Hansard: Appropriation Bill : Debate on Vote No 12 – Arts and Culture
House: National Assembly
Date of Meeting: 18 Jun 2009
Summary
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Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Friday, 19 June 2009 Takes: 86 & 87
FRIDAY, 19 JUNE 2009
PROCEEDINGS OF EXTENDED PUBLIC COMMITTEE – CHAMBER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
_____________________________________
Members of the Extended Public Committee met in the Old Assembly Chamber at 10:00.
The House Chairperson Ms M N Oliphant, as the Chairperson, took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M N Oliphant): Hon members, owing to the limited time that we have for this debate, we will adhere strictly to the allocated times.
APPROPRIATION BILL
Debate on Vote No 12 – Arts and Culture:
The MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE: Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members, ladies and gentlemen and our honoured guests, we deliver our Budget Vote today, 33 years after the youth of our country stood up for their rights and helped pave the way for our new democracy. Many of them paid the ultimate price and gave their lives for our freedom.
In his Youth Day address, President Jacob Zuma noted the importance of promoting youth participation in democratic processes, community and civic decision-making, and development. The President also directed that our youth should participate in programmes to promote our culture and heritage, our Constitution and national symbols, and promote various other mechanisms that will cement pride in being a South African.
As part of a common national effort, the Department of Arts and Culture will do its part to create access to a rich and productive cultural life for our youth and all our people. This is why we embrace the idea that there shall be arts for all and that, in promoting arts, culture and heritage, we are deepening our democracy and helping to develop a people's culture.
Fifteen years into our democracy our task remains to ensure the full equality of our people, to ensure equality between men and women, to bridge the divide between rural and urban and between rich and poor.
A fundamental condition for the full realisation of the freedom of all our people is the national effort to bring about transformation to ensure that opportunities exist for those to thrive who have been marginalised. We are building a culture rooted in the realities of our people and to instil a deeper consciousness of what it means to be proudly South African.
As part of our efforts to bring the arts to all our people, we shall continue to ensure that community libraries are built in all our communities. [Applause.] The Department of Arts and Culture co-ordinates the implementation of the community libraries recapitalisation programme in partnership with provinces. A new state-of-the art National Library of South Africa building has been completed and opened. It covers 33 000 square metres and seats 13 000 users - 10 times more than the old building. [Applause.]
Together with the National Library, we shall also support the formation of book clubs, particularly among our youth to ensure that all our community libraries encourage a culture of reading.
The development of the Library Transformation Charter, initiated by the National Council for Library and Information Services and the department, will be finalised in 2009. The department will introduce a national community libraries Bill to set the framework for norms and standards in the provision and regulation of community libraries and information services.
With regard to the film industry, the department encourages the development of local content and supports the National Film and Video Foundation. Funds have been allocated to the foundation especially for training, skills development, growing the audience base in townships, and strengthening South Africa's international presence. The foundation is also funding animation features, which will produce interesting and innovative work. Together with the foundation, we are looking at the best ways of setting up co-operatives in rural areas that focus on bringing cinemas to our people and developing skills in areas related to film production.
The department has also established partnerships with Canada, France and other countries to ensure co-operation in the film industry.
Through its "Investing in Culture" programme, the department aims to provide empowerment opportunities for unemployed people through skills development, training and job creation. To date, this programme has funded 394 projects, which have produced 10 938 job opportunities since 2005 with women constituting 43%, the youth 47% and people with disabilities 4% of the total number of jobs that have been created. Seventy percent of these projects are based in our rural areas.
I would also like to mention a few other projects that have been supported by our "Investing in Culture" programme. We have the community ceramics and mosaics project in the Western Cape, the Disabead project in the Northern Cape for people with disabilities, the Nkapeseng beadwork project in the Free State, the Nyoni crafters in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and the Tingwazi art and craft project in Limpopo, to mention a few.
In the second phase of this Extended Public Works Programme the aim is to produce 4 000 job opportunities. And, in addition to this, the focus will be to identify projects that can become viable co-operatives and small, medium and micro enterprises - SMMEs. We are partnering with the Department of Trade and Industry in registering co-operatives, in terms of an export readiness programme, and are participating in national and international exhibitions including the Mzansi stores.
We are identifying niche markets that could become high-impact job-creation areas for growth in the near future by supporting translating and editing job opportunities for the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup, and we are also supporting job opportunities in the areas of digitisation of local content and the development of tour guides at South African heritage sites.
As we focus on sustaining arts and culture development, part of our focus will also be to promote the meaningful participation of women in the sector. With this in mind, we shall set up a gender focal unit in the department in order to mainstream gender and women's empowerment projects in the department and in all our institutions.
In August this year we shall declare the graves of our great women leaders and veterans and freedom fighters - Lilian Ngoyi and Helen Joseph - a national monument. [Applause.]
Earlier this year, the department, under the leadership of former Deputy Minister Ntombazana Botha, participated in commemorations in France to pay tribute to the life and work of the late Dulcie September who played an important role in our liberation struggle. In March next year we shall hold the first Dulcie September Memorial Lecture at the University of the Western Cape dedicated to her role in promoting human rights. [Applause.]
We shall continue to look at more concrete ways of recognising the important contribution of women in our communities and in the liberation struggle through awards such as Mosadi wa Konokono [Woman of Substance], women's museums, women's monuments, and also in recognising Women's Day and other monuments that have to give recognition to the contribution of women in our history and in our struggle.
The Department of Arts and Culture supports the Fifa 2010 legacy projects through initiating and funding cultural histories of the host cities and of cities in the Southern African Development Community region. We are also looking at rural communities benefiting through the establishment of cinemas in rural areas as a legacy of public viewing areas established during the 2010 World Cup.
IsiXhosa:
Ndikhumbula ndisakhula ezilalini - thina bantu ke bavela emaphandleni - ibhayiskopu yinto esasingayazi. Sasisithi ukuze sibone ibhayiskopu kufike uSunlight soap no-Omo bakwaLever Brothers, sibukele ke ibhayiskopu phaya kula nqwelo-mafutha yokuthutha inkulu, sijayive kube mnandi.
English:
In most of our villages, entertainment is still not accessible to the majority of our people. We think that we can assist in developing information-sharing and educational programmes through these facilities.
Through the National Library of South Africa we have reprinted 24 classics in African languages that have been distributed to libraries throughout the country, and we are now embarking on the second phase of this project.
IsiXhosa:
Sifuna ukuba kuwo onke amathala eencwadi sibe noluncwadi lweelwimi zesintu. Sifuna ukuba nakumakhaya ethu sizithenge ezi ncwadi zeelwimi zesintu ukwenzela ukuba abantwana bethu bafunde ngembali yabo nangembali yelizwe labo, bawazi namasiko abo. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
English:
We are also helping to establish the South African language practitioners' council by the end of this year. We are awarding language bursaries to 90 students this year to help build capacity in the language profession. [Applause.]
I now come to name changes. In our work to ensure that the names we give to places reflect our national identity, the SA Geographical Names Council is currently conducting national public hearings on the important policy for changing names. The outcome will determine the pace and focus of changes.
IsiXhosa:
Kubalulekile ukuba sigqithe kule ndawo kwaye siwugqibe lo msebenzi, ukwenzela ukuba siqhube nomsebenzi obalulekileyo wokwakha isizwe.
English:
In his state of the nation address, President Zuma called on each and every one of us to build a more cohesive society. In the second half of this year, we shall hold the first national conference on social cohesion in KwaZulu-Natal. The theme of the conference is: "Building a caring society". Participation is invited from civil society, government, academics, women, youth and rural communities to ensure that they participate in this conference. The conference will contribute towards developing a national strategic framework, leading to a concrete national plan of action.
With regard to heritage promotion, my predecessor announced in this House South Africa's intention to ratify the 2003 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, as well as to develop a national policy on living heritage. I am pleased to report that we have concluded drafting the national policy and will soon embark on consulting South Africans on this important instrument. We encourage all South Africans to participate by providing us with input.
