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Date : 19/04/2005
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: Mtsweni: Mpumalanga Culture, Sport & Recreation Prov Budget Vote 2005/2006


Ms Nomsa Mtsweni, MEC for Culture, Sport & Recreation, speech at the budget vote 2005/2006

Media
Madam Speaker, Pinky Phosa
Honourable Premier, Thabang Makwetla
Esteemed members of the Executive Council
Esteemed members of the Mpumalanga Legislature
Honourable members of Parliament
Your majesties, Amakhosi
Representatives of Local Government, Mayors and Councillors Colleagues in Culture, Sport and Recreation Fraternity
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Quite clearly Madam Speaker, I am honoured with a privilege, to address this honourable house at a time when we celebrate the golden jubilee of the Freedom Charter - one of the greatest documents of the South African Freedom Struggle. The importance of Culture, Sport and Recreation for social cohesion, nation-building, human development and for the liberation of the human spirit was recognised early and repeatedly in the founding documents of our struggle for freedom and social justice.

This was in response to the efforts of the apartheid state to use culture and sport as weapons of division, denigration and exclusion.

For instance Madam Speaker, in 1955 the Freedom Charter declared that "The doors of learning and culture shall be opened and that the colour bar in cultural life in sport and in education shall be abolished".

Nearly forty years later in 1994, the Reconstruction and Development Programme declared that Arts and Culture should “affirm and promote the rich and diverse expression of the South African Culture and also declares that Sport and Recreation are an integral part of constructing and developing a healthier society".

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996, declares in the Bill of Rights, that “Everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice while in the Founding Provisions, the state is enjoined to elevate the status and advance the use of marginalised languages".

In the context of the foregoing remarks Madam Speaker, the role that Culture and Sport play in instilling a sense of common identity, belonging and patriotism cannot be over-emphasised. These aspects have gone a long way in building bridges across boundaries of race, language, religion, colour or creed that divided the South African nation for many centuries. These serve to cement the efforts of our founding leaders of the new Democratic order of a non-sexist, non-racial, united and prosperous South Africa.

On the one hand, the physical renewal of our country while important and essential, it is not the only fundamental prerequisite for sustaining the social transformation process. What is equally important is a spiritual and morally healthy social being that embraces attitudes that uphold human dignity and has respect and tolerance towards others.

A spirit that is at peace with the unfolding process of social progress and justice is a necessity and therefore, moral foundations as well as cultural disciplines in a multi-faith society have an important role to play in this regard.

On the other hand, Madame Speaker, contrary to public opinion, which places culture on the periphery of economic development, the 1997 Cultural Industry Growth and Strategy Research (CIGSR) identified the following industries as sectors with potential to contribute towards economic growth: - craft, music, film publishing, design, visual arts, performing arts and photography. Undoubtedly if maximally exploited, these sectors will contribute significantly into our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Honourable Premier, Thabang Makwetla at the Provincial Day of Reconciliation celebration in Lydenburg last year, had this to say “Our first ten years of Freedom have been ten years of growing unity, ten years of peace and stability, ten years of increasingly making resources in the hands of the state available to uplift the disadvantaged South Africans, ten years of expanding opportunities to build a better life for all”.

It is against this background Madame Speaker that I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the great strides made by my predecessors.

In addition I wish to acknowledge our people, both black and white, who in the past 10 years, made a contribution, however small, towards the new advances of our province further away from its painful past of racism, sexism and inequalities, to mention but a few.

To build on these constructive efforts, we call upon all our people across the colour line to dedicate this year to foster unity in action for change. Culture is an indispensable part of society. It is also a very important barometer of how a particular society is organised. For that reason, our province too has a responsibility to use culture and sport to assist our people to move in a particular direction, a direction of a disciplined South Africa, which is sensitive to gender issues, the poor, children, youth, women, the aged and people with disabilities. The dignity of these people must be restored. Their freedom to have access to a better life should be recognised and be protected. We believe that Culture and Sport can play a big role towards Vision 2014.

