they
were moving towards a united structure.
He had been involved with meetings between the two controlling bodies
for karate. An interim committee had
been established to launch efforts to form a unified body during 2007. National leadership would visit the provinces
to explain the process, and Mr Komphela urged the Members to attend where
possible. A schedule would be provided.
He said that there had been a briefing by the Department of Sport and
Recreation (SRSA) together with the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport
(SAIDS). The National Sport and
Recreation Amendment Bill was on its way to Parliament for debate, but had only
been prepared in one language. The
Speaker was uncomfortable with this, as she feared constitutional
challenges. The Bill should be in at
least two of the official languages.
The Chairperson said that the South African Football Association (SAFA) had
established a technical committee to oversee the building of the national team
for the 2010 World Cup. However, SAFA
had not said how exactly this would be done.
It was a laborious procedure. It
seemed that the only significant question for SAFA was the appointment of the
new coach. It was not clear how SAFA
intended to build the 2010 team.
Mr C Frolick (ANC) said there had been partial success with the meeting with
SAFA, but it seemed that they were trying to play hide and seek with the
Committee. They had been waiting firstly
to appoint the new coach, and then the situation would be evaluated. The coach had nothing to work from. There was no readiness plan to prepare the
team. This had to happen sooner rather
than later. It might be a good idea if
the coach was invited to address the Committee.
Mr E Dikgacwi (ANC) said that this was not the first time the Committee had
been told this. Action was needed
now. Mr Clive Barker had been a
successful coach.
Ms W Makgate (ANC) said this was a very important issue. It seemed that the plans to build the team
were not seen to be crucial by SAFA. The
Committee, however, saw the crisis in the team.
The Chairperson said that Mr M Olifant of SAFA had promised that the coach
would provide a plan. He would get
information on this.
He said that a meeting had been held with the Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) regarding the 2010 World Cup. An assessment of requirements was
needed. SRSA had a responsibility as
people would be coming to South Africa as part of teams. When they landed at a place such as Durban, they
should know what was happening in the area.
They should be made aware of not only the tourist attractions in
KwaZulu-Natal, but in fact the whole country should be showcased. The Portfolio Committee on Environmental
Affairs and Tourism would play a key role in the 2010 preparations. DEAT had to devise a plan, but he felt that
this was not happening. They were busy
with logistical issues, and there was as yet no sign of a broad plan or of a
direction being taken.
Mr Frolick said that only the macro issues were being addressed. He would like to see indications of
activities at different locations. Each
centre had its own tourism office, but there was no interaction. These various offices should be linked to a
national tourism website. Tourists wanted
specific local information. A lot of
work was needed, and a follow-up meeting should be held early in 2007. A lasting legacy had to be created. The rural areas around the host cities should
not be neglected, and a provincial perspective was needed. There was no detail at present.
Mr Dikgacwi said more regular meetings were needed with other key parliamentary
committees. That would enable this
Committee to detect any problems.
Mr R Reed (ANC) agreed that more and regular meetings were needed. A comprehensive tourism package was
needed. He said that at the Peoples’
Parliament in Oudtshoorn, representatives of the smaller towns had complained
that they were being left out of the process.
The Chairperson added that he had spoken to someone from Ladysmith on the same
issue. Such towns wanted to know what to
expect from the tournament. There was no
prescribed procedure for the outlying towns, but they must link up with their
nearest tourism centre.
Ms Makgate said that, if possible, visits to the host cities should be combined
with tourist junctions. The current tone
was more on the national level, but it was unsure what was happening on ground
level.
Mr Frolick agreed with Ms Makgate’s opinion.
The starting point should be the monthly meetings held by the host
cities. The Committee needed to have an
understanding of what was happening there.
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) was part of these meetings. He suggested that the Committee should send a
delegation to these meetings so that there would be no surprises. Overseas tourists wanted to have the full
South African experience, and a single city could not provide this nor could it
provide all the products to be purchased as souvenirs. DEAT and the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) would play a crucial role. It
would not be practical to bus people in from the rural areas, but provision had
to be made for their products to be marketed on the big stage. Official suppliers needed to be identified.