Heritage contributes significantly to economic development and job creation. The department will, therefore, be working with other departments on a study of heritage and economic development. This will help us in the sector to develop programmes and projects that will increase investment and economic activity in the heritage sector.
I have accepted the resignations of both the Robben Island council and the interim CEO of Robben Island Museum. The call for nominations for a new council as well as an advertisement calling for applications for a full-time CEO have appeared in the national newspapers this past weekend. We will speed up the process of setting up the new council and finding a full-time CEO.
In the meantime, I have appointed an interim CEO, Prof Henry Bredekamp, after consultation with his council at Iziko Museum. We have ensured that he will be working with, and get full support from, the department. The interim CEO has already met and is already working with various stakeholders and a small team that will ensure the smooth running of the museum. I am optimistic that we have learnt from the past and that the measures that are being put in place will address the current challenges.
On 1 April 2009 Freedom Park was declared a cultural institution and a council was appointed in terms of the Cultural Institutions Act. We are working together with Freedom Park and the Department of Public Works to complete the construction of this important icon of our country.
The department is also undergoing renewed discussions with the Department of Defence about the transfer of the Castle of Good Hope to the Department of Arts and Culture. The department has done a due diligence study with regard to the future use of the castle, and has a framework in place for the future management of this important cultural and historical institution.
This year during Heritage Month I would like to single out the work that the National Heritage Council is doing. This work is important in ensuring that the area of heritage conservation and the development of the heritage transformation charter are speeded up.
The National Heritage Council is also initiating activities to promote the value of ubuntu on Mandela day, that is 18 July 2009.
This year's Heritage Day commemoration focuses on the contribution of the craft sector to our national culture, and the main celebration will happen in Limpopo. We shall work closely with the National Heritage Council and other stakeholders on this year's commemorations to ensure that we meet our goal of ensuring that our heritage, arts and crafts belong to all.
Through the National Arts Council, we shall host the prestigious International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies' World Summit on Arts and Culture. This will be in September this year in Johannesburg. The theme of the summit is: "Meeting of Cultures: Making Meaning through the Arts".
This conference will also focus on the role of the arts in international and intercultural dialogue. Through our participation, we shall also highlight our ongoing support for Unesco Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
This year we have a number of legacy projects that we will be embarking on. In the past year, the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance architecture competition in Hankey, in the Eastern Cape, was launched. The second phase will take place in August 2009, with the winning design expected by the first week of September 2009.
In January every year, together with our Mozambican counterparts, we commemorate the Matola Raid. You will recall that 16 South Africans and a Portuguese citizen were murdered on 30 January 1981 by the SA Defence Force. The Department of Arts and Culture is in the process of establishing a monument to honour the victims of this callous act. The Matola Municipality graciously donated land for the construction of the monument, which is located close to where the raid took place. The Department of Public Works has drafted the terms of reference for the architectural design process.
The Department of Arts and Culture will continue using symbolic events such as the Matola Raid and Cuito Cuanavale to remind the people of Southern Africa about our common history, heritage and shared destiny. We are working with the Mbizana Local Municipality in the O R Tambo District to commemorate the life and times of O R Tambo. We shall develop a statue of President O R Tambo, to be installed in the municipality so that we can share his achievements in bringing about our liberation with the younger generation. [Applause.]
We are also working on an Afrikaans project with the Western Cape. In the last Budget Vote speech, my predecessor announced a collaborative project with the Dutch on Afrikaans. An international seminar and festival will take place during Heritage Month this year and the conference theme will be: Spreek, Thetha, Talk. We are working with Dutch and Afrikaans-speaking academics on this programme. Thank you, Madam Chair. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Dr T S FARISANI / (GM/CM) ENG/XH / END OF TAKE
The MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE
Dr T S FARISANI: Hon Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, in my mother tongue I say:
Tshivenda:
Ndaa, Phalamennde ya Afurika Tshipembe. [I greet you all in Parliament of South Africa]
English:
The president of the ANC, Dr Langalibalele Dube, and those who came after him, such as Makgato, Gumede and Pixley ka Isaka Seme, lived and died so that our people could live together and share and enjoy their cultures including their arts.
Other presidents: Mahabane, Moroka, Xuma, Luthuli and Tambo lived and died so that we could have a day like this to talk about our arts, to talk about our cultures and what role they should play for the good of humanity in South Africa, in Africa and in the whole world.
Mandela and Mbeki led us in the vision described in the Freedom Charter in which the cultures of all our people could interact in a constructive manner. And that day is here. Our current President, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, has assured us that that culture is not an endangered species - the culture of our people living together in cohesion and respecting one another's norms and values.
If I were in Tanzania and allowed to sing in Parliament, I would sing:
KiSwahili:
"Twende zote ju, nyumba ya baba, nyumba ya mama."
In the father and mother's house there are many mansions and there is room for everybody. [Applause.]
If I were Afrikaner poet Lion Cachet, I would write a poem and name it Die Afrikaanse Taal.
Afrikaans:
Ek is 'n arme boerenooi,
By vele min geag:
Maar tog is ek van edel bloed ...
Uit Holland het my pa gekom,
Na sonnige Afrika;
Uit Frankryk ... my liewe mooie ma.
[Applause.]
English:
I'm almost 62 and number seven in the family, and my mother is still alive. Now if my mother were here, she would sing and say:
Tshivenda:
"Muimawoga shaka ndi nnyi?" [You who stand alone, where are your relatives?]
Muthu ndi muthu nga vhathu. [U vhanda zwanda.] [A person is a person because of other people.]
IsiZulu:
Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. [A person cannot live on his own – without the presence of others.]
Xitsonga:
Munhu i muhnu hi van'wana vahnu. [A person cannot live without other people.]
English:
The English have tried and tried well. No man is an island. Now, this budget speaks the language of delivery. Congratulations on the dream to deliver. After all, there is no alternative. But we can only do that together, united by the glue of our diversified cultures. Because here ...
Afrikaans:
In die skadu van Tafelberg, beskerm deur die oseaan in die weste en in die ooste, staan hierdie vierde Parlement. Die meerderheid van ons burgers in Suid-Afrika het so gestem dat die apartheidleuen doodgemaak moet word. [Applous.]
English:
That lie insulted God by alleging that different cultures were bricks to build Berlin walls among South Africans. Through the hammer of the Freedom Charter, we've brought down those walls. [Applause.]
We are killing the fear of some human beings who fear others more than they fear lions. During the Convention for a Democratic South Africa and the World Trade Centre discussions and negotiations, culture - manifesting itself also in arts and crafts - was one of the things we looked at. I remember that at the secret negotiations in New York in 1986 at the Harrison Conference Centre, at which the Broederbond was also represented, the greatest fear among our white colleagues was ...
Afrikaans:
... as vryheid eendag kom en julle mense is in die meerderheid, wat gaan gebeur met ons kultuur en taal?
English:
I was privileged to be among those who responded. No language, no culture, no colour, no race, no tribe is threatened by genuine freedom. If anything, genuine freedom enhances those areas.
Afrikaans:
In hierdie vierde Parlement ...
Tshivenda:
... ndo takalesa. Ndi tou khana sa namana yo fura mukhaha, i tshi khou bva u mama kha mme ayo. [I am extremely happy. I am as pleased (or as proud) as punch.]
English:
This is because here in this Parliament are represented all the cultures of our country, all the colours of our country, all the languages of our country.
Now that we have achieved that, the department must learn to talk the language of the state of the nation address, the language of the manifesto that has been adopted by all our people in this country. I am happy, hon Minister, that you will play your role in creating decent jobs for our people in this country. If the department fails to talk that language, then it will have failed with a distinction.
We believe that in the area of recreation whether it is drama, video or film, this department is playing an important role, but that together we can find room for improvement. This department shall not be allowed by the people of South Africa not to play an important role that, amongst other things, educates our children to be patriotic and to respect their flag and mother languages.
I know this department shall not fail us, because through the instrument of art, they can take our children off the streets and make them somebody. I want to believe that this department will not fail us in the area of rural development. And we as the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture will be robust in monitoring the department so that they speak the correct language for the term of this Parliament in those areas of delivery.
Our traditional leaders, our amakhosi, our kings to whom we say Bayethe!
Tshivenda:
Ndaa, u dada la mavhalavhala; Tshiendeulu tsha mbudzi la kholomo; marunga dzi nndevhelaho; ndi shavha iwe; ndau ya nduna!
English:
These are custodians of our culture and the Constitution recognises them as such. We have not seen enough movement by the king from KwaZulu-Natal to the king in the Eastern Cape by King Ramabulana of the VhaVenda to King Sekhukhune. How can we talk about culture when our custodians of culture are not interacting robustly? This will create remnants of the apartheid ideology in which every king is a king in his own area and does not interact with another. [Applause.]
The Afrikaners like their proverb:
Afrikaans:
Elke haan is koning op sy eie mishoop. [Everybody is the master of his own turf.]
English:
Now, we want to say that all our kings are our kings for all of us. [Applause.] And the department must assist us here to address this issue to intensify the cohesion and unity of our people. If I have misapplied the proverb, I am willing to be a student in an Afrikaans class. But I must first look at the credentials of my teacher. [Laughter.] Hon members, we want to conclude ... [Interjections.]
Afrikaans:
Wat, meneer? Baie dankie vir die moeite. [What, sir? Thank you very much for the trouble.]
English:
In conclusion, we appreciate the role of this department. At the heart of the unity of our people, the cohesion of our people, the interlocution of our cultures stands this department. Hon member Lulu Xingwana, you have been tasked to be the engine that brings the people of South Africa together, and we as the portfolio committee are the petrol that will make that engine run and run correctly and appropriately. [Applause.]
Ms A LOTRIET / VM (Eng)/Mia (Afr)/ TM(Venda) / END OF TAKE
Mr T S FARISANI
Ms A LOTRIET: Chairperson, Arts and Culture is an extremely important Vote as it is clearly stated that the aim of the department is to develop and preserve South African arts and culture and, importantly, to ensure social cohesion and nation-building. This responsibility is not to be taken lightly as it has an effect on all of our lives and the extent to which we can optimally function in our multilingual and multicultural society.
It is, therefore, with great concern that the DA notes that the department, once again, received a qualified report from the Auditor-General. Worrying in this regard is the fact that no sufficient appropriate audit evidence could be provided to substantiate the amount of R49,6 million relating to subsistence and travel expenditure.
There is a possible irregular expenditure to the amount of R54,5 million due to a proper tender process that may not have been followed and payments that were not approved in line with the approved delegation of authority. Of concern, also, is the fact that the department has materially underspent the budget on Programme 2: Arts and Culture in Society, and on Programme 6: National Archives, Records, Libraries and Heraldic Services, in the amount of R21,9 million.
The noncompliance with the applicable legislation is not acceptable, and here I refer to noncompliance with the Public Finance Management Act regarding the safeguarding and maintenance of assets, Treasury regulations and Cultural Institutions Act.
It is indeed worrying that the Auditor-General reported that the prior year's external audit recommendations as well as Scopa resolutions have not been substantially implemented. We trust that these matters will be given the urgent attention they demand.
We are, however, encouraged to see the emphasis on libraries with the expansion of community library services being the primary focus of Programme 6. The availability and access of libraries are an absolute prerequisite for inculcating a culture of reading amongst young and old, and it is also a fundamental right to have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual activity and to express one's thoughts in public, as is stated in article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
However, providing library facilities will, by itself, not foster a culture of learning and reading. People will have to want to go to libraries and value them for what they are able to offer. It was therefore encouraging to hear in the portfolio committee meeting that these libraries will also be multipurpose centres in communities, and I also have to congratulate the hon Minister on mentioning the prospect of forming book clubs. We view this as a positive initiative. One will, however, have to ensure that the other functions provided at the libraries do not overshadow the main purpose of the library.
It is also important that the effort to develop and provide reading material in our indigenous languages continues and broadens, as language is one of the crucial elements in the effort to ensure social cohesion and nation-building and to develop arts and culture.
Language permeates all spheres not only of arts and culture, but also, for example, of education, communication, social development, justice, tourism, labour. Unfortunately, we often tend to view multilingualism as a problem and a burden instead of an asset. We cannot profess to be multicultural and plan to promote multiculturalism without promoting and practising multilingualism. You cannot have culture without language.
It is, therefore, disappointing to note that Programme 3: National Language Service has again received the lowest budget allocation. Even at the portfolio committee meeting it was mentioned that the language issue is a matter of concern and that much has to be done to improve the status and use of all our official languages, but it seems as if this concern is not translated into the budget allocations.
The National Language Service is tasked with aspects such as terminology co-ordination, which is fundamental to the development of our languages, translation and editing, language planning and human language technologies. The latter is instrumental in the innovative application of modern technology in the country's communication environment.
Much emphasis has been placed on job creation in terms of the crafts sector, but it also has to be recognised that the language industry has major potential financial benefits and employment opportunities that can be explored in all sectors of our society.
A key issue here is to encourage the public and private sectors to actively promote the use of, and respect for, all South Africa's official languages. This is especially of importance in the public sector where access to services, to a large extent, depends of linguistic access. In this regard, I have to mention that I have not really heard any mention made of South African sign language where there are more than 500 000 people dependent on the use of sign language in our country.
It is a pity that we do not yet have legislation regarding the language industry itself. I trust that the envisaged South African Language Practitioners' Council Bill will be tabled sooner than later, as this Bill's first draft dates back to 1999.
We would also want to urge the Minister to revisit the South African Languages Bill even if, as has been mentioned in the portfolio committee meeting, it is a complex matter.
It has to be realised that the official favouring of a certain language or languages over others for the purpose of communication between government and citizens can lead to a perception that some languages are more important than others. This may create a sense of alienation and does not work in favour of national unity and social cohesion as these will only become rhetorical concepts, devoid of any substance and in time we shall face the real danger of losing one of our precious assets, our indigenous languages.
I want to close with the following: For every language that becomes extinct, an image of man disappears. Thank you. [Applause.]
Mr P NTSHIQELA / ag / END OF TAKE
Ms A LOTRIET
IsiXhosa:
Mnu P NTSHIQELA: Ntshiqela. Intshiqela yile nto ishiyekayo phay'ezantsi xa usela ikofu, hayi iti. Ndiyiloo nto ke nje ngokuba ndilapha nje; yintshiqela loo nto.
Mandithathe le nxaxheba yokuba ndime kule Ndlu yePalamente, ndibulele okokuqala uMphathiswa wezobuGcisa neNkcubeko ngentetho ayenzileyo ekuseni namhlanje.
Zimbalwa kakhulu izinto endizakuthetha ngazo, ndaye ndizakuthetha ngazo nje zizinto iCOPE eziphetheyo. Okokuba ngaba abantu bazakuthi behleli emkhukhwini ukuze bathi besaqhubeka nendlela yokuzoba izinto zemicimbi enento yokwenza nezinto zokukhumbula izinto zakuqala njenge kamva labo, ukuze bathi aba bantwana bezibandakanya ezintweni ezinjenge miculo nemidlalo njenge mfundo nendlela yokuzonwabisa elizweni ukuze kuthi njengo mzekelo wento eyenzeke eThekwini kule veki iphelileyo, kuvutha imikhukhu engaphaya kwekhulu, apho kutshe ezo zinto bebeceba ukuzenza ukuze nabo babenempumelelo. Loo nto ibonisa ukuba kuse kude ukuze baxhamle inkululeko efunyenwe ngabo bambalwa.