Madame Speaker, our Department covers a wide range of responsibilities that seek to develop the full potential of our people, empowering them to decisively move towards the eradication of poverty and underdevelopment in the Province, taking care of the enhancement of social cohesion that will result into the advancement of a caring society.

Our approach is premised on the principle that people are their own liberators, therefore we envisage a people-driven programme wherein, the department work collaboratively with all stakeholders in order to put culture and sport at the centre of socio-economic development, in a developmental state that is democratic and progressive in nature. In this regard, some milestones have been reached, however there are still challenges that lie ahead.

CULTURAL AFFAIRS

Madam Speaker, Mpumalanga is endowed with a rich and diverse cultural heritage, that has a potential to create rewarding work, stimulate economic growth whilst in the process enhance social and nation building. In the past years the Provincial Arts and Culture Festival just managed to unearth and showcased a total of 393 artists and performing groups attracting a patronage of approximately 23 000 people since inception in 2002. However, we have decided to restructure and re-launch the festival inter alia so as to raise its profile, to become a national festival that will serve as a platform for the branding of Mpumalanga as a preferred tourist destination and to produce national icons.

Madam Speaker, it would be proper for us to acknowledge the fact that, currently we are unable to meet the legitimate expectation in terms of arts and culture development and promotion. As a result, we have submitted an application with Treasury to register the Mpumalanga Arts and Culture Council (MACC) as a public entity. We hope that the successful registration of MACC will allow it to maximise its potential.

Our vision is to utilise MACC as the springboard for arts and culture development and promotion in the province, consequently stimulating the economic growth of the province.

The National Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration have been conducting a review on national and provincial entities in the country. This work has been finalised and recommendations, with far reaching implications have been made. As a result of this, our registration has been put on hold, pending decision/s taken at national level about public entities in the country.

Madam Speaker, it is our strategic objective to establish and support institutional structures, to promote cultural tolerance, social cohesion and to develop and maintain arts and culture facilities. As we do that, we will continue to assist the cultural activities by different Traditional Authorities. We will also as a Department strengthen our partnership with the Traditional Authorities in order to realise our goal of cultural renaissance that it has more impact to our youth and the communities in general. This will be part of our drive for moral regeneration.

The Traditional Authorities cultural activities (imimemo neminyanya) will also be recorded and archived to ensure that the future generations are kept abreast about the indigenous African Culture.

Madame Speaker, this province has an unbelievable potential for Film and Video industries. We have noticed that the province, more especially the Ehlanzeni District has been used as a film destination point by various filmmakers who operate unregulated in the province.

Productions such as the "Jock of the Bushveld and The Ghost and Darkness" were produced from this province and yet other provinces get credit for that. In this current financial year, we will move swiftly with speed to ensure that the Film and Video Commission is established, so that this industry is regulated. It is without doubt Madame Speaker that the establishment of the appropriate infrastructure will contribute towards management and control and will also contribute enormously to the economic growth and development of the province.

The Mobile Craft Clinic will extend its work to the three Arts Centres namely; Manzana, Silulu and Simon Gondwe to train and accredit 60 crafters as part of skill development programme in partnership with CREATE SA, with the R700 000 conditional grant received from the National Department of Arts and Culture.

Furthermore, Madame Speaker, with regard to the transformation of our heritage landscape, we embarked on a comprehensive programme of standardization of our geographical features, some of which requires all municipalities and the provincial government to facilitate the changing thereof. In the previous financial year 2004/2005 twenty (20) names were approved and gazetted by the National Minister of Arts and Culture.

Some of the names that have been officially changed are Ebersnake to Edludluma, Hectospruit to Emjejane, New Village to Kalomantasha, Fig Tree to Kahhoyi and Bhaca to Kadobi all from (Ehlanzeni Region). The challenge remains the standardization of names that affect major towns in the province. However, we applaud those Local Geographical Names Committees that managed to finalise the process amongst these 44 names mentioned above.

The Mpumalanga Geographic Names Committee has been directed to fast track the naming process so as to meet the deadline of July 2005 according to the Mpumalanga Provincial Names Committee's project charter.

