Hansard: NA: Mini-plenary 5

House: National Assembly

Date of Meeting: 13 May 2021

Summary

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Minutes

UNREVISED HANSARD

MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY THURSDAY, 13 MAY 2021

VOTE NO 37 – SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE

PROCEEDINGS OF MINIPLENARY SESSION – NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CHAMBER

 

Watch video here: Vote 37: Sports, Arts and Culture

 

Members of the mini-plenary session met on the virtual platform at 16:15.

 

House Chairperson Mr M L D Ntombela took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayer or meditation.

 

The Chairperson announced that the virtual mini-plenary sitting constituted a meeting of the National Assembly.

 

APPROPRIATION BILL

Debate on Vote No 37 – Sports, Arts and Culture:

 

The MINISTER OF SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE: Chairperson, the Deputy Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Mafu, the Chairperson of the portfolio committee, Ms Dlulane Beauty, honourable members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I extend my warmest ratings to all of you present on various digital platforms.

We live in extra ordinary epoch, as humanity the world over. We face unprecedented times due to coronavirus, digital pandemic, otherwise known as Covid-19. The advent of Covid-19 compelled us to reprioritise our budget and cater for relief interventions. In the midst of all of this, we should appreciate the fact that the African Union has declared 2021 as the year for Arts, Culture and Heritage. Simultaneously, South Africa has invoked the spirit of one of the leaders and giants of this nation, Mama Charlotte Maxeke, and named this year, the year of Mama Charlotte Maxeke.

The department commissioned research which was done by the South African Cultural Observatory, SACO, to find out the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. This study, conducted mid last year, showed that almost all 95% of respondents and practitioners had experienced cancellation or indefinite postponement of their work.

In response to the plights, the department implemented a number of programmes for relief interventions. This was done through three phases of support and by forging partnership with Department of Small Business Development as well as teaming up with the Solidarity Fund. More than 20 000 practitioners, including 807 companies benefited.

On top of this, we had a good economic injection to the sector through the Presidential Employment Stimulus Package, PESP, which provided R665 million to the department. To date, we have dispersed a total of R404,4 million, created 40 815 jobs, surpassing the National Treasury’s projection of the 33 030.

On sport and recreation, we supported national federations, athletes, coaches, technical support, personnel as well as fitness instructors. We also supported those who are talented athletes, of which a total of 1 918 athletes were provided with sport scientific services, 80 athletes, and 37 learners supported through sport bursary programme. Provided accessible infrastructure to communities by constructing 10 community gyms, play parks and 10 multipurpose sport courts. All this was done to ensure that our sector up and running, and there  is an impact which we knew that it was not going to be everybody who is benefiting out of this process.

 

 

We also want to say that, as we work towards the uplifting the sector, we want to thank our partners. For instance, Nedbank, which is partnering with us in ensuring that we create spaces and the cases for our athletes to be able to work freely. The department will provide support to the South African Sports Confederation Olympic Committee through a focused approach to ensure maximum return on investment. To this end, the support will be very directed. To those with proven record of medalling at major international airports, also go to those who ranks top 10 in the world.

 

 

The department is also collaborating with the National Lotteries Commission in an effort to ensure better coordination of support provided towards team South Africa. Cabinet has approved South Africa’s hosting of the Netball World Cup from July to August 2023. Demonstrating our commitment to the advancement of sport, particularly for women in the country, preparations for 2023 Netball World Cup are well underway.

 

Proper governance is very important of federations at all levels, and it remains our priority. The department continues to work with all key stakeholders in ensuring the proper, efficient and effective governance structures are the cornerstone of all sport bodies, including the configuration.

 

 

We commend the cricket South Africa interim board and members councillors on their historic milestone agreement to transform cricket, thus ensuring good corporate governance. This needs to be supported by all patriots who wants to see a new and clean start to the game. We note dissenting voices, especially the voice from South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, SASCOC, but we are not deterred nor shaken by the misgivings.

 

 

What we have experienced and what we have been dealing with at least in the past six months in particular, is on the one hand conservative thinking that seeks the status core and, on the other hand, progressives forging ahead with transformation.

Our choice is key, transformation is sacrosanct, transformation is our agenda.

 

We look at creating the spaces which we think is important for us to look into, for the sector to thrive. We have for instance, built Mama Winnie Mandela house in Brandfort and we finished it that last year. We did the same O R Tambo Garden of Remembrance in Bizana. We are going to recognise the Opera House to be declared a cultural institution. We have worked to finalise and finish the market theatre in the Northern Cape, it was completed and the building was repurposed for that. In Limpopo, the construction is to commence and the plan goes ahead.

 

 

In Mpumalanga with the Casterbridge Music Development Academy, and going to a higher level, where we also want to create a theatre for artists. The filling hub in the Eastern Cape - first of its kind - to be completed and be named after mama Nomhle Nkonyeni. The National Academy of Africa's Performing Arts is towards completion, and is under the custodianship of Ntate Caiphus Semenya and Mme Letta Semenya.

 

 

Now, on Africa month, we are pleased to say that what started as a programme of South Africa, has grown up to be an AU flagship programme which has adopted it as a good model, and

 

their programme as well. We also look at what we have done in the field of culture, promotion and development.

 

 

The intervention we have done on wellness for a programme for the artists, an atlas in particular. This focuses on lifestyle management, financial management, mental health management, substance abuse, and legal advice. Athletes and creatives from Mpumalanga were the first one to experience this programme.

Also on the programme of gender-based violence and femicide, we have a twin programme there. One of the Baqhawafazi, a multisectoral movement raising awareness on gender-based violence and femicide. Intimate partner violence and femicide. The second programme is Golekane Movement, meaning It’s enough programme campaign, and this one is more on the socialisation and nurturing of the boy child.

 

 

It is conversations from fathers to son. I move from there Chair and go to living legends legacy fraternity. The living legends legacy fraternity elected a new board in December 2020 led by the South African veteran actor, Dr John Kane. This board will continue implementing master classes, workshops and skills sharing programmes between legends and young artists to forge partnerships. We also have the debut fund for the

 

beginners in everything, those who are starting in the field of arts and culture and the language bursaries.

 

 

We continue to give these bursaries two different the students this year, and this financial year we are giving R486 on languages, including the African sign language. We are also working with the justice department, and the work has commenced with the process of amending Section 6 of the Constitution to include South African sign language, as another official language in our country.

 

 

We have gone through the process with the White Paper, and thanks to the portfolio committee which endorsed the white paper, and right now, the process of implementation of the White Paper in its entirety has started. The department is also seized with the finalisation of strategies and policies in literature, visual arts and craft and standardisation of funding policies.

 

 

We want to say that because of the situation of Covid-19, which all of us were not ready for, we then asked the industry to forward to us members who will form part of the ministerial advisory team, and that team of six people is there and

 

working through work streams, including negotiating with banks in the banking and landlords, work stream wellness in school fees, retail and transport, as well as private sector.

 

 

We urge Parliament to fast track and prioritise the Copyright Amendment Bill and Performers Protection Bill to pass those, because there are very important as a key intervention in transforming the arts, culture and heritage landscape. We are about to present the South African creative industry master plan, which actually has been done interdepartmental, and, looking at all the aspects of this very sector.

 

 

We also are dealing and working with the transformation forum for the technical services. The department is working with you on transformation charter and triple BEE codes for this area, which is very important. And on heritage promotion we have passed some important policies, one of such as the national policy on the repatriation and restitution of human remains and heritage objects, which was approved by cabinet in

March 2021.

 

 

This contributes to the restoration and dehumanisation of people who were stripped of their dignity during their

 

lifetimes as well as in death. And we have the national policy on digitisation, on arts, culture and heritage, and this is our contribution to the 4th Industrial Revolution. Again, Cabinet on 2 June 2020 approved the national Khoi and San heritage route. This will ensure that we restore the legacies of our ancestors who fought the first battles against colonialism and imperialism in defence of their land and livelihood.

 

 

This is based on footprints and 15 nodal points throughout the country of the foremost indigenous inhabitants. So those who thought that the Khoi and San were only confined in one province. They must know that there have been all over the country, the feasibility study for the establishment of the resistance and liberation movements museum. It has been approved by cabinet as well in June last year. In

September 2020, the department presented to cabinet a memorandum which was accepted on transformation of the heritage landscape in South Africa.

 

 

We have addressed the national house of traditional leaders all the nine provinces, and tomorrow will be ending up with the South African local government association. Following

 

Cabinet approval, the South African Heritage Resources Agency has enlisted the assistance of 265 graduates to conduct an audit on all the statues and monuments that are not in line with the spirit and the principles of the Constitution.

 

 

The national indigenous knowledge advisory committee will be appointed this financial year to assist the department with the documentation of the South Africa’s vast indigenous knowledge. Two books have already been completed, documenting South Africa’s living human treasures and these were shared last year with the public, mama seem an Ouma Katrina Esau in the Northern Cape.

 

 

Also Chair, we have in this period under review, build five new libraries and completed in this very last financial year.

 

 

The department is embarking on a project to install the South African monumental flag, which will serve as a lasting icon to symbolise South Africa’s freedom and democracy. The department funded 70 heritage bursaries in the last financial year, 2021-

22. In support of internationalism, South Africa will continue to strengthen its bilateral and multilateral relations. In

 

September 202, we participated in Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden on a visual platform.

 

 

In October 2020, we participated individual panel of expert during the official opening of creative Mexico forum, the people’s Republic of China and the government of the Republic of South Africa is engaged in a people to people exchange mechanism. It is co-chaired by Her Excellency, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan and Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture respectively, and its objectives are to contribute to the knowledge and understanding between South Africa and China through the enhancement of contacts between the people of both countries.

 

 

As part of the BRICS Programme of events and activities to be held in India forming part of the 15th BRICS summit, the BRICS Ministers of Culture have agreed to increase cultural exchanges and to open up markets among each other for cultural goods. Our Africa seasons programme, which is part of our cultural diplomacy endeavours, has suffered a heavy blow since the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a programme where we export our goods, our our cultural goods and services around the continent through our artists. The last cultural programme was

 

in Angola just before the pandemic. Other countries visited so far are Gabon, Ghana, Algeria, and can our aim is to cover the whole of the continent.

 

 

As we craft our work to meet the needs of this era, we pledge that our work will never be an end to itself, but rather be a means to serving our people with the sport arts and culture that they need. That we need to propel us as a nation going forward, ensuring social cohesion. We end chair by affirming the importance of Africa month, and say to all and sundry that this is the Africa month.

 

 

We should be preparing ourselves for the proper Integration and continuous exchange with our African brothers and sisters through arts, culture, heritage and sport. I, thank you for your attention, hon Chairperson.

 

 

Ms B N DLULANE: Hon Chairperson, I must indicate that I am showing my face, first and foremost that you must see that I am Beauty Dlulane. I am having challenges of network. May I switch off my video now because you see that this is a person who is going to speak. Thank you, Chairperson.

 

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr M L D Ntombela): You can, mama.

 

 

Ms B N DLULANE: Okay. Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, let me take this opportunity to applaud the South African relay team led by Akani Simbine, Thando Dlodlo, Gift Leotlela and Clarence Munyai for winning four times 100 metres relay clocking 38, 71 seconds. I would also like to take this opportunity to observe the great strides Thuso Mbethu who bear to for his making in Holywoods.

 

 

This debate happens at a time when the sector has been characterised by many challenges due to the restriction imposed by Covid-19. This has left many professionals in the sector without jobs and loss of income. This has deeply saddened us.

 

 

We commend the interventions made by the department to budgetary alignment which assisted in ensuring that relief funds are availed to athletes and creatives but let me take this opportunity to put up in front that this committee did take the oversight which I am hoping that the presiding officer and the Parliament they will be giving us on 20 May this month to put our report in order that we must deal with

 

what we have discovered in order that we must assist the Ministry.

 

 

Although this fight does not go without challenges, we will continue to engage the department to a solution based approach to ensure optimal funding of applicants. We are well aware of the challenges that confront this sector and we reassure the nation that we are working to our oversight responsibility to address this. We support the view that the creative up setter be supported by both the government and the private sector.

That’s why we are working collectively with the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition to address the issues raised by President Ramaphosa on the performance Protection Amendment Bill and the Copyright Amendment Bill.

 

 

In this stage, achievements by this department: Firstly, the department continues to support over dosens technology and lexicography youth at a number of tertiary institution in the country. Secondly, we commend the work that has been done to ensure that we host a successful Nedbank World Cup in 2023. We also appreciate the assistance that the department has been providing to Caster Semenya. We ask that South Africans

 

continue to support and speak out against the injustices levelled against ...

 

 

We also welcome the progress made in merging the two departments into one department. We welcome the recently launch “Selapha” programmes which will create an enabling platform for the SA Cultural and Creative Industry Practitioners. It will provide access to resources to practitioners to assess value chain services of lifestyle management, mentally health management, substance abuse management, financial management and legal management.

 

 

In order to strengthen the research capacity of which sector which has lack ethnicity based outcomes. The department has launched the SA Cultural Observatory which is a research arm to champion evidence inform policy development share insight and discriminate cultural information and build intellectual capacity across the sector.

 

 

The existing departmental initiatives such as the cultural season programme and the African monthly problem go a long way in forging intra Africa culture relations and reasoning cautiousness South African audience about the inexplicable

 

linkage between South Africa, the rest of the Africa and its diaspora.

 

 

We applaud the department’s programme of providing sport equipment and attire to over 2 500 schools, hubs and clubs. We also observed that there are over 50 000 participants who took part in sport and recreational events despite their restrictions.

 

 

Chairperson, it must also be noted that Cabinet approve reductions to the department budget of R341,6 million in the current financial year. These reductions will mainly impact transfers and subsidies to public entities, Mzanzi Golden Economy, Work Streams and Heritage and Legacy Infrastructure Projections, the Mass Sport Participation and the Development Grant, the Community Library Service Grant, Compensation of Employees and Goods and Services. Impacting public entities will be required to implement cost serving measures and where possible raise their implement cost serving measures and where possible raised their own revenue. This is to mitigate the impact of this reductions.

 

Chairperson, our concern on the impact of these reductions of anticipated delays on key projects such as the completion of infrastructure projects in 2023 and 2024 as the reductions will be affected on allocations to Heritage and Legacy Infrastructure Project and CLLSG. These delays will lead to the procurement of a fewer library materials and led to a fewer mass sport participation and the development programmes of the medium term.

 

 

Firstly, transformation is key to developing sport in addressing equity. Secondly, to the Environmental Product Declaration, EPD, report we can tell that during the 2020 financial. Thirdly, through federation, basketball, chess and amateur boxing did not submit any data because of board instability and some government optimal practices.

 

 

The committee has met with these codes leadership. It is clear that the governance challenges experienced has a negative effect on their ability to transform the sport and providing the necessary report.

 

 

We would like to encourage the Minister to provide the leadership in this important aspects address the non-

 

compliance federation as they have already started. More than

 

60 non-priorities codes most untransformed have not yet included in the auditing process. We agree with the EPD implementation of observation.

 

 

After good progress rate and extend of information many platooning the sport system although transforming remains significantly under represented with respect to black Africans 80% of population. Uncertain social political and economic environment contributing to the increased levels of inequality.

 

 

Poverty will impair in school sport and issues to develop spots slowly but surely done. Through robust engagement in the committee, we have made the following observations: We are concerned with the challenges that hampered the functioning of the Cricket South Africa and South African Sport Confederation and Olympic committee.

 

 

Consequences management is an area that need attention., particularly when it comes to dealing with transgressions within the department and its entities and sought further

 

insight into how the department implement consequence management.

 

 

Given that the department is wholly merged, we required about to learn to fill vacancies while they have already started but it is not yet finished. To ensure good governance, we have asked how the department to rectify the concern over the recycling of council members who have record of poor performance where they are coming from.

 

 

Following up on the concerns of disgruntling artists, we have asked the department to provide further insight on how it goes about to provide the training to artists.

 

 

We therefore, Chairperson, with the following recommendations: The Minister should continue to monitor the work of Cricket South African and the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, Sascoc, given the challenges the organisation has been facing

 

 

The committee knows with appreciation the progress the department already making to implement consequence management

 

within the department and its entities and request that this work continues.

 

 

The department must provide the committee with a regular update on the filling of vacancies to ensure that service delivery happens effectively.

 

 

The department should also look into the will to do its best to look into the nature of recycling of board members who are not bringing value. This needs to be done properly based on how they left previous boards. Also, the department should look into providing more capacity building opportunities for artists.

 

 

In conclusion, Chairperson, we recognise the significance of this sector in advancing the social cohesion and nation building on how hon Minister despite their budgetary outlook.