Ndizakuthetha ndingoyiki ukuba enyanisweni, loo nto yokutsha kwaloo mikhukhu ibonisa ukuba urhulumente okhoyo akabanga nalo ithuba lokuncedisa ukuhambisa iinkonzo kwangexesha kubantu abanjalo, abagcumayo abanye esibhedlele kungoku, kungekabikho noncedo olukhoyo.
Naba abantu phaya ezilalini benabantwana, ingathi ngumdlalo xa bethi besolusa iinkomo neegusha ze bona babumbe iinkomo zomdongwe, ayingomdlalo lowo. Kodwa loo nto yinto ekhokhelela ekubeni ukuze baqonde kakuhle ukwakhiwa kwekamva eliqaqambileyo lexesha elizayo. Laa nto yinto efuna ukucaciswa ukuba okokuba ngaba uhlahlo lwabiwo mali olubekwayo apha kule Ndlu ayizami ukuthi incedisane nezinto zokuphuhlisa loo mizamo kwabo bantu, ayisiyo nto loo nto kuluntu oluninzi.
Uhlahlo lwabiwo mali olukhoyo luncedisa abantu abalapha nabantu abahleli ezindaweni eziphucukileyo. [Wele-wele.] Mandiyithethe ngokucacileyo into yokokuba uhlahlo lwabiwo mali olu lumelwe ukuba, yinto ke endingayivanga leyo, incedise aba bantu bazicebelayo ukwakha imiculo nezinto apho bengakwazi nokubhalisa izinto ezo, engekhe eli sebe likwazi ukubancedisa kuba bengabhalisanga. Ndiyabulela. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Ms H S MSWELI / END OF TAKE
Mr P NTSHIQELA
Ms H S MSWELI: Hon Deputy Chairperson and hon members, the Department of Arts and Culture aims to develop and preserve South African arts and culture to ensure social cohesion and nation-building. The allocation to this department has increased from R2,16 billion in 2008-09 to R2,62 billion in 2009-10. It is important that these funds are spent wisely during this difficult economic period. So, wasteful spending and underspending must not be tolerated.
South Africa is blessed with a rich and diverse cultural heritage and this is one of the defining features of our nation. It is important that these different cultures and traditions are not forgotten. They must not be preserved and confined only to museums and festivals, but also kept alive and continue to be a part of our lives.
With the 2010 World Cup, the rest of the world will be focused on South Africa, so this is the ideal opportunity for us to showcase our uniquely South African identity. There must also be a great effort to support and promote South African arts and cultural activities in all areas of our country, especially in the rural and underprivileged areas. This can have a positive social effect on the communities in these areas.
We have just celebrated Youth Day, but our youth still have so many challenges and obstacles to overcome. I believe that arts and culture can have a positive effect on the lives of the youth, but the biggest challenge is ensuring that they have access to facilities and organisations that promote these activities. The IFP supports this Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr S Z NTAPANE / END OF TAKE
Ms H S MSWELI
Mr S Z NTAPANE: Deputy Chair, hon members and our honourable guests, a nation is not merely defined by its geographical borders, but also by the manner in which it defines itself in terms of arts and culture.
India, America, France and Egypt are not merely physical places; they are cultural and artistic entities. In this way, arts and culture are integral to nation-building. It is important for government to play an enabling role to ensure that South African arts and culture flourish.
Because we have so many other pressing socioeconomic challenges, this Budget Vote gets only a small slice of the overall national budget. That is why we must learn from other nations about the seed financing, tax incentives and other measures they take to stimulate the artistic and cultural sectors. Whether it is the incentive provided for Canadian television, French film or Egyptian preservation and recovery of their heritage, there are many examples of nations that we could emulate.
Our own cultures, languages and heritage do not get the attention they deserve. Our indigenous languages are under increasing threat from extinction, with a seminal heritage site such as the Robben Island Museum is in a financial and management mess. The public broadcaster, which should play a vital role in supporting and promoting local arts and culture, is in trouble.
The result is that significant parts of the local artistic sector are not being paid the money due to them and face financial ruin. One realises that many of these issues cut across line functions, but this is exactly where the department and Minister must movebefore many things ... The UDM supports this budget. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Ms F C BIKANI /UNH//ed(NP) / END OF TAKE
Mr S Z NTAPANE
Ms F C BIKANI: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, senior government officials, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, in the Medium-Term Strategic Framework for April 2009 to March 2012, the Minister stated that:
... our predecessors, Minister Pallo Jordan and Deputy Minister Ntombazana Botha, the first political principals of the Department of Arts and Culture, have gone far in leading the department in the right direction. I now build on this firm foundation. I would like to acknowledge their leadership in the last five years. My colleague the Deputy Minister Paul Mashatile and I would like to carry the baton forward with the mandate of the people of South Africa.
Likewise, the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture is here to realise such a dream, in co-ordination with the said department, by further developing and preserving South African culture to ensure social cohesion and nation-building.
Of interest is the need to improve our support to all our staff in the administrative sector of departments. We need to make efforts continually to improve their lives as fellow South Africans and to assist holistically in keeping up their morale in the work environment.
The Department of Arts and Culture has a high vacancy rate. There are too many administrators acting in senior positions. These positions, which are part of the organogram and with budget allocations, are meant to be in place, so why is there a delay in filling these vacancies? This is one of the key strategic objectives and it is hoped that it will be implemented and resolved in the next six months in an effort to ensure continuity and improved service delivery.
The department also needs to greatly improve skills as part of human resource development to ensure that there is less staff turnover. A skills audit should be made a priority in efforts to identify relevant skills training for employees, especially in areas of scarce skills in the department.
If ever there is a bursary system, it should be well advocated in terms of scarce skills and opportunity should be given to internal employees. As the saying goes, one is never too old to learn, and foremost of all, therefore, a learned nation can only ensure improved continuity, effective and efficient service delivery. Most important of all, our own economic status will eventually improve. Much more on the Batho Pele principles can also be realised.
Part of our commitment is related to an already stated and emphasised speech by the hon Pam Tshwete, who served on the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture in the Third Parliament, on matters of renaming and naming of geographical and historical places. I wish to quote her as follows:
On the matter of the renaming and naming of geographical and historical places, we, as South Africans, are supposed to look at this process as part of transformation and reconciliation in our country. We, the democratic South African Parliament have approved the South African Geographical Names Council Act of 1998 to give effect to the name changes.
This, therefore, further emphasises the need for the present Parliament to speed up the process and start to make this a reality of appreciation and commemoration of the so important losses of our people in the past struggle. This history needs to be upheld unapologetically, for even our next generations to come.
Renaming of streets was recently emphasised in a march by Free State women from the Progressive Women's Movement on 16 April this year in Bloemfontein; reminding government that we do not see much happening in this area of work. A peaceful march was staged to hand over a memorandum of demand to the SA Geographical Committee, the Mayor of Mangaung Local Municipality and the then MEC for sport arts and culture, requesting a speedy process for renaming of streets such as Maitland Street and other streets to icons of the past struggle such as Lillian Ngoyi and Charlotte Maxeke. Of course, there are many more.
I wish the House to note further the fact that in efforts to correct such tasks, women also wish to see more statues than the already exaggerated number of male statutes we see in the various historical buildings in the country. Many stalwarts and veterans of the struggle are women, and I wish the House to note further that the majority of voters in South Africa are women. Let the country, the government and the department please honour them. [Applause.]
The talent of self-employed South Africans is vast. They contribute and continually make efforts to show their skills through African craft work, which is so often taken for granted by our own South African community.
Out of love, in trying to portray their talent, beautiful craft work is made by men and women who earn a living from pottery, bead work, clothing design and other craft work. They are even often seen in our most remote side of our country standing near national roads, at bazaar stands, at various beach fronts and even at hawker stations trying to sell their goods. International businesspeople and tourists buy these craft works at next to nothing. These pieces are taken back to the external world, such as America and European countries, to mostly bourgeois places economically and sold at exorbitant prices. Some people are even known to have become millionaires from these craft works, but the South African manufacturer and producer continues to live from hand to mouth and even possibly dies a pauper. This is also very evident in the music industry where most musicians die not owning a penny and never having enjoyed their own fruits.
The message I wish to stress and put across is that we need to develop stringent strategies that protect our highly self-skilled and self-employed businesspeople by truly developing and applying policies and legislation that are seen to assist economically. Most important of all, our reality of job creation and poverty alleviation goals will be met.
The purpose of the national archives, records, libraries and heraldic services programme in Arts and Culture is to facilitate full and open access and information resources in South Africa.
According to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, the national anthem is determined by the President by proclamation. Yes, that proclamation was done. So why do we still see the anthem being incorrectly sung and compromised at not only national events but international events as well? We, as the custodians, need to act swiftly in correcting such carelessness to prevent further distortion. With the already ongoing advocacy and accompanying South African flags, should be bookmarks or, where possible, pamphlets that portray and print the national anthem in its correct version and that are supplied to all schools.
Furthermore, with an exemplary booklet, developed by Professor E Slabbert and Mrs L du Plessis from the University of the North West, already in distribution at our airports by the Department of Environment and Tourism, a similar booklet, which is this one, can be produced and we can ensure that it reaches all South African schools. Such a book should also be made available in South African languages as even the person in the most remote part of the country will feel appreciation to be in possession of such a piece of work.
This should not be of importance to tourists only but also to our own fellow countrymen and women, of course, proving that charity begins at home. What is interesting about this little booklet is the detailed pages on the national anthem and the rest of the seven national symbols.
This then makes us realise the necessity of this department in improving the availability of libraries in rural areas in order to encourage reading, and we also note with great appreciation what the Minister has already indicated.
Braille production in libraries is still not yet effectively and properly co-ordinated. The SA Library for the Blind in Grahamstown produces Braille and audio books for the blind mainly in English, Afrikaans and IsiXhosa.
In Johannesburg, the Blind of SA, a nongovernmental organisation receiving a subsidy from the Department of Arts and Culture, produces Braille at a fee in all 11 languages. The efforts are there, but of concern is the fact that this body is not declared a cultural institution. The Minister can influence its policies on the membership of its board in the province. Attention is therefore needed in improving co-ordination of these policies. I thank you. [Applause.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M N Oliphant): Thank you, hon member. I now call the hon Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture. Firstly, I would like to apologise for the error made. Over to you, Minister.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE / ARM / END OF TAKE
Ms F C BIKANI
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE: Hon Chairperson, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, distinguished guests, hon members of the House, and ladies and gentlemen, ndi matsheloni [Good morning.]. In his state of the nation address, President Zuma called on each and every one of us to help in build a more cohesive society. The arts, culture and heritage sector makes a significant contribution to social regeneration, unity and reconciliation. As we transform our country, we need to ensure that we inculcate the spirit of solidarity and a caring society.
The Department of Arts and Culture is tasked with leading and co-ordinating efforts to promote national identity and social cohesion. We have identified the popularisation of national symbols, national days and the standardisation of geographical names in South Africa as pillars of our strategy to foster national identity.
Our Bureau of Heraldry is also involved through its campaigns on the popularisation of national symbols and the "Flag in every school" project to promote a shared value system and engender a greater sense of nationhood. In this regard, we will produce publications which include pictorial posters, information charts, booklets and brochures that will be distributed in all our provinces.
We also intend to do the following as we intensify our campaign: conduct 28 workshops on national symbols in collaboration with the Department of Education; and install flags in all schools across the country, and, as we do so, we will also take the opportunity to make sure that our youth understand and are taught to sing our national anthem properly. [Applause.]
We will also ensure, as the hon Bikani was saying, that even Fifa gets the message very clearly to ensure that the anthem is sung properly in all events. [Applause.] We would also like to declare April as the flag month and intensify our activities with effect from next year, because it is in April that we celebrate our Freedom Day.
Our department continues to promote oral history as part of our efforts to ensure that our heritage landscape is, indeed, reflective of our national memory and contributes to nation-building and identity. We will promote oral history, especially among marginalised communities whose heritage and history have been ignored for many years. Later this year we will host the Annual Oral History Conference in Cape Town to ensure that we preserve the rich heritage of our nation for prosperity.
The ANC-led government is committed to the principle of universal access to the arts, as stated in our Constitution. We have created community arts centres to improve participation in the arts. This year we will establish cultural centres of excellence, one in each province, which will then serve as flagships for the rest of that province.
The centres will ensure the implementation of quality arts programmes. We will support the promotion of peoples' arts in community arts centres through encouraging local theatre groups, music groups, local cultural forms of expression and other creative work. Training in the management of arts centres will be provided to ensure effective programming within the arts centres.
The department is mindful of the fact that we will not achieve our objective of access to the arts if we turn a blind eye to the plight of marginalised members of our society. One of our associate institutions, the SA Library for the Blind, has partnered with Braille SA to host a national Braille essay-writing competition. All entries will be published in a Braille book to raise awareness about Braille and to stimulate an interest in writing South African stories in Braille.
We believe that this is an important step in our collective effort to ensure that the doors of learning and culture are opened to all. We will continue to support the Library for the Blind in its planning of the launch of tactile picture books for the preschool blind children later this year. [Applause.]
This initiative will help to develop skills and also create jobs for unemployed women. In this financial year we will introduce a mobile unit, which will be used to identify talent amongst people with disabilities and empower disabled artists and community productions. [Applause.] This is a partnership between our department and the Southern African Disabled Musicians Association.
Throughout the centuries of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid, choral music played an important role in the lives of our people. To date, choral music continues to be one of our main forms of cultural expression. Every community has some form of a choir, and we regard this art form as very participatory in nature because it is practised by both the youngest and oldest of our societies. It can thus be used to promote social values and contribute to the promotion of ubuntu in South Africa.
Our department intends to develop the choral music sector through a focused policy to support and govern its growth. This policy will be underpinned by a strategy and an implementation plan to ensure delivery. We will conduct nationwide consultations with the sector to ensure that the policy framework represents the aspirations of our people, the practitioners and the practitioners of choral music. This process will culminate in a national conference to finalise and adopt a policy framework. I'm happy to announce that we will establish national youth and adult choirs that will be truly representative of our people and will thus enjoy government support. Full details of the implementation plan will be released in due course.
The department has introduced an internship programme to ensure that we increase capacity in the administration and management of our sector. We recognise that the management of our sector requires special skills, and we therefore use the internship programme to attract young people to take tertiary studies related to our work.
The department has created 110 job opportunities for unemployed arts practitioners in five provinces, namely Gauteng, the Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, through the "Artists in Schools" project. A further 33 jobs were created through the "Support of the Jazz for Juniors" project, chronicling the history of the struggle for liberation in South Africa through jazz music.
Part of the Department of Arts and Culture's mandate is to develop and promote our official languages. Through language planning and carefully designed language programmes we seek to influence the outcome of present-day social processes in practical ways. For example, as part of our strategy to strengthen and promote social cohesion through multilingualism, we have embarked on the development of human language technology applications that will ensure redress for the previously marginalised indigenous languages. Projects such as this will connect South Africans, equipped with nothing but a normal telephone, to government information and services regardless of their level of literacy and location.
Our Constitution provides for the principle of linguistic self-determinism, albeit within limits. This choice is not only viable but also desirable for language-planning decision-making because it promotes social equity, a crucial element for nation-building and social cohesion.
Creative industries make significant contributions to job creation and economic development. South Africa, notwithstanding its rich history of beading, does not produce beads but imports them from countries like India, Taiwan and the Czech Republic. The department is currently working with our embassy in the Czech Republic and factories in that country towards identifying possible partnerships for accessing both the technology and skills to enhance South Africa's capacity to ensure that we also produce beads. [Applause.]
The department has identified the crafts industry as a strategic sector that will make key interventions in the economic upliftment of our people. The crafts industry has the potential to create meaningful jobs, and the department has begun to consolidate the marketing and the distribution of South African products to international markets such as Art Mundi in Brazil.