The Chairperson also agreed with Ms Makgate.
The tourism sector was within the ambit of the host cities. Time was needed to deal with issues such as
transport and tourism. There were issues
which cut across the different sectors.
Efforts had to be co-ordinated, and this was the Committee’s role.
He suggested that there should be less emphasis on the Parliamentary programme
after the recess. There was almost
nothing to be tabled in Parliament regarding sport, and most of the work would
be done outside the National Assembly.
Information needed to be given to the people who were by and large in
the dark, and the Chairperson of the Committee Chairpersons’ forum had
understood this. There was a need to
deal with the Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill, and the Safety at Stadiums
Bill.
There would be lots of work thereafter.
All Members would be drawn into the Committee’s activities. There had not yet been any interaction with
the LOC, and this was needed. He wanted
to know how to interact with this FIFA body.
Now was the time to receive information.
Mr Komphela stressed that when the Committee met with the host municipalities
they should know the route to the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) and
the Treasury. They could then provide
the necessary leadership and answers to questions. He was convinced that SRSA was not living up
to expectations. They could not give
information.
He said that a meeting had been held with the Department of Provincial and
Local Government (DPLG). The
municipalities had submitted their business plans, and were now waiting for
money to proceed with the identified projects.
It was up to Parliament to authorise Treasury to release funds.
Mr Frolick agreed that the municipalities were waiting for money. President Mbeki had held am Imbizo in the Nelson
Mandela Metro two weeks previously, and a soil turning ceremony had been held
at the stadium site. The Public Finance
Management Act (PFMA) made provisions for grants. If an R85 million grant was given, this had
to be spent before the next payout could be made. Official bureaucracy was hindering
progress. Once initial funding had been
received, the municipalities could not wait until the completion of the phase
in question, but had to submit their requests for additional funding now. The technical committee would make
recommendations to the LOC, who would in turn pass on recommendations to
DBSA. Uncertainty now had to be
“short-circuited”. It seemed to him that
the Minister was unaware of the implications of the PFMA.
The Chairperson said that municipalities must use what they had now. It would be illegal to commit themselves to
spending money in anticipation of receiving more funding. They could get a letter from Treasury, but
the amounts must be equal to the expectations.
They could not be forced to spend money they did not have, and the
Committee should know of instances where this had happened. This issue had been raised with DPLG. Adv Petra Bouwer had communicated this to
SRSA. The expenditure required by the
Special Measures Bill must be filtered in.
A letter from Treasury should be sufficient to guarantee funding for
projects.
Mr B Solo (ANC) agreed with Mr Komphela.
He said that what was being explained was in fact the function of
SRSA. The Committee should ensure that
this happened. He asked how information
was disseminated, and felt a link was needed with the host cities’
meeting. He said that he had heard that
Mr Serge Blatter was coming to South Africa to meet President Mbeki. The World Cup would definitely take place in
South Africa and there was no contingency plan to move the tournament. There was media speculation that the process
was too slow. The Committee needed first
hand information. The Department of
Foreign Affairs had submitted a detailed document. Service providers had been called on two
weeks previously by the LOC.
Accreditation forms had been provided.
The LOC had made a presentation on their expectations. Mr Solo had only found out about this by
chance. He asked how communications
would be conducted with the communities, especially those in the rural areas,
and if this process was being concealed.
Fortnightly briefings were needed, even if these were done
telephonically. SRSA should arrange
this.
The Chairperson had asked Members for quarterly meetings at least. He understood that they also had party
programmes to consider, but in the last four months there had only been
meetings with two of the host cities.
The Committee needed to get out to meet with the municipalities and to
talk to the community. He felt that
World Cup efforts would have collapsed if everything had relied on SRSA. The Minister was aware of the situation. The local government LOC should allay his
anxieties. He asked who FIFA was
meeting, the FIFA or government LOC.
Government would have to explain its role.
Mr T Louw (ANC) said he was cautiously worried.