 

 

We must collectively work towards ensuring that this sector is adequately resourced to implementing aspect driven targets and outputs that advance transformation in equalising opportunities, building capabilities and contributing to the values in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. We

 

will through this sector be able to progressively advance the nation to be one that is united in its diversity and its inclusive. The committee recommends that the House adopt this Budget Vote No 37. I thank you.

 

 

Mr T W MHLONGO: Chair, all protocols observed. I would like to congratulate the new elected president of Athletics South Africa, ASA, Mr James Moloi. We welcome the change of leadership in athletic South Africa. His leadership will be tested soon. We will measure his leadership based on the number of medals that South Africans athletes will bring home from the upcoming Tokyo 2021. We don’t support political interference. We don’t support political interference! The South African Sports Confederation and Olympics Committee, Sascoc, is questioning whether the Minister flouted National Sports and Recreation Act in his involvement in adopting of a new board at Cricket South Africa, CSA.

 

 

We are looking forward to our effective oversight over the Ministry. Chairperson, the reason Cricket South Africa is in crisis, it is because of political interference. We don’t need political interference in our sporting codes – all 89 sporting codes. Sports must be independent. It must adhere to the rules

 

of the government. We believe in elected leadership, not dictator leadership, not deployed leadership. We believe in transformation. We believe in a democratic process of electing leaders.

 

 

Minister, we are told that you forced Cricket South Africa to vote your way, according to the president of Sascoc. Sascoc is ready to defend its affiliation, which is Cricket South Africa. Note that Sascoc and all its affiliates have voted against your proposed independent board. Eighty-nine of them have voted against your decision. You stated clearly saying to us, as portfolio committee, that all sporting codes must have an independent president or independent board. Minister, you used Nicholas’s report to justify this. This is a strategy to make sure that all cadres are deployed. This is not going to happen. Deployment strategy is failing, as you have seen today.

 

 

Chairperson, the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa, CCIFSA, is one of the failed projects of deployment. As a department has noted that CCIFSA is not working, it’s working in progress. Its current status is questionable. It seems like it’s another deployment strategy

 

which went wrong. The Minister today will call CCIFSA, the next day you’ll call it ministerial advising team.

 

 

IsiZulu:

 

Sitshele kwenzakalani nge-CCIFSA?

 

 

English:

 

Are these your advisers or are these members of the artistic fraternity?

 

 

IsiZulu:

 

Kwenzakalani?

 

 

English:

 

This budget will be managed by your department. And when I checked, there is mismanagement of funds. Will this budget be managed according to the regulation, Minister? The Auditor- General has raised concern over weak internal control

...Inaudible.] ... plan. The department has more than 27 public entities and five non-profit-organisations under your leadership, Minister. This seems to be another deployment strategy which has failed and it will fail. When are we going to implement the White Paper? You have just stated, it is in

 

progress. We must implement the White Paper for us to avoid duplication. When is it going to be implemented, tell us more, Minister? Don’t tell us that is in progress.

 

 

IsiZulu:

 

Kwenzakalani?

 

 

English:

 

The merger of two departments, it’s so important and vital. We will monitor its regular updates on the department. When is the ETF for us to have one department? Minister, the organisation, stability and human resources in the department is vital and it is important. Filling of vacancies to ensure that service delivery happens effectively.

 

 

IsiZulu:

 

Sibabhekile sizobabona ukuthi abathumeli[deploy.] abantu babo.

 

 

English:

 

Chairperson, if the ANC was honest today, the Minister was going to say today, the ANC lives the ANC steals. But it shows that they are not honest. Honesty is so important. The ANC cannot manage our money. They fail to pay employees. They owe

 

the SA Revenue Service, Sars, with unpaid taxes. I wonder how will they be able to manage this budget? The ANC cannot govern our sporting code. Amasela! [thieves.] We don’t trust them, we do not believe in them, we do not forget that there are smaller – “nyana” - skeletons within the governing party. We will make sure that we monitor the Boxing South Africa, BSA. Its performance indicators and targets are not clearly defined. We want to make sure that its strategy of the organisation is monitored and there will be progress. The BSA should make sure that they develop women’s boxing, especially “emakhaya” [in rural areas.], with the tournament. We believe that the fund that is allocated to the BSA must be utilised for boxing, especially for “abomama” [women.].

 

 

Minister, you are always using Twitter. You are Minister of Twitter today, the next day, you are a Minister of condolences. Minister, why don’t you attend portfolio committee meetings? You always on Twitter, you do not even

...[Inaudible.] ... us. You respond to Twitter. You must account to a portfolio committee not to Twitter. You make our oversight difficult for us, to make sure that you are accountable to us, not on Twitter. You do not even respond to

 

Twitter. Minister, you are always absent, campaigning for the ANC, but not attending our portfolio committee.

 

 

IsiZulu:

 

Kwenzakalani?

 

 

English:

 

When are you going to account? What is your vision for sports and arts, Minister? Tell us what is your vision as the leader of the department? When will soccer Indaba be hosted? This is long overdue ... [Timer expired.]

 

 

Mr B S MADLINGOZI: Chairperson, the EFF rejects Budget Vote 37 of Arts, Sports and Culture. If we are truthful to ourselves, all of us know that the Minister of this portfolio is perhaps the most useless of all the Ministers in the Cabinet. Under his stewardship, almost every single sporting code in this country has gone to the dogs. Our museums, including the iconic Robben Island Museum, are being run into the ground.

Our artists are treated as if they have leprosy by the department and its entities. What is it therefore that Minister Nathi Mthethwa is doing apart from being a chief condolence sender when artists have died? When will he be made

 

to account for his failure to distribute the COVID grant intended for artists to the real artists on the ground, who have been hit hard by the pandemic?

 

 

Minister Mthethwa, while you have been getting your fat salary, and protected by the police everywhere you go, artists have had their houses repossessed, they have had their children thrown out of school, they are struggling to even put a plate on the table, because of the immense impact the coronavirus has had on them. Despite this, you have not reached out to artists. Instead, you and the entities you lead have frustrated artists in every possible way. You and your department are a disgrace to this nation. But even before Corona, you were just a tourist. Instead, you and entities ... [Inaudible.] ... our heritage, and the sports in this country. But, you have found a perfect excuse to hide your functional inertia behind the pandemic.

 

 

Our people will always be people on the outside looking in at the foreign cultures that we are forced to fit in, Minister. Our cultures and languages will always remain uncovered and that will gradually make our culture extinct as African people. Your department is shoving down artists’ throats, an

 

entity which is supposed to be a federation, with no organisations under it as an umbrella body, to be a representative of the creatives. This entity is CCIFSA. This organisation has members who are very close to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and its financial books are not compliant enough to be receiving any financial assistance from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. This department is talking about Batho Pele, a principle based on people first meanwhile a whole lot of artists and other creatives are still waiting to be assisted through this very first government COVID-relief fund and the latest Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme, PESP. This department is still taking too long to offer relief to the needy practitioners in the sector.

 

 

You have turned the Robben Island Museum into an ANC museum, only focusing on the recent imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and all the African National Congress prisoners, while the banishment of AmaHlubi Greatest Leader, King Langa Libalele on the very same island, more than a century ago, is not reported as a watershed period in South African history. There are also prominent African leaders who were incarcerated on the very island, greatest leader, Robert Sobukwe, whose house couldn’t be entered, but looked at from the outside, who never got the

 

necessary acknowledgement from this entity. This very entity is having its buildings and infrastructure dilapidating under the stewardship of this incompetent government, the ANC.

 

 

Under your stewardship, Minister, South African Institute for Drug Free Sport, Saids, is scared of protecting their own athlete, a black genius, Caster Semenya against the International Association of Athletic Federation plans of forcing Ms Semenya to have her body injected with drugs to control her testosterone levels in her blood. This government is still giving monies to entities like Sascoc and Cricket South Africa who are hellbent into fighting against transformation. Entities who don’t respect black people in South Africa. They even dare the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture to invoke section 13(5) of the National Sport and Recreation Act, an act which would render CSA to be no longer recognised as the sports mother body in South Africa, because of being stripped of funding and recognition by South Africa. Now, this soft Minister reneged from carrying on with his invoking decisions because of fear of white institutions, when they lied into towing the line. This Minister is failing the creatives and sportsmen and women in South Africa. He needs to vacate that position. We reject this budget vote, Chairperson.