This year the department established the annual National Craft Awards at which no fewer than 60 crafters across the nine provinces were awarded prizes and recognition for their contribution for craft development.
The music industry is a key growth sector for the development of small to medium enterprises. The department has bought the Downtown Studios from Avusa media. The vision is to develop the studios into a music heritage centre for local content. The hub will be central towards supporting independent music creators and producers.
We will continue to host the annual Moshito Conference and Exhibition, which has become the key African continent music exhibition and marketing point.
South Africa will continue to participate in the Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale – Midem - the most prestigious music trade show in the world. Midem is held annually in France and attracts in excess of 10 000 music business practitioners who showcase their products. The aim of our participation is to market and promote South African music abroad and learn from our peers so that we can be globally competitive.
South Africa has been given the status of "Country of Honour" at Midem next year. This means that we will be given the opportunity to do full marketing and promoting of South African music through live events, publicity, exclusive branding, and thus providing undivided attention from top executives in music business across the world.
On 3 July, the Minister and I will meet representatives from the music sector to discuss how we can work together to improve the viability of the industry. Our musicians do a lot, but every year we hear about musicians who die destitute, some every buried as paupers. We want to make sure that that does not continue to happen. [Applause.]
Our department has identified the technical services and events industry as an important element of economic empowerment and job creation. The 2010 Fifa World Cup is an event which will create huge job opportunities for technicians and creative producers. The department has just completed a major investigation into and consultation with the sector to reposition and transform this key industry, especially in terms of creating job opportunities and BBBEE for youth and women.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M N Oliphant): Hon Minister, you have a minute left.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE: Thank you very much, hon Chair. Let me therefore conclude by saying that we believe that this budget will go a long way towards ensuring access to the arts, create a caring nation and inculcate a spirit of unity among all our people including those in rural areas. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Ms D VAN DER WALT / END OF TAKE
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE
Ms D VAN DER WALT: Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Minister, staff from the Department of Arts and Culture and colleagues, the DA envisions a South Africa in which all citizens treasure their South African identity and feel part of one cohesive nation. At the same time, they feel free to shape their individual identities in terms of culture, language and religion.
Finding ways to forge a national identity, given our fragmented past of colonialism and apartheid, has always been central to the success of the new South Africa. When every citizen feels ardently South African, we will function as a productive, collaborative, caring nation of people who support each other and work together.
At the same time, this common identity is forged from a multitude of different cultures. Because every South African is a unique collection of identities, not simply a representative of a racial, linguistic, religious or cultural group, it is imperative that we promote and protect the right to individual expression. The DA champions the causes of diversity and pluralism, as these add to the diverse intangible wealth of our country. A sense of identity cannot be imposed on citizens. It will not simply emerge overnight. Rather, we must put policies in place that will lay the foundations for the development of a strong, united South African nation in the future.
The DA has located seven key areas on which to focus its efforts with regard to promoting the growth of an inclusive national identity, and they are education, media, the arts, heritage, language, public participation and the nurturing of diversity. The development and implementation of effective policies in these areas specifically will contribute to the growth of a unified nation, united in diversity around a shared South African identity.
With regard to the nurturing of diversity, Minister, let's look at public holidays and national awards belonging to all. A country's public holidays and national awards are meant to reflect its achievements and heritage, but currently South Africa's public holidays are largely political events that make no contribution to building a common sense of national identity. [Interjections.]
While it is positive to laud South Africa's peaceful transition following apartheid, the intended effect of these holidays should be to unite us and not divide us. The focus of our country's public holidays should shift from commemorating past events to celebrating South Africa's past, present and future.
The DA believes that public holidays should celebrate our achievements as a composite nation, not simply those of a select group or groups. We should support the establishment of a South Africa Day, a national holiday like those in many other countries around the world. The purpose of the day will be to celebrate all things South African and encourage national pride in all citizens, irrespective of their background.
With regard to heritage, if South Africa is to become a home for all its citizens, the heritage of all who have contributed to its development needs to be acknowledged. That means that the heritage of each South African is the heritage of the whole country. The DA recognises four categories of heritage sites: monuments, museums, archives and place names. Monuments have the ability to bring past events into our present experience, serving as a link between our history and contemporary times. They can acknowledge the contribution of different South African individuals and groups and commemorate significant events, uniting citizens as they remind us of the turbulent past we have weathered and our accomplishments as a nation.
In providing our people with material evidence of their history and their environment, South African museums can play a vital role in the expression of our country's complex history. And, Minister, you know by now that I have a passion for the Robben Island Museum, and may I say on this point that you should give South Africans the guarantee that you will fix whatever is broken at the Robben Island Museum. May I quote from Mr Mandela when he spoke on Heritage Day in 1997, when he said, "The island, a place of pain and banishment for centuries and now of triumph ..." - without question the harshest, most iron-fisted outpost in the South African penal system - "a symbol of the victory of the human spirit over political oppression and of reconciliation over enforced division." The island has become a monument of the struggle for democracy, part of a heritage that will always inspire our children and our friends from other lands. Therefore you have to fix it.
The records and documents housed in South Africa's archives have the power to teach us about our history and identities. The preservation of and access to public records is of critical importance in the building of democracy as archives function as enablers of continuity, consistency and effectiveness in human action. The names given to South Africa's streets, buildings and natural features should affirm and reflect our heritage and identities. A legacy of apartheid is that some place names are offensive and demeaning to those who suffered as a result of the oppressive system. But also vitally important is that people and events in our history have been ignored.
The possibility exists that these heritage sites will do more harm than good if they are poorly managed and if they are misused for political or ideological purposes. Allowing them to become rundown will lead to a devastating loss of knowledge and information about our heritage. Imposing a specific doctrine will result in their becoming little more than propaganda tools. The DA believes that the proper management of these sites is essential to the positive development of South Africans' national identity.
Afrikaans:
Ter afsluiting, as 'n ware nasie, kan Suid-Afrikaners nie weer by 'n geleentheid soos by die opening van die Konfederasiebeker-sokkertoernooi gesien word waar ons saamstaan en die Suid-Afrikaners teenwoordig nie eers die woorde van ons eie volkslied ken nie. U, as die beskermheer van ons nasionale simbole, behoort u ten sterkste uit te spreek teen Fifa en andere wat vir ons land, asook ander lande, kom vertel dat ons ons nasionale volkslied moet verkort. Dit is onaanvaarbaar en dit bou nie 'n nasie nie. Ek dank u. [Applous.]
Ms T J TSHIVHASE / NP(Afr/Eng) / END OF TAKE
Ms D VAN DER WALT
Tshivenda:
Mufumakadzi T J TSHIVHASE: Mudzulatshidulo, Vho Minisita vhothe vhare hone fhano, vhueni vhure ntha ngei galarini, na vhathu vhothe, ndi khou livhuwa tshifhinga tshe nda fhiwa tsha uri ndi ambe. U tshi thetshelesa mahoro-makangi, zwi a nga u kanganyisea zwituku, zwihulwane musi ro thetshelesa vhathu vhane vha nga sa Vho Lotriet vha DA, musi vha tshi khou amba nga ha mafhungo a dzikhakhathi na thuthuwedzo ya luambo. Vha tou nga vho hangwa zwauri ndi ngani ho vha na dzikhakhathi. Ayo o vha a tshi tou vha mafhungo a luambo, ngauri vho vha vha tshi khou lwela uri vha si kombetshedziwe u amba luambo luthihi, lwa tshivhuru, ngauri vho vha vha tshi gudusiwa na zwauri: hy lieg soos 'n koerant. [U vhanda zwanda.]
Ri na vhala vha Cope nga fhala. Vha tou nga vho tou nangelwa uri vha tavhe mukosi hu si na mafhungo ane vha khou amba one. Vhone vho vhonesa mikhukhu, vha si vhona mvelaphanda ine ya khou itiwa nga lihoro line la khou vhusa zwino. Vho Van der Walt na vhone vha na thaidzo ya uri madzina a dziholodei na zwothe zwine zwa khou bvelela zwi tou u nga zwi khou itiwa ho sedziwa vhathu vhathihi fhedzi. Na vhone vha tou nga vha na khangwa dza uri kha wonoyu nwedzi une ra vha khawo wa Fulwi, ri khou pembelela Fulwi 16, he ha itea zwimangadzo na u vhaisala ha vhana vhashu vho faho. Vhanwe na namusi a vha athu u wanala. [U vhanda zwanda.]
Ri tshi da kha madzina enea ane vha khou vhilahela ngao, vha tshi ri a khou sokou riniwa, ngeno manwe a hone a saathu u thuthiwa, manwe ao o nwalwa a tshi khou sumbedza u nyadza vhathu vharema. Tsumbo, Swartgat n.z. ndi u semana hezwo zwithu nga luambo lwa hashu. Hayo ndi matamba nahone vha a litshe ngauri ha ambiwi.
NDR, National Democratic Revolution, ndi maitele a u lwa na tshitalula a no toda u shandukisa kutshilele kwa lushaka, demokirasi na maitele a u kovhekana lupfumo. Afurika Tshipembe lo dala u sa lingana ha zwitshavha lune phambano dza tou vhonala kha matshilisano na ikonomi. Kha ikonomi ndi hone hune vha hana u pfa tshikha. ANC i dzulela u vha na tshipikwa tsha u fhata lushaka luswa lune u fhambana halwo zwa ri vhofhekanya ra vha nanda nthihi.
Freedom Charter na yone yo zwi amba zwauri lupfumo lwothe kha lu bvelele lu ye vhathuni, u itela u netshedza dzibugu, mihumbulo na vhukwamani na manwe mashango. Tshipikwa tsha pfunzo ndi tsha uri i fanela u newa vhaswa vhashu uri vha kone u divha vhathu na mvelele yavho. Nga fhasi ha khethekano na tshitalula, mvelele ya vhunzhi ha Maafurika Tshipembe yo dzhielwa fhasi, ya vilinganyiwa na u nyadziwa. Nga zwenezwo NDR i khou toda u khwathisedza zwauri Maafurika Tshipembe vha farwe nga ndila i fanaho nahone mvelele dzavho dzi wane khuliso nga ndila yo teaho, i re khagala.
Sa ndila ya u fhata vhuthihi, nga guvhangano la vhu 52, ANC yo bvisela khagala maipfi a tevhelaho:
Zwauri muvhuso u fanela u tanganyisa maitele a vhuthu kha mbekanyamaitele ya tshitshavha hu u itela u khakhulula u tanganana na u sa lingana nga vhudalo, hu si fhethu hashu ha vhufa fhedzi, na kha matshilisano, ikonomi na vhushaka ha zwa ndowetshumo; na u bveledza mbekanyamaitele ine ya bvisela khagala maitele a ANC kha u nea hafhu madzina a vhupo u fana na zwitarata, dzidorobo na zwiimiswa zwa tshitshavha.
Vhutsila, mvelele na vhufa zwi na mushumo muhulwane wa u vusuludza matshilisano, vhuthihi na vhupfumedzani. Naho ho vha na maga a u fhata vhuthihi vhukati ha zwigwada zwo fhambanaho zwa shango lashu, nga ndila nnzhi zwitshavha zwi kha di vha zwo fhandekana. Zwi tou vha khagala uri hu tshe na khanedzano maelana na vhubvo, luambo, na zwigwada zwa matshilisano. ANC i na mbekanyamaitele ya mvelele ine ya kha di vha na zwine ya khou tea u zwi khwathisa u itela u tutuwedza lupfumo na mihumbulo yo fhambanaho ya mvelele ya Afurika Tshipembe.
Vhathu vhothe vha fanela u fulufhedziswa pfanelo dza u tevhedza mvelelo dzavho, luambo, zwi ne vha tenda khazwo na mikhwa, mbofholowo ya vhukoni hu si na u khakhiswa, na mbofholowo ya u bvisela vhupfiwa khagala zwi fanela u fulufhedziswa. Muphuresidende washu Vho Jacob Zuma, vho tahisa mbilaelo dzavho kha la uri Maafurika Tshipembe a vhaathu u vhona nyaluwo khulwane lwo edanaho kha sekhithara dza ndeme, zwihuluhulu kha zwa vhubveledzi na u kovhana mbuelo dza nyaluwo nga ndila ya u sika mishumo. Mishumo yavhudi i khou tea u sikiwa. A huna inwe ndila.
Vhutsila na mvelele zwi nga thusa kha u sika zwikhala zwa mishumo, na u tana Afurika Tshipembe sa fhethu hu tamisaho kha vhaendela-mashango, ha dovha ha khodiwa nga dzitshaka. Muphuresidende vho amba nga ha mushumo wa muhasho uno kha u swikelela dzitshaka na kha tshumisano na manwe mashango. Afurika Tshipembe lo swikela thendelano na Mali kha u vhulungwa ha manwalo a vhufa a kale a Timbuktu.
Zwo ambiwa u ri vhufa uvhu ho pfumaho vhu do sumba Afurika sa vhubvo ha saintsi, manwalwa, filosofi na zwa vhubindudzi, zwe zwa khakhiswa nga u rengiselana dziphuli. Ro vha ri tshi tou vha dziphuli dzavho. Hezwila musi vhathu vha tshi khou fhana dziphuli, vho ri khakhisela zwithu ra sa tsha wana zwithu zwashu. Hezwi zwithu zwo vha zwi tshi dzumbiwa ri sa vhuyi ra zwi vhudziwa. Kuvhonele hoku ndi kwone mutheo wa mbekanyamaitele ya muhasho. Hoyu muhasho, wo tou diimisela zwauri ri songo tsha dovha ra dzumbelwa divhazwakale na vhubvo hashu, ra sokou vhudzwa upfi a ri na vhukoni na ndivho. Hezwo zwithu zwo fhela nahone zwo swika magumoni.
Muhasho wa zwa Vhutsila na Mvelele u khou ri vhudza zwauri hu na zwe wa ita zwone kha hei mbekanyamushumo ya vhuvhili ine ya vha ya vhutsila na mvelele lushakani. Wo isa masheleni kha Cape Town International Jazz Festival na Standard Bank Joy of Jazz. Mbekanyamushumo ya vhuvhili i na mbekanyamushumo dzayo mbili dzine dza vha u tutuwedzwa ha mvelele na vhutsila Afurika Tshipembe na Khantsele ya vhutsila ya lushaka. Hafho fhethu hothe, ndi hune tshelede dza khou ya hone.
English:
Most of the funds allocated to this programme are absorbed by transfers and subsidies to provinces.
Tshivenda:
Hezwo zwithu zwothe zwi ri sumbedza uri ndi ngoho Muhasho washu u na zwine wa khou ita zwone. Manwe o no di ambiwa zwauri ...
English:
Under this programme, additional allocations were made for projects related to the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Tshivenda:
Hezwi zwithu vhare hangei bvungwi a vha zwi vhoni.
English:
However, the details of the allocations towards the projects related to the Fifa World Cup are unclear, Minister. They are really unclear. In its 2000-09 and 2010-11 strategic plan, the department reported that the funds allocated included preparation for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Fifa World Cup and that the funding for these projects would end in 2010.
The National Language Service consists of two subprogrammes, which are the National Language Service and the Pan-South African Language Board. They both focus on the development of South African languages; facilitating, accrediting the language profession and capacity-building through language bursaries. The department has indicated that it has awarded 90 bursaries to postgraduates and undergraduates in 2008. [Interjections.]
Tshivenda:
Zwithu zwine vhoiwe musi no dzula hafha, a ni vhuyi na vuwa no zwi ita.
English:
Expenditure growth in the medium term on the National Language Service is predicted to be 1,3% annually.
Tshivenda:
Zwenezwo zwi ri sumbedza zwauri hu na nyaluwo zwituku. ANC i khou tikedza hei Budget Vote, nahone ri khou zwi vhona zwauri hu na mvelaphanda.
English:
At least we can see where we are going. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE /TM / END OF TAKE
Ms T J TSHIVHASE
The MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE: Hon Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and hon members, first of all I want to thank hon members for their valuable contributions to this Budget Vote debate. We have noted many of their useful inputs and we will also take forward some of the concerns raised.
I want to agree with the chair of the portfolio committee that, indeed, through the arts and culture programme, we can take our children off the streets. There are a number of youth programmes – we have a special unit that focuses on youth. We have a special unit that focuses on children. Just a few weeks ago, in preparation for Africa Day, we held a very big project in which 400 children from different schools met at the Union Buildings and played soccer. They also put together a map of Africa in the form of a jigsaw puzzle, reflecting all the stadia and the countries of Africa. These are some of the areas in which we are involving our children, not only in the creative arts, but also in teaching them how to paint and how to play and work together socially.
We are also concerned about the rural areas, and, as you have heard, most of our programmes actually focus on our rural areas. I agree with the chairperson that traditional leaders have an important role to play in culture and traditions in our country. In this regard, we shall be working very closely with the House of Traditional Leaders and community leaders to ensure that we take them on board and that they assist us in rolling out our programmes.
The member from the DA, the hon Lotriet, raised a number of concerns around the Auditor-General's report. There are investigations that are going on in the department, and one of our senior managers has been suspended regarding some of these transgressions.
We are also working with the provinces around the slow spending of municipal budgets in the provinces. We shall be dealing with this matter in our Minmec with provinces. We are also getting special technical support to ensure that issues of procurement and tenders are properly addressed. We will be correcting problems in this area.
I did mention the fact that we have a special focus on the building of libraries, particularly community libraries, as well as on the maintenance of our museums and other national assets. I agree with the member that indeed we are concerned about some of our languages that are dying, isiNdebele in particular. We are looking into this issue as a matter of great urgency. The unit that is dealing with languages is focusing particularly on this area.
The hon member Ntshiqela from Cope talked about issues concerning people in the informal settlements. We shall pass the concern to the relevant department.
Concerning this Vote, we agree with him that ...
IsiXhosa:
... abantwana bethu masibafundise ukusebenza ngomdongwe kuba kaloku xa sele bekhulile baya kuba naso isakhono sokuba ngabazobi, oko kukuthi ngamagcisa. Loo nto iya kusinceda kulaa nto ibithethwa ngusihlalo, yokuba sibasuse abantwana ezitalatweni nakwizinto ezingalunganga.
English:
We are also encouraging women to continue with our traditional pottery production, beadwork and so on, because we believe that these are other areas that can help with job creation and income-generation.
I note the concerns from the IFP and the UDM, and I agree with them that the budget is a great constraint in the Ministry and in the work that we will be doing. But despite that concern, we will do our best to ensure that what we have, we spend and that it goes to the rightful beneficiaries amongst our people, particularly the rural people. We are also aware of the financial crisis that we are going through the world over. Therefore that calls on all of us to share what little we have and to use it effectively and efficiently.
We will speed up the name-change process. As I reported, the committee is working on this already. It is important that we deal with some of the cruel dinosaurs in our history: the John Vorsters, the Verwoerds that we still have in our country that remind many of our people of the painful history that we have come from. [Applause.]
I also want to say to hon member Van der Walt that we cannot suddenly suffer from national amnesia. I think it is important that we remember where we come from so that we do not go back there. [Applause.] It is also important that our children know their history and that they know where we have come from.
If we were to say to Jewish people: Do not commemorate – or to go back and remember - the Holocaust, it would be an insult to those people. We are saying, as South Africans, we remember where we come from and we remember who we are. We also evaluate the work that we have done ever since and we chart the way forward – where we want to go as a nation. I think we cannot forget. [Applause.]
IsiXhosa:
Bakhona ke abanesazela, abadliwa ngumvandedwa.
English:
There's a saying that the guilty are afraid. But, I think, that we must not be afraid. We must come and join the majority of the people of South Africa in remembering where we come from ... [Applause.] ... and also to celebrate our achievements and the beautiful future that this country has.
I also want to say to the members that raised the pain and suffering of our cultural workers, that as the Deputy Minister reported, we shall be having meetings with our musicians, with our artists, to address this huge problem. We are also going to engage the multinational companies that actually benefit from their sweat and their suffering.
We believe that our musicians and our artists must be treated with dignity and respect - in the same way that our musicians and artists are treated in other countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Cuba and East Asia. Our artists also deserve the dignity and the rights that artists enjoy the world over enjoy. [Applause.]
Our artists have the right to decide what they want to produce and what they want to create, not business and not managers. They themselves must take control of their own creative energies and produce what they are inspired to do.
I would like to agree with hon Van der Walt, who referred to the words of the founding President of South Africa, President Mandela, that, yes, we must not treat Robben Island as a political football. I think it is important that we remember President Nelson Mandela and all those that spent time on Robben Island. They gave us a good example of what a patriot is.
I think we must not be partisan about this matter and use it to gain a few, cheap political points. [Applause.] Robben Island is a very important icon of our people and of the world. And, as I have said already, we have put in place processes to deal with and fix Robben Island. I am sure that we'll definitely succeed in dealing with the challenges that face Robben Island.
Regarding the World Cup, the Minister of Sport and Recreation and I have addressed the concerns that we have regarding the national anthem and the manner in which it was sung by Fifa and that we are dealing with this problem as a matter of urgency.
Concerning the World Cup budget, Mama Tshivhase, we are in the process of employing a full-time project manager for our World Cup programme. We'll come back to the portfolio committee and present to you a full programme on what we are going to do, particularly in so far as ensuring that women and our rural communities also benefit from the legacy of the World Cup. [Applause.]
Before I sit down, I want to thank my predecessor Dr Pallo Jordan and his Deputy Minister, Ntombazana Botha. One of their great achievements is that they started this department from scratch and ensured that they laid a firm foundation and policies that are now in place, which we now have to implement going forward.
One of their greatest successes was the first Nepad cultural project that was launched in January last year with the launch of the new library building for the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu, Mali. This was the first of its kind and, hopefully, we shall have more follow-up projects that will traverse the African continent.
Let me also inform the House that in the area of international co-operation on cultural development, we are promoting the African Agenda as well as South-South relations.
Over 100 South African artists will take part in the Pan-African Arts Festival in Algiers in July 2009, and more than 200 will participate in the World Festival of Black Arts in Senegal, in December 2009. The South Africa-Nigeria 10th anniversary celebrations in October this year will showcase fashion designers and our film industry.
In conclusion, I want to say that through all these initiatives and our work in the arts, culture and heritage areas, we aim to create a country where opportunities exist for all our people to expand their imagination and to use their creativity to create a better life for all.
My immense gratitude, therefore, goes to the former Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Pallo Jordan, as well as to his deputy, Ntombazana Botha, for laying the foundations for this new Ministry and department.
I also want to thank the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture, especially its chairperson the hon Rev Tshenuwani Farisani, for their robust contribution to the work of the department. I think we have already had a taste this morning. [Applause.]
I also want to thank - even though we've only had one short month month - Deputy Minister Paul Mashatile for his support and enthusiasm. [Applause.] I am sure he will bring in the youth, and bring in the vibrancy and economic contribution and experience that he has in this Ministry. We now continue to build from where our predecessors left off.
Finally, I want to thank our Director-General, Mr Themba Wakashe, the CEOs of all our institutions that are here with us and the department as a whole for the smooth day-to-day running of our operations.
Let me take this opportunity, hon members, to invite you to view our exhibition, which is out there in the courtyard, and to also invite members and our guests to lunch at the Artscape. Thank you, hon Chair. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The Committee rose at 11:55.
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