If Mr Blatter wanted to meet President Mbeki, then this would not be
merely a courtesy meeting. From Mr
Blatter’s statement, it showed that he was worried.
Mr E Saloojee (ANC) had heard reports that the planning was not flowing. There was a rumour that the World Cup might
be moved to Australia. Such reports
could only emerge if people were aware of things that were not happening. More substantial information was needed on the
flow of money and the reason for Mr Blatter’s visit. It was not just SRSA, and he needed to know
if the programme was flowing.
Preparatory work had not yet started.
Mr Frolick said he did not want to generalise.
The initiative had been taken to interact with the FIFA LOC. Two groups existed within the LOC. Mr Danny Jordaan was in charge, not Mr Irvin
Khosa. A representative from the FIFA
LOC should indicate what was happening, even if this was done in confidence.
The Chairperson said he had met with Mr Blatter in Germany. He would meet with him again, and would
report to the Committee. He would be
sending a letter that day to arrange an appointment. At that previous meeting Mr Blatter had told
him that the possibility of changing the management of SAFA was not an
issue. There was no evidence that this
was being done. That the World Cup was
being driven by government was a reflection of the extent of the lack of confidence
in SAFA. There must be drastic problems,
and he needed to find out what they were.
He said that the Committee was now on hold with its processes. He understood that the World Cup might suffer
from the actions of various people, but the Committee had done its job. Even so there was no smoke without fire, and
it was not just a case of malicious rumours.
A smack in the face was possible, but he needed to know where the
problem lay.
Mr Frolick said that government had signed the guarantees. It was not up to the FIFA LOC to build the
stadiums, roads and so on. This was a government
responsibility, but he wanted to know where the information was. There was nothing on SRSA’s website. There should be a calendar of events. SRSA could not give the answers.
The Chairperson said that the questions had to be formulated, but there was no
information from SRSA.
Ms Makgate supported the Chairperson’s initiative to meet with Mr Blatter. Many cooks would spoil the broth, and there
was a battle within SAFA. Spoiling
tactics were being deployed.
Mr Komphela said that he should be able to pinpoint the problems after the
meeting. He would then deal with the
responsible Departments.
Mr Saloojee said it was an uncomfortable situation for Mr Jordaan.
The Chairperson said that there was a war ravaging SAFA leadership. It was up to this Committee to speak out on
this issue. The Members of the Committee
realised that it was their purpose to serve the people of the country. SAFA had to follow suit. Regional issues should not hamper SAFA’s
work. He had no friends within SAFA,
whose members claimed they were politically connected with the different
Ministers. Mr Komphela was in touch with
Parliament, however.
Mr D Matshede (ANC) said that there was a possibility of a conflict of
interest. Billions of Rands would be
spent. There was the chance of one
company winning tenders to build several of the new stadiums. He asked if there was a code to govern the
benefits which people could earn.
The Chairperson said he had such a code.
It was clear and in alignment with FIFA’s Code of Conduct. Corrupt people would be dealt with.
Mr Frolick emphasised the policy for procurement of goods and services with
government funds. The different
municipalities would act under the direction of government. Cabinet would second senior officials from
Treasury to the host cities. This would
promote diversity and spread the load.
The gap between the municipalities and government would be closed. The Treasury officials would not adjudicate
on issues, but would provide guidance and advice, and would report to
Cabinet. This latter body could
intervene if needed.
The Chairperson then referred to Boxing South Africa (BSA). Confusion still
reigned with this organisation, but he was prepared to give them the benefit of
the doubt. He had received a report from
BSA which was completely different to the recent presentation to the
Committee. SRSA was highly implicated in
this report, which had been provided by the Public Relations Officer (PRO). The Chairman of BSA, Adv Dali Mpofu, had said
that government’s role was conspicuous in the BSA saga but the PRO, Mr Mtya,
had produced a different report.
However, the issue was neither here nor there at this stage. A meeting would be held to discuss
government’s role. There had been no
document available regarding the disclaimer of the Auditor General, but the
documentation was available now. The
annual report should reveal the facts, and he expected that this report would
be more positive than in the past.
He said that the Department of Trade and Industry “knew its story”. No discussion was needed. He was confident that the last quarterly
report had achieved what was wanted. The
quarterly report had focused purely on World Cup issues.
Mr Komphela said that public hearings would be held between 9 and 13 October to
obtain inputs on the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill.
Mr Dikgacwi made an appeal to Members regarding the public hearings. Sometimes it was an embarrassment to see the
low attendance levels by Committee Members.
A special effort was needed to ensure good attendance.
The Chairperson said he had raised this issue with the Members. Attendance during the week of the public
hearings, which was a dedicated Committee week, would be compulsory. He then outlined a few more planned
meetings. On 17 October, SAIDS would
present its annual report. On 24
October, SRSA would make a presentation regarding its Sector Education and
Training Authority (SETA). A number of
students had graduated in Sports Science at the University of Stellenbosch
recently. On 31 October, the Committee
would pay a study visit to the Eastern Cape.
All information was needed before making this visit. On 7 November representatives of SAIDS, BSA
and SRSA would meet with the Committee to consider their annual reports and to
prepare for the budget vote.
He emphasised that there was a comprehensive programme for oversight. It was likely that two sub-committees would
have to be established, one under the chairmanship of the Committee Whip. Parliament would be closing for the year on
14 November, and from March 2007 it would be full speed ahead.
He said that information was needed regarding the country’s readiness so that
it could be passed on. As soon as
reports were completed they should be tabled in Parliament while still fresh. There was no purpose to tabling reports which
had been delayed, as the Members needed to engage with topical issues.
The proposed programme was adopted. The
Chairperson said that an oversight meeting could be held with Cape Town, giving
the Committee an opportunity to meet Mayor Zille.
Mr Frolick proposed that this meeting should happen soon, as the ANC had plans
to unseat Ms Zille. He noted that the
Committee had worked hard during the year.
Mr Louw said that there was no Eastern Cape study tour on the programme, but
only a report.
Mr Komphela said this was an error, and that a visit should have been reflected
instead. The duration of the tour would
depend on logistics.
Mr Louw agreed that the Committee had worked hard during the year. There had been much media exposure of its
activities. He said that it was a
convention that the Minister should organise tracksuits for the Members.
The Chairperson referred to the campaign to support Bafana Bafana, which was
still to be launched. This would be done
when the weather improved. The South
African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) had agreed to cover the event. All Members of Parliament would be given
T-shirts, while the Members of the Committee would also be given tracksuits.
Mr Solo supported the plan of a visit to Cape Town. He said that strategies sometimes
backfired. The MEC had certain
powers. Cape Town was the only metro in
the Western Cape. The ANC must not
embarrass itself. He would not make Cape
Town a priority, however. The city had
expertise, and it seemed that Cape Town knew what it was doing. Other municipalities might still be “at
sea”. Nelson Mandela Metro was still far
off the pace. In any event, with the
Cape Town municipal offices so near to Parliament it would be easy to arrange a
meeting at any time.
Mr Louw wanted elaboration on the statement that Cape Town knew what it was
doing. He felt that this was a very
loaded statement.
The Chairperson said that he would investigate logistic issues. He then asked for adoption of the minutes of
meetings held on 1, 15, 17, 23, 28 and 29 August. These were all adopted.
Mr Komphela informed the Committee that Gen B Holomisa’s (UDM) brother had
died, and that he had apologised for his absence to attend the funeral. He asked that a message of condolence be sent
to the General.
He said that the owners of the eighteen Premier Soccer League clubs had been
invited to meet with the Committee. He
wanted to know what the difficulties were in releasing players to the national
team. This would be a step towards
preparing for the World Cup. A date was
still to be determined for this meeting, and it therefore did not appear on the
programme. They had never been called to Parliament before. SAFA were the custodians of football. The Committee felt that the country’s needs
should be put before those of the clubs, but the clubs had a different
view. He wondered if the relationship
between SAFA and the clubs was to blame.
The issues would be discussed.
The meeting was adjourned.
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