 

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr M L D Ntombela): Hon member that is out of order. Hon members, I am informed that my time has expired and hon Mahlaule is waiting. Is hon Mahlaule ready?

 

 

Inkosi B N LUTHULI: Good afternoon everybody. This

 

department’s budget as contained in the report shows its support, year on year, for the government’s National

Development Plan, NDP. This plan promises reform and successes from the stakeholders in the sector. However, the NDP falls

short in a number of ways and fails in terms of delivery to

 

sportspeople and artists alike.

 

 

 

As expected, the current administration ... it is ... overexaggerated obstacle as a result of COVID-19, when being

unable to achieve their targets. This department is a key vehicle that athletes and artists alike rely upon to ensure

that they are able to sustain their livelihoods.

 

 

 

In response to the 2020 COVID-19, nearly R300 million was allocated to artists to mitigate ... the impact of the national lockdown. In reality, as we have come to expect with the current administration, it failed to deliver and the process was riddled with corruption. Earlier this year, we saw

 

artists resort to protest action as they had not been paid the relief money, with conflicting reports by the department in March 2021. Artists highlighted the fact that this department had indeed only paid 50% of its budget allocation. Almost a year since it had proclaimed the budget allocation, it was

revealed that this department had only spent R57 million out of 300.

 

 

The issue of mismanagement is not only limited to the COVID

 

relief fund but also the entire Boxing SA, where there have

 

been huge problems with irregular, fruitless expenditure, with little consequences, consequence management and a lack of

decisive leadership to deal with this corruption.

 

 

 

Government’s trend of empty promises mixed with rampant corruption is starting to impact on the development and

processes of all the departments in South Africa. The once

 

prestigious and sacred Robben Island is facing major budget cuts. The salaries of employees have had to be or will be cut because corruption with the government is so high that there is no access ... to preserve the legacy of our freedom fighters, who envisioned a much more capable and responsible leadership. Again, in Robben Island, there is reported

 

corruption and mismanagement at the hands of the current government.

 

 

The biggest department is falling short in so many areas; yet, the responsibility of our cultural and sporting growth remains

critical. The IFP believes ... [Time expired.]

 

 

 

Afrikaans:

 

Mev H DENNER: Agb Voorsitter, sport is een van die mees- verenigende faktore van enige nasie. Mense vanoor ras en kultuurgrense heen, skuif maklik enige verskille opsy oor die gedeelde ondersteuning en vurige trots vir ’n nasionale span, hetsy sokker, rugby, krieket, netbal of selfs individuele sportsoorte soos atletiek, swem of gholf.

 

 

Maar weens staatsinmenging en die regering se alewige verknogdheid met rassekwotas en transformasie teikens, is sport in Suid-Afrika onder beleg. Ons het die vernietigende effek van staatsinmenging in sport gesien gedurende die apartheidsjare en ons sien dié nou weer. Kyk maar net na Krieket SA.

 

 

English:

 

On many occasions, sport has fixed what politics has broken, but sadly now politics has broken sport in South Africa.

Government and politics do not belong in sport. Sport in South Africa should be left to the different sports bodies to be managed by people who know and understand the different sporting codes, without interference and overregulation by the state. Athletes’ skills and talents should be nurtured and developed from grass-roots level to afford them equal opportunities to be chosen and to compete on merit, so that the best possible teams and competitors are fielded to ensure that South Africa remains the proud sports nation that we are supposed to be and can be.

 

 

At the very most, the Department of Sport should ensure that fit for purpose sporting facilities are available in all municipalities and areas so that our children have access to practice and ... be coached towards equal opportunities. Hon Minister, equal opportunities are what this department should strive towards, not equal outcomes. A case in point is the motion without notice tabled by the EFF earlier this week where they congratulated the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, CPUT, rugby team for retaining their Varsity Shield title after beating the Walter Sisulu University team

 

over the weekend. The FF Plus agrees with the accolades bestowed on the CPUT team, even though we objected to the motion based on it smacking of racial bias and discrimination

— the tired old EFF racial agenda.

 

 

An HON MEMBER: Hayi suka!

 

 

Ms H DENNER: Inspite of this, the EFF actually had one thing sort of right, hon Ntlangwini, which is that black people will excel in sport and get to represent South Africa in rugby and cricket on ... labelled quota players. This is the direct and most unfortunate result of race-based transformation quotas in sport. It has removed merit from the equation and subsequently demerited the achievements of deserving black athletes. Before this department and government realises this very basic and important principle, and starts investing in development at grass-roots level, no budget or self-set target will succeed.

 

 

Afrikaans:

 

Dieselfde geld vir kuns en kultuur, en die bevordering van alle Suid-Afrikaners se reg op die kulturele leefstyl van hul keuse. Jag word gemaak op die Afrikaner se herkoms, geskiedenis en kultuur, maar dit is nie net die Afrikaner se

 

kultuur en erfenis wat deurloop nie. Die ANC regering, ten spyte van die mooi broodjies wat hier in die Parlement, in komitees en in die media deur die departement gebak word, het geen agting vir enige van ons se erfenis of geskiedenis nie. So ook, het hulle geen agting vir die kunste nie. Die sit- staking by die Nasionale Kunsteraad en alles wat daarmee gepaard gegaan het, het die kollig ferm daarop geplaas.

 

 

Museums, soos die Robbeneiland Museum en nasionale erfenisterreine soos die konsentrasiekampkerkhof in Kroonstad, word in totaliteit deur hierdie departement en hierdie regering verwaarloos.

 

 

Julle kan nie ons erfenis beskerm nie. Julle kan nie ons kultuurskatte en ons gedenkwaardighede beskerm nie. Julle kan nie die museums bestuur tot die gesamentlike voordeel van alle Suid-Afrikaners nie. Julle kan nie ons kunstenaars ondersteun nie en julle het tot op hede nog niks gedoen om die teendeel te bewys nie. Daarom behoort kultuurerfenis, die kunste en ook sport die alewige staatsinmenging wat onafwendbaar met korrupsie en wanbestuur onder die ANC gepaardgaan, gespaar te word tot voordeel van ons nageslag, voor daar van niks oor bly nie. Ek dank u.

 

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE: Thank you

 

very much Chair and good afternoon. Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa, Chairperson of the portfolio committee Me Beauty Dlulane, honourable members, Director General and officials of the department, chairpersons and chief executive officers of our public entities, distinguished guests, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen.

 

 

Sport and recreation a bedrock for social cohesion and nation [Inaudible.] with the impact able to even extend far beyond our national borders. To that end, please allow me to remind you what our beloved founding father of this constitutional democracy Mr Madiba once counselled about sport and I quote:

 

 

“Sport has the power to change the world, it has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was despair, it is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers, it laughs in the face of all types of discrimination”.

 

It is for this reason that we will continue supporting mass participation in sport and recreation by facilitating opportunities for people to share space and by providing equipment and or attire to schools, sports hubs and sports clubs with a particular focus on disadvantaged communities. This will happen as we also continue to support competitive sport towards the fulfilment of our goal that of being a winning nation.

 

 

The pandemic has had a greater impact on the sport sector in particular in the delivery of the commitments made to develop and transform the sporting landscape. The March 2020 lockdown resulted in the immediate cancellation of almost all sporting events.

 

 

Please allow me to also proudly announce that some of the important milestones achieved notwithstanding the limitations Covid-19 imposed on us as a sector. Within the active nation programme, I am pleased to report on the following achievements: free sport and recreation promotion campaigns and events namely the big walk, the national recreation day and the ministerial outreach activations were implemented in the sum total of 3405 people actively participated. Obviously,

 

going forward the plan is to ensure that as many people as possible participate especially in the post Covid-19 dispensation.

 

 

Related to the aforementioned, a total of about 32000 people actively participated in organised sport and active recreation events organised in all the nine provinces through the mass participation conditional grant allocated on an equitable basis to the provinces by this department. School sport remains a key platform on which to nurture talent but also to get our young people physically active. In that regard, a total of about 4000 schools, hubs and clubs were provided with equipment and or attire as per the established norm and standard of department.

 

 

Following on these milestones in respect of the year that was, please allow me now to confirm our firm commitments for the incoming year notwithstanding the limitations of Covid-19 and the very tight fiscal environment under which we will continue to operate.

 

 

Firstly, we will encourage an active nation and contribute to improving the overall wellbeing of South Africans true

 

lifelong participation in active recreation by facilitating the delivery of at least five active recreation programmes which are to reach no less than about 50000 participants.

 

 

Secondly, we shall endeavour to encourage lifelong physical activity by providing mass sport participation opportunities to at least 5000 community members across the three sport promotion events.

 

 

Thirdly, we have every intention to increase learners’ access to sport at schools by supporting the national school sport championships which would accommodate no less than 5000 participating learners. This will be augmented by provision of equipment and attire to schools, hubs and clubs.

 

 

Chair and honourable members, it is a well-known fact that participation in sport plays a critical role in the development and growth of children. I am therefore delighted to share with this House that the school sport programme has received a huge boost in the form of the recently launched DSTV schools netball challenge. It could not have come at a more opportune time given the upcoming Netball World Cup 2023 to be hosted by South Africa. It is our intention that this

 

partnership with DSTV will contribute tremendously to further transformation of sport.

 

 

As we grapple with issues of gender equality and gender based violence sports such as netball can be a great tool to empower young girls and lastly we will increase the provision of opportunities for mass participation in sport and recreation in all nine provinces by providing management and financial support through the mass participation and sport development.

 

 

Let me further also restate this department’s commitment in identifying, developing and nurturing raw talent through the increased access into our national sport academies as well as through the scientific support programme. Again, this is in pursuit of the broader goal of creating a nation of winners and thereby boosting our national pride and identity.

 

 

We commit to transformation in the sporting landscape with particular focus on those problematic sporting codes that seem to have been resistant to change. In that regard, we will continue to implement the recommendations of the latest report of the eminent persons group with regards to transformation in sport. Given the enormity of the task vested interests and

 

contestation this remains work in progress. As an incentive, we will also continue to give financials support to those national sport federations that meet their transformation targets.

 

 

Let me also say that it has been our candidate observation in the recent past that some of the national sport federations have increasingly resorted to malicious compliance by setting the bar way too low in terms of their transformation targets such that the desired impact is hardly ever found. To that end, we will be embarking on a massive policy review so as to remedy the situation.

 

 

Chair, as we speak of sport we must also be mindful of its gender and nature at the need to provide more sporting opportunities to women and girls given the centrality of patriarchy on our nation’s social fabric. Women and girls have always been systematically excluded from sport and therefore we cannot leave the status core as is. Just to remind and as a part of our commitment to transformation the department has and continues to support South Africa [Inaudible.] olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya in her fight against

 

International Association of Athletics Federation discriminatory gender regulations.

 

 

Following the Swiss Federal Court [Inaudible.] the department provided additional financial support to assist both Caster add Athletics South Africa's deductions to pursue the matter at the European Court for Human Rights.

 

 

Parallel to this process both the SA Human Rights Commission and Commission for Gender Equality have approached depot in pursuit of lobbying government to be involved and mobilise international solidarity in support of Caster Semenya in her fight with the IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations.

 

 

Collaboration and cooperation between these budgets and the department is underway. In April 2021, this fight was holstered by the announcement by Lux, one of South Africa's big plans of its partnership with Caster Semenya in her fight against the IAAF and in her best to be allowed to compete in the 800m race in the upcoming 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

 

As the department we are calling on corporate South Africa to follow Lux’s example by launching similar campaigns in support of this important human rights course. For its part, Lux campaign slogan in support of Caster Semenya is and I quote: “Lux stands with Castor, Lux stands for [Inaudible.]”

 

 

While every effort is being made for more women and girls to participate in sport the pace of change on this fund has been slow. It is within this context that we saw the need to work towards women in sport national policy itself an instrument to rid sport of all forms of gender discrimination. We are on course in finalising this work and it is envisaged that the policy will be formally promulgated in this financial year.

 

 

The use of drugs and other banned substances has been identified as a serious problem in sport and for which urgent policy and legislative interventions are unnecessary. To that end, we have set in motion the South Africa Institute for Drug-free Sport Amendment Bill which must still undergo broad stakeholder consultation then followed by its lodgement in Parliament.

 

Emanating from the proclamation by the President of the Republic of South Africa, the Department of Arts and Culture was merged with the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa to form a single wing effective from 1 April 2021. The merging of these two portfolios provided government with the opportunity to reposition itself to deliver a better service to the people of South Africa. I am glad to announce that no employee of the two former departments was negatively affected by this in cases where there were employees access the department facilitated their placement in other government departments or institutions where there were open vacancies.

 

 

The department will in this financial year undertake organisational design exercise. The exercise will determine if the department has the appropriate numbers of people with the right skills in the right jobs and at the right time. The organisational review exercise assist the department to develop a fit for purpose structure.

 

 

The department has also fared much better on the equity front standing at the cusp of losing 50/50 split in terms of equity targets for senior management members while the target is 50% currently, women constitute 48.39%. In terms of persons with

 

disabilities the national average is 7.5% ... [Inaudible.] ... with disabilities as part of the senior management.

 

 

I also wish to remind hon members that this year Cabinet made a declaration that 2021 will be the year of Charlotte Maxeke. In that regard, we have sought to incorporate her into the thematic schema for all our national goals this year. The reason I am reminding you about this Cabinet declaration is that at its heart is a candid reminder of the tasks that still lies before us in fighting gender based violence, fermicide and all forms of gender discrimination as Mama Maxeke would have wanted us to do.

 

 

In terms of this Cabinet declaration we are being called to involve ourselves in public activations across this country as a practical way to serve by her legacy of high morality gender equality, selflessness service and sacrifice. Along that same thought what we shall also mark the International Albinism Awareness Day in collaboration with the great use in the sector as well as with the Department of Social Development.

This is part of our social cohesion agenda of providing platforms to vulnerable [Inaudible.]

 

The International Albinism Awareness Day as declared by the UN is on 13 June. Our commitment to the national strategic plan against gender based violence and fermicide remains uneven and we will continue to make a contribution to the NSP through the two of the six pillars identified. These are prevention and rebuilding, social cohesion pillar and secondly response care support and healing

 

 

Chair, please allow me to also remind us that in terms of our national commemorative [Inaudible.] this month of May is Africa month and thus, in everything that we do we need to be conscious of our history, heritage and collective identity as Africans and the obligations this consciousness imposes on us.

 

 

This is also in line with the AU’s declaration of 2021 as the year of the arts, culture and heritage. The bigger call is about pursuing the Africa we want as per the declaration. Hon Chair, I therefore humbly commend this house to pass this budget as tabled. Thank you very much

 

 

Mr S N SWART: Chair, with your permission I’m going to turn

 

off my camera due to connection issues.

 

The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M G Mahlaule): Proceed.

 

 

Mr S N SWART: Chairperson, firstly, on behalf of the ACDP, may we wish all Christians a very happy Ascension Day today as we celebrate the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

The total budget allocation for the department is

 

R5,69 billion for the year. Cabinet has approved certain

 

reductions to the department’s budget for this year of

 

R341 million, which obviously will have an impact on transfers

 

and subsidies, and will affect public entities which will be required, as the committee has pointed out, to implement cost

saving measures and to raise their own revenue where possible.

 

 

 

However, despite these reductions, the ACDP shares the sentiments that have been expressed by other members, that

struggling sports, arts and cultural federations and

 

individuals need to be provided with financial assistance, especially those affected by the postponement of events and the cancellation of events during one of the world’s longest and hardest lockdowns.

 

Chairperson and hon Minister, many artists are desperate. They need income, and we would like to see the full payment of income to those artists, which is due to them, as soon as possible.

 

 

On a positive note, the department’s plans to build 87 new

 

libraries, upgrade 120 community libraries and procure

 

290 000 library materials over the medium term must be supported. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the

body. Readers make leaders. However, we as the ACDP also share

 

the sense of devastation at the recent fire at the University of Cape Town which destroyed irreplaceable books and artworks

at the Jagger Library.

 

 

 

The ACDP also supports the Minister in the programmes to address gender-based violence, GBV, particularly with the

father-son dialogue programme. As a longstanding member of the

 

Justice Committee, I’m fully aware of the solution to the scourge of GBV, and that that cannot lie alone with the criminal justice sector. There must be a buy-in and contribution from all sectors of society.

 

It is disgraceful that the management of the important heritage site, the Robben Island Museum, is the subject of allegations of corruption and mismanagement. We support the portfolio ... call to be kept updated on the progress of investigations into these allegations.