Madam Speaker, I am elated to inform this house that the Mpumalanga Provincial Language Committee was officially launched in 20 February 2005. This structure is mandated to develop and promote the official languages especially the historically marginalised languages in the province, to campaign for the promotion of language rights and ensuring that multilingualism is promoted through the implementation of the National Language Policy framework.

In addition, the department is facilitating the establishment of the Language Research and Development Centres (LRDC) for IsiNdebele at the Ndebele College of Education and for SiSwati at Nkululeko Youth Centre.

This pilot project is funded by the National Department of Arts and Culture with R2 million. However, the lack of a University in the province is a set back because ideally these centres should be housed by a University.

Madame Speaker, with regard to the hosting of National Commemorative days such as Freedom Day, Heritage Day, Day of Reconciliation, Africa Day and Human Rights Day, we intend running build-up programmes that are educative and which are to culminate into the actual event, to ensure broader participation of the grassroots artists as well as their entire community. In so doing, we hope to optimise social cohesion and nation building. To this end, Madame Speaker, the Provincial Executive Council has requested Treasury to consider allocating additional budget to the Department in order to implement this strategy.

HERITAGE RESEARCH PROJECT

In his state of the province address, the Honourable Premier alluded to the evidence of the earliest phases of evolution dating more than 50 thousand years ago, evidence of the presence and life styles of human beings in South Africa, relating to middle stone age and later stone age. About this he said, " This inspirational heritage must make us want not be ordinary".

In reference to this, the department will undertake to support a bold project to verify and document the past and further define the future of Mpumalanga Province.

The department will provide support to a history research project initiated by the office of the Premier, which will be headed by an accomplished academic historian in the name of Professor Peter Delius in collaboration with the National Heritage Council. Inter alia it is envisaged that the study will provide a major source for branding the province, identification and prioritization of heritage sites and material for education and tourism.

Madame Speaker, the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy of Mpumalanga emphasises the need to increase the tourism potential of our province, thus creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to benefit. In our efforts to create such platforms, the province together with the South African Gold Panning Association, (SAGPA) will be hosting the World Gold Panning Championships from the 17-25 September 2005.

This will be the flagship event during Heritage month. The event will be hosted at Pilgrim's Rest, a tourism icon that is renowned both nationally and internationally. An amount of R4,3 million has been budgeted for the event.

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES

Madame Speaker, 19 533 books and other library material to the value of R2,4 million were purchased for 85 public libraries in the province during the previous financial year (2004/2005). Furthermore an amount of R85 000 was spent on a core collection of 1200 new books for two new libraries to kick-start their collection. The librarians selected their own books according to the needs of their users. Unfortunately, only an average of 200 new books could be purchased per library per year for this amount as opposed to at least 500 new books needed per library per year.

For the current financial year 2005/2006, an amount of R2,8 million is budgeted for purchasing of library material, which is not enough. Madame Speaker, in order to promote the culture of reading and writing in our communities the Provincial government need to assist my Department to deal with the backlog of about 90 libraries. As an alternative, we are currently providing library services through mobile libraries and book boxes where fully established libraries are not available.

My colleague, MEC Masango and I will be launching a special campaign called Fundza For Fun. This campaign was introduced by presenting my colleagues in the Provincial Executive Council with conditional gifts of books to read. They will be expected during the next readathon and library week to share their reading experiences with our people. The vision behind the campaign is to encourage our people to read and to effectively utilise public libraries. Fundza For Fun will eventually culminate into awarding the winners with prizes, such as bursaries to further their studies and other awards. In so doing we hope to inculcate the culture of reading in order to sharpen our minds. The details of the campaign will be made available during the official launch of the project on the 22nd of April 2005 in Badplaas.

ARCHIVES AND RECORDS MANAGEMENT

Mpumalanga Province is amongst the 6 provinces in the country that never inherited any functioning infrastructure with trained staff to provide records management services and to manage public records in the province. As a result, the function of records management has proved to be beyond our capacity due to limited resources and professional expertise.

The National Archives and Records Service and the Mpumalanga Provincial Archives, conducted a survey on records management. The report on the survey has been forