Question NW2511 to the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture

Reply:

1. Not all of the sport and recreation bodies have received the grants for 2021/2022 financial year.

(a). Before the 2020/2021 financial, this prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic the Department allocated funds to the sport and recreation bodies utilizing the historical data. This enabled the Department to manage the process of allocating and transferring funds with relative ease.

However, after considering the representations made by Federations through SASCOC on the devastating effects of COVID-19 the Department had to review the approach in order to respond to the immediate needs of the Federations.

Whilst in the pre COVID-19, a small portion of the grant was set aside for Administration, with the larger portion being for programmes and projects. This had to be reviewed. The priority has now been given to

(i). job retention, (ii). organizational sustainability, and (iii) programmes and projects and identified priorities.

In terms of the revised approach, the sport and recreation bodies have to submit the compliance documents as well as business plans prior to allocations being made after assessment of each application.

The Department made a call to sport and recreation bodies to submit the documents on 11 June 2021. The key documents are primarily for compliance requirements in line with particularly section 38 (1) (j) of the PFMA which requires transferring departments to ensure that funds are transferred to entities that administer sound financial management systems and controls.

It should be noted that by the 12 of October 2021 only 24 out of 68 sport and recreation bodies has submitted the documents. This made it difficult for the Department to make the allocation because ideally the total budget for sport and recreation bodies, which is R114, 142,000, should be allocated across the 68 sport and recreation bodies at the same time. This to avoid overcommitting to a selected few (24) that have complied.

In order to avoid further delays, the Department proceeded to assess the submitted applications assisted by a representative from SASCOC. This with some checks and balances to avoid the risk of over committing to the 24 bodies. We also noted that some sport and recreation bodies could not spend their entire allocated budget from the 2020 / 2021 financial year.

In this regard, these sport and recreation bodies were granted permission to roll-over the funds to the current financial year perhaps resulting in the slow process of submitting for 2021 / 2022 financial year.

(b). The dates for transfers depends on when the sport and recreation body signs and returns the Allocation Agreement which is prepared after the assessment of fully compliant documents. The Department however requires a week to process a transfer provided all compliance requirements have been fulfilled. Therefore, it is impossible to indicate specific dates on which the transfers would be made.

2(a) and (b) A list showing the status of each sport and recreation body is attached.

3. (a) The following 24 sport and recreation bodies have received allocation letters and agreements. This because they have submitted the required documents;

SPORT AND RECREATION BODY THAT HAVE RECEIVED ALLOCATION LETTERS AND AGREEMENTS

1. South African Rugby Union

2. South African Hockey Association

3. South African Gymnastics Federation

4. Sport Coaches Outreach

5. Cricket South Africa

6. South African Fencing

7. South African Handball Federation

8. Lifesaving South Africa

9. Canoeing South Africa

10. Cycling South Africa

11. South African Aerobics and Fitness Federation

12. Fencing South Africa

13. South African Baseball Union

14. Motorsport South Africa

15. Master sports South Africa

16. Sailing South Africa

17. Snow Sport

18. Transplant South Africa

19. South African Wrestling Federation

20. Volleyball South Africa

21. Gary Kirsten Foundation

22. South African Deaf Sport Federation

23. Badminton South Africa

24.South African Orienteering Federation

(3). Swimming SA only submitted their last batch of compliance documents on the 11 November 2021, which will still be adjudicated. The South African Gymnastics Federation (SAGF) submitted a Draft Financial Statements in July and the original, final Audited Financial Statements on 22 November 2021. The transfer payment for SAGF is being processed because it has been assessed and is now fully compliant. It should be noted that the Department is unable to transfer funds before the sport and recreation body meets all compliance requirement.

(4). A letter of grant allocation is issued to sport and recreation body that has submitted the required documents, and assessed by the department. As of now the following fifteen (15) sport and recreation bodies have recently submitted required documents which have been assessed and their allocation letters and agreements are being prepared;

SPORT AND RECREATION BODIES THAT HAVE RECENTLY SUBMITTED DOCUMENTS WHOSE ALLOCATIONS LETTERS AND AGREEMENTS ARE BEING PREPARED

1. Softball South Africa

2. South African of Cue Sport

3. South African Table Tennis Board

4. Karate South Africa

5. South African Football Association

6. Jukskei South Africa

7. Archery South Africa

8. Surfing South Africa

9. Athletics South Africa

10.Cycling South Africa

11. South African Sports For the Physically Disabled

12.Bowls South Africa

13. Ringball South Africa

14. South African Equestrian Federation

15. South African National Amateur Boxing Organisation