 

 

Lastly, we wish all our sports teams the very best, in

 

particular, the national Olympic team to compete in Tokyo,

 

including our 4x100m relay team that won gold in last week’s

 

World Olympics. Please come back with ... [Inaudible.] ...

 

Olympics medals, particularly gold. We also wish the Springbok rugby team well that will compete against the British Lions

later this year. I thank you.

 

 

Afrikaans:

 

Mev V VAN DYK: Agb Voorsitter en lede van die Huis, die COVID-

 

19 pandemie het enorme wêreldwye uitdagings vir die kreatiewe

 

sektor veroorsaak. Terwyl kreatiewe en kulturele bedrywe soms as ’n luuksheid gesien word, word die waarde wat die kunssektor tot die ekonomie voeg en sy potensiaal om die werkloosheidskrisis aan te spreek, sowel as die bydra tot demokratiese groei, geweldig onderskat.

 

English:

 

Minister, your tweet in January suggested that South African theatre is alive and well. Yet, the arts and culture sector has been brought to its knees. With no COVID-19 relief funding support towards independent theatres, a vital part of the

economic development of their communities, as well as museums and heritage sites, world-renowned heritage sites like the

Apartheid Museum, visited by thousands of school children every year, and Liliesleaf Farm, had to close their doors. At

this rate, our children will be left growing up without any

 

real connection to our history.

 

 

 

The DA requested an action plan from the department to save independent and state-owned museums, institutions and historic

sites as a matter of urgency. The ANC government’s incompetence, lack of vision and strategy, is erasing our

country's memory. Minister, your silence on these issues is

 

deafening.

 

 

 

For the past four years, the department has underspent its budget. The underspend increased from R100,7 million to R227,5 million in 2019-20. According to the auditor-general, AG, 51% of irregular expenditure was incurred by the National

 

Arts Council, NAC, and relates to transfer payments made irregularly. The NAC’s clean audit is therefore questionable, if you take the Public Protector’s report on the surplus funds and the SA Roadies Association, Sara, issue into consideration.

 

 

Fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by entities in the

 

portfolio is R67,9 million, of which 53% was incurred by the Department of Arts and Culture, DAC, for overcharges and

substandard work on infrastructure projects. The National

 

Heritage Council regressed to a qualified opinion, with the Minister removing the council recently.

 

 

The Pan SA Language Board, PanSALB, has also been flagged by

 

the AG as an institution requiring intervention relating to governance. The Performing Arts Centre of the Free State,

Pacofs, has not improved their audit outcomes for the past

 

five years. The committee’s oversight confirmed major management problems. Freedom Park also needs intervention.

 

 

The AG highlighted the lack of consequence management as one of the top noncompliance areas for the portfolio. It is clear that COVID-19 is not the reason why the arts, culture and

 

heritage sector is in the dire situation it finds itself in. It has merely sped up the disintegration and demise of the sector with the second wave funding for arts projects, that was supposed to be completed between January and March 2021, still not fully paid out.

 

 

The staged sit-in of artists at the NAC for 60 days, seeking

 

answers to the mismanagement of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme fund, should indicate that things are

indeed not well. Breach of contracts with artists by the NAC

 

leaves a bad taste, but still the Minister of congratulations and condolences is dead quiet about the crisis in the sector.

 

 

Afrikaans:

 

Dringende kwessies wat die sosiale en ekonomiese regte van kunstenaars beinvloed — kopiereg, beskerming, digitalisering

van inhoud en vryheid van kunstenaars en van uitdrukking moet

 

polities aangespreek word. Die departement behoort in diepte konsultasies met alle dele van die sektor te voer.

 

 

English:

 

The DA wants to extend its congratulations to the creators of the South African documentary, My Octopus Teacher, for winning the Academy Award in the best documentary feature category.

 

 

Afrikaans:

 

Afrikaans, as een van die 11 inheemse tale, moet gelyke

 

erkenning kry en nie misbruik word as ’n slaansak vir

 

politieke agendas nie. Meer plaaslike inhoud in inheemse tale moet gegenereer word. Die ingesteldheid van die regering

teenoor die kreatiewe sektor moet verander anders sal ons

 

nooit die vrugte van hierdie enorme potensiaal kan pluk nie.

 

 

 

English:

 

Minister, without the creative sector you would have been naked today, without designer clothes and no speech prepared for you to deliver. We all need to speak up for the arts, culture and heritage sector. And instead of posting political campaign photos with people not wearing masks in the middle of a pandemic on your ministerial Facebook page, you need to recognise that #Artistslivesmatter. I thank you.

 

 

Ms V P MALOMANE: Chairperson, greetings to hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members and our fellow South Africans,

 

the ANC rises in support of Vote 37 Sport, Arts and Culture. We do so as the ANC, because we remain firm in our resolve that we are a nation at work that is working towards unity in our diversity. Great... [Inaudible.] ... have been made in constructing a new and inclusive society to which sport, arts, culture and heritage has made a contribution. They have been pivotal to the historic development of our country. As such our pursuit for a just, equitable and inclusive society cannot be attained without drawing from the sporting, creative, cultural and heritage resources of all South Africans.

 

 

As the ANC, we are committed to ensuring that sports, arts, culture and heritage contribute to change and the creation of a better life for all. Our intention is to progressively, effectively and efficiently contribute to building a cohesive and united society in which everyone has access to arts, culture, heritage, resources, facilities and opportunities. We also do so, because of the strategic role that this sector has to the development of our economy and nation. The arts, culture, heritage, sport and recreation centre are integral components in the attainment of the development and social upliftment of the people. They contribute significantly towards nation-building and socioeconomic development of our

 

country. This sector continues to a make significant contribution to building a new inclusive society. It thus remains true that the remaking of South Africa into a just society cannot be accomplished without drawing on this sector.

 

 

This is especially true, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, as I am speaking here in Sabie, Mpumalanga a multipurpose facility has recently been completed. The Minister has handed over sports equipment and attire to the community of different sporting codes. So, the people of Sabie are saying thank you. That is why they are saying, continue with your work, Minister.

 

 

Ms N NTLANGWINI:       ... [Inaudible.] ... but we don’t see

 

anything.

 

 

Ms V P MALOMANE: Chairperson, in creating an enabling environment that is strategically positioned the sector to be responsive and sustainable a four pillar strategy was developed to accelerate the sector towards economic recovery out of the pandemic. These four pillars are consolidation, expansion, stabilisation and sustainability. To ensure socioeconomic to artists and athletes who are in distress, the

 

third phase of funding is being rolled out. The pursuance and implementation of economic reforms in the sector remain important to stabilise and sustain the sector, so that is able to create sustainable jobs and drive inclusive growth.

 

 

We also welcome the interventions being made through the public employment scheme, which is targeted to create 19 000 sport, arts and culture, public employment opportunities. The competitive open call process has also aided in employment retrenchment initiative for practitioners in the sector. The target is 14 000 practitioners. This includes job retention in the cultural and creative industries, and in the sport sector. Significantly, we will continue to monitor the development of long-term plans that focus on job creation and sustainable interventions against loss of income experienced in the sector.

 

 

Chairperson, transformation is essential in strategic positioning the sector as a key instrument in the advancement of the nation-building and social cohesion. The White Paper for Arts and Culture must be implemented so that it can contribute to the transformation of the sector. This white paper on coexist with the White Paper on Sport and Job

 

creation, so that they not only collaborate on pertinent issues, but collectively as strategically advanced transformation.

 

 

We note the strides made in the sports sector to support, in particular previously disadvantaged athletes, people living with disabilities and women. This is significantly to the attainment of transformation in sport. We are concerned about the reduction in the budget, which will result in a lesser number of athletes supported, or the magnitude and scale of support will be reduced. In this contribution towards transformation art sector is important for economic transformation, but creating job opportunities and advances the development of the Mzansi Golden Economy Strategy. It is also advancing the transformation through the provision of support through arts and social development programmes and youth focus, arts development programmes. We will be keeping a keen eye on the support provided to the incubator programme, which provides a platform for the upskilling access to

...[Inaudible.] ... and job opportunities for practitioners. It is important to strengthen the ability of participants to access the start of skills, tools and networks relevant to the trade. It unlocks the potential of our practitioners, to

 

develop strategic partnership within the sector to ... [Inaudible.] ... networking opportunities and also focus on this transformation agenda.

 

 

Hon Chairperson, the ANC welcomes the implementation of the national strategy for the development and promotion of South African literacy culture. It will aid in the creation of an enabling environment in which South Africa literature and literacy content can thrive. It is underpinned by the need to fight illiteracy and inculcate a culture of reading and writing. I therefore urge the nation or to rally and support this national strategy. It is in line with President Ramaphosa’s call that within this decade, we must mobilise the entire nation behind a massive reading campaign.

 

 

We commend the support provided to sport and recreation bodies through the provision of more funding towards operational and administrative costs to keep the sector in operation. This intervention assists protect the sector from collapse and prevent job losses. We applaud the support given to the growth and stability of the creative industry so that it can be developed, supported, promoted and protected through the local

 

made of creative industries-related goods. This is important in improving the consumption of locally made goods.

 

 

As the ANC, Chair, we support the need to increase the local creative content to share royalties paid by both domestic and foreign broadcasters, and increase the export of creative goods and services. We must reduce imports of creative goods and services. We further support the process that is being undertaken by the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition to address the issue raised by the President in the Performers Protection and Copy Amendment Bill. These Bills are important for the transformation that we seek in the creative industry and we vehemently stand up against the exploitation of creative artists.

 

 

In conclusion, Chair, I just want to say to the Minister, Deputy Minister, continue with the intervention that you are doing, if there are disputes, maladministration and mismanagement. Continue with that ...

 

 

IsiZulu:

 

Ningahlehleli emuva, bhekani phambili. Yikho loko Umthetho Wezemidlalo Kanye Nokuncebeleka Isigaba 30(5) uyanivumela. Ngifuna ukusho ukuthi ...

 

 

English:

 

... there is a difference between interference and intervention. We need to learn that. As I conclude, Chair compatriots, our collective task is to ensure that we accelerate transformation in this sector so that the tangible advances cohesion and inclusivity. The ANC remains committed to ensuring that this sector contributes change and creation of a better life for all. Deputy Minister, we are aware that the department will continue to support Caster Semenya. The South Africans and portfolio committee will also continue to support Caster Semenya. The ANC will always live, the ANC will always lead - that’s what I want to say. That is why we are saying by supporting this Budget Vote 37, we are saying the department must continue to work and deliver to the people of South Africa. Thank you, Chairperson.

 

 

Mr C H M SIBISI: House Chair, the NFP was extremely concerned about the two-month long dispute between artists, the National Arts Council, NAC, and the Department of Sport, Arts and

 

Culture. Surely, what the artists are asking for should not be difficult for the council to do if there was no maladministration involved in the allocation of the

R300 million from the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme, Pesp. All these artists are asking for is transparency in the allocation of the package. We commend the Public Protector for stepping in to mediate in this matter but it should not end there. If there is a criminal or civil wrongdoing involved, it cannot go unpunished. Perhaps this is the reason why the council refuses to be transparent. The artists allege that the allocation of this package was fraught with governance failures, lacked transparency and that the entity has unduly delayed the disbursement of payments to deserving arts projects. The artists also complain that some members of the council were beneficiaries of the Pesp and therefore conflicted.

 

 

The NFP appeals to Minister Nyambose to support an investigation into these allegations. We cannot sit and do nothing while beneficiaries of this stimulus package have raised such serious concerns. There is an investigation report that came out in June last year which dealt with issues at the council. If the remedial actions in that report were

 

implemented, the council would not find itself in this predicament. Even though previous members of the council took it on judicial review, the implementation of those remedial actions was not interdicted.

 

 

Has Minister Mthethwa done anything about this? We cannot sit back while government agencies exploit the very same people they were established to serve. Many artists in the industry have come out guns blazing, criticising the Minister for his lack of action in this matter. Yet, things were still moving slowly. It is clear that there is no appetite in government to deal with allegations of corruption.

 

 

Furthermore, the report shone a spotlight on the NAC’s expired projects and surplus policy, which was found to have gaps that rendered it prone to abuse. Its implementation was also found to be arbitrary and generally inconsistent with the spirit of the law in that the NAC allowed its employees to initiate proposals to ... [Inaudible.] ... on behalf of applicants without their knowledge or consent.

 

 

It puts us in a very difficult position to vote for budgets and the allocation of funds to institutions and agencies that

 

misappropriate these funds. Whether we vote in favour, especially in light of the serious allegations of misappropriation of funds and unstable governance ... [Inaudible.] ... we are complicit to the injustice ... Yes, I support, sir. [Time expired.]

 

 

The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M G Mahlaule): Hon members, I am advised that hon Hendricks is not on the platform. Can I confirm that, hon Hendricks? Are you on the platform? If hon Hendricks is not on the platform, our next speaker will be hon D Joseph from the DA.

 

 

 

Mr D JOSEPH: Hon House Chair, hon Ministers, the chair of the committee and members, budget votes and budget debates in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic affects all of us tremendously and history will judge us as the Parliament of COVID-19. The situation calls on all of us, government as well as the private sector, to bring hope, and to adjust our plans and budgets so that we are able to save lives and livelihoods.

 

 

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is one of the key drivers of hope through nation-building and social cohesion programmes. The department should now be seen as a benchmark

 

for the amalgamation of two government departments. I am looking forward to the feasibility study report on the amalgamation of its entities. We have noted the department’s audit results as well as the outcomes of all entities which received clean audits. We acknowledge the progress in this regard. However, any and all allegations of corruption must be investigated and consequence management must be implemented and enforced wherever necessary.

 

 

One of the focus areas includes the promotion of indigenous languages. To this end, the DA welcomes the department’s decision to promote the San language ... the new language of the Nama people in digital format.

 

 

Afrikaans:

 

Die DA vra dat alle amptelike inheemse tale met gelyke status behandel en bevorder moet word. Ons dank en waardering aan alle rolspelers en die opvoedkundige sektore vir die bevordering van akademiese woordeskat vir hoër onderwys, insluitend gebaretaal.

 

 

English:

 

Libraries and museums need to amend their mandates from places of record-keeping to institutions of transformation and reflection of inclusive history, as stated by Prof Ciraj Rasool of the University of Cape Town, UCT. The Minister and the department’s silence after the fires at UCT is disappointing. A voluntary service of civil work ... civil society to safeguard and restore our heritage legacy project at the UCT library is an example of nation-building and social cohesion.

 

 

Robben Island Museum is struggling and is in need of a business rescue plan. Business dropped from 307 000 in the 2019 book year to 18 000 due to COVID-19. The museum has a history of poor management and is very unstable with the procurement record. The R107 million projected income for the 2021-22 financial year will not be achieved while international visitors are not flying to South Africa due to COVID-19 and the lockdown. Seventy percent of visitors to the island are usually foreign visitors.

 

 

The history of Khoisan leaders like David Stuurman, who ended up on the island because he showed resistance to the apartheid government or colonial government, needs a more prominent

 

place in our legacy projects. The DA calls on the Robben Island Museum to suspend the senior officials implicated in mismanagement. Government must prove to the people that consequence ... [Time expired.]

 

 

The CHAIRPERSON (Mr M G Mahlaule): Hon member, you hear your own clock that you set. Your time has expired. Thank you very much.

 

 

Hon members, I’m informed that hon Dlulane saved two minutes of her time which will be donated to hon Seabi who was allocated eight minutes, meaning that hon Seabi will have

10 minutes. Hon Seabi?

 

 

Mr A M SEABI: Thank you Chairperson and greetings to the Minister, the Deputy Minister, the portfolio committee chairperson, hon members and officials in attendance, the ANC rises in support of Vote No 37 Sport, Arts and Culture. We want to applaud the Minister for presenting this kind of a budget which will assist the sector to move forward.

 

 

And I want to say to the Minister you must not be distracted by a loud hailer like hon Mhlongo who is a shadow Minister and

 

gradually becoming the shadow of himself. He can’t command the capacity to listen; he is obsessed with anger and hatred. To the hon Mhlongo I would like to say that you will never be a Minister of Sport in our lifetime. You are here to attack the Minister, instead of interpreting the content of the budget.

Are the figures and words written in the above your comprehension, to an extent that you can differentiate between intervention from interference? As for the hon Madlingozi, I heard him making noise in song, and did not get the lyrics and meaning of the song. Hon Chairperson, the 2007 ANC Strategy and Tactics Document characterises the South African nation

...

 

 

Ms E N NTLANGWINI: Ringo is cleverer than you. He is cleverer than you. [Interjections.]

 

 

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr M G Mahlaule): Hon Ntlangwini. Wait, hon Seabi. Hon Ntlangwini, could you please be in order? Thank you very much. Can you continue, honourable. [Interjections.]

 

 

Mr A M SEABI: Given this history ...

 

Ms E N NTLANGWINI: Hon Chair, can I rise on a point of order?

 

 

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr M G Mahlaule): Hon Seabi, can we allow a point of order, hon Ntlangwini.

 

 

Ms E N NTLANGWINI: Chair, I just want to rise on a point of order to just check what has this member ever accomplished in his life, because hon Ringo has accomplished many things in his lifetime. [Interjections.]

 

 

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr M G Mahlaule): Hon Ntlangwini. Hon Ntlangwini, I request you to be in order. You know that is not a point of order. Thank you very much. Can the hon Seabi proceed.

 

 

Mr A M SEABI: Thank you Chair, given this history, strategy and tactics calls for unity in diversity through the building of a national democratic society which is based on human civilisation for a common value system - a national identity. It is in this context that we are enjoined as a nation by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the National Development Plan 2030 that out of this melting pot made up of a tapestry of cultures, creed and history, we build a united

 

and socially inclusive society. The identity of being a South African is in essence derived from the ideals that are enshrined in the Constitution. And this is a significant point of departure of who we are, and what we need to collectively achieve as a nation.

 

 

There has been progress in promoting a common South African identity. We acknowledge and are emphatic that much more needs to be done. Significant progress has been made in building a new and inclusive society to which the sports, arts and culture and heritage have made a contribution. This sector continues to be critical, both to improve the quality of life for all South Africans and promote nation-building and social cohesion.

 

 

As the ANC we continue to commit the reaffirmation and promotion of our rich and diverse expression of South African culture, to continue to promote the development of a unifying national culture representing the aspirations of South Africans which is underpinned by the principles of nonracialism, nonsexism, human rights and democracy.

 

We must continue to conserve, promote and revitalise our national cultural heritage so that it is accessible to all communities. That is why we must acknowledge that we are extremely proud of the major milestones achieved by Banyana Banyana. We must state unequivocally that we are not pleased by the performance of Bafana Bafana. We applaud the role played by the SA Football Association, Safa, with the support of our Minister in ensuring that as South Africa we lead the Confederation of African Football, Caf.

 

 

We also applaud the role played by Safa in sports development. They really made us proud as South Africans by ensuring that we lead Caf by electing President Motsepe as the President of Caf, and we say bravo. The recent eminent persons’ group has given us an account of the state of transformation in sport.

We must convey that we are not satisfied with the pace of transformation, particularly with the named sporting codes. This lack of transformation was exacerbated by the vehement outcries by the current and former black cricket players.

 

 

We applaud the Minister for his steadfastness in ensuring that the sport fraternity transform. The ANC government is about transformation. Intervention should not be confused with

 

interference. And we say to the Minister, continue with the good work. We are urging the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition to accelerate its pace on the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill and the Copyright Amendment Bill.

 

 

These Bills are important in preserving and promoting our creative industry. We also call on the department and the relevant entities to fast-track the auditing of statues as part of transformation of the heritage landscape. This sector has made tremendous strides in the provision of socioeconomic relief to the sector during lockdown. This emphasised the significance of this sector and its ability to keep the nation educated, entertained and healthy, drive nation-building and social cohesion.

 

 

The ANC remains conscious of the responsibility that the sport arts culture and heritage sector on the qualitative development of our country. These sectors are key to our strategic task of ensuring that we unite this country in all its diversity towards a prosperous future. This period also enabled us to look at key challenges that confront the sector.

 

We commit to collectively working together to ensure that we address this. This is an urgent task that must be progressively solved within the remainder of this sixth administration. This has the ability to hamper service delivery of the mandate of the department. This is also referenced against the background that the fiscal consolidation path way has led to the reductions in the budget. This has fundamental implications on the delivery of key programmes of the department.

 

 

We support this Vote because of its provision of an enabling environment for sports, arts and culture to buy by developing, preserving, protecting and promoting the sector. It advances and implement ANC commitments and resolutions such as enabling the youth to engage in cultural and sporting activities, focusing on their growth, education and skills development. It enhances moral regeneration, nation-building and social cohesion. It ensures the continuous building of national mourning moderate and remember our rich diverse heritage. It calls for an active sport and culture programme in schools and communities. It advocates for gender parity to be promoted and the awarding of green jackets for all sporting codes. These

 

are some of the policy imperatives that this Vote progressively advances within available sources.

 

 

In conclusion, hon Chair, the ANC continues to advocate for the building of social cohesion and working towards a nonracial and nonsexist society. We will continue to work with sectors in society to advance this vision, underpinned by values and principles espoused in the Constitution of the Republic. Sports arts, culture and heritage are fundamental pillars in this programme. We need to support this sector to ensure that these advances transformation, social cohesion and nation-building. We still reiterate that the ANC supports Vote No 37 Sport, Arts and Culture. I thank you.

 

 

The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr M G Mahlaule): Thank you very much, hon Seabi. I now call upon the hon the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture. Hon Minister?

 

 

The MINISTER OF SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE: Thank you Chair, and thanks very much members for your contribution. Chairperson, we note your programme and your encouragement on the Silapha Wellness Intervention Programme and we commit on transformation. You said we will not waver on that. Thank you

 

for that hon Chair. I also want to the hon member Swart on his support in the fight against gender-based violence, we had a father-son conversation under Golekane Movement.

 

 

Hon member Malomane, thanks for your observations on what is happening on the ground. I want to thank you, hon Seabi, for the counsel you have made - just counselling me and some of the members who also spoke. I want to dispel the notion that the ANC government is only concerned with the ANC people - only on those who come from the ANC. Six hundred and eight billion rand was spent in building the Steve Biko Heritage Centre. And we continue to support that. We have spent

R2 million on the interpretive centre for Robert Sobukwe and R2 million - additionally, R1,8 million there for his statue.

 

 

And we do not interfere in sport; we intervene. When we are called upon to intervene will intervene, but ordinarily we do not get into that space. The White Paper work has commenced on the implementation of new initiatives like the new funding model for the sector. The work is ongoing now on the amalgamation of public entities. The auditing of arts, culture and facilities is on in the country, including both public and private entities.

 

Robben Island is hit by the low levels of tourists visiting since COVID-19, otherwise it has been able to sustain itself. That is one major thing. On the issue of the infrastructure, we are engaging with the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, on the issue of maintenance and refurbishment. Artists have been hit very hard - not only them, both them and athletes. That is why we have decided to reprioritise the budget we have since last year and ensure that we do as much as we could in whatever final budgetary resources we have. And we will continue to do that.

 

 

You are wrong hon Madlingozi, the reason why withdrew the Act or invoked Act was because cricket did what it did - which is correct. And they need to be supported because again those who are saying they should not transform, they are ready to transform. But I want to say that the problem we have here is that the hon members of the DA do not want to listen. We say these things, for example what has happened. We explain every time. All what they say, as hon Mhlongo has said here, it’s just a diversion. When he says the ANC steals and so on - it is just a diversion and it is very difficult to follow and concentrate because you are not sure who you are following,

whether you are following an experiment, or you are anexperimenter. It’s a very difficult task for us to follow up.

We are going to continue working for the sectors and ensure that sectors are supported. Hon Swart made the point about the total budget. It seems to be big - R5,7 billion, but the 8% of that is transfer payments. Basically, this department as you have asked - together with the hon Van Dyk - that we should intervene here, intervene at University of Cape Town, UCT, and so on. I think it is time that you look at the budget itself so that you are able to call the department to be everywhere, otherwise with what we have done our best and we continue to do that because we worry about their lives and livelihoods of the athletes and artists. That is why we will continue with the coming up with mechanisms and plans to ensure that the people are served and served to the best of our ability.

With regard to the investigations - no investigations will be hidden. If there is an investigation from any entity, including what the Public Protector said to the hon Sibisi - this very board supports the Public Protector. It supports the forging ahead in investigating and getting to the bottom of the national executive committee, NEC - and so is the

situation at Robben Island. So will continue, hon Chair, to look at what members are saying, including some of the things which needs to be followed up, like what the hon Malomane is saying on the development of literacy culture in our country. We will continue with that, and our transformation is not really.    ... [Time expired.] Thank you.

 

 

The mini-plenary rose at 18:10.

 

 

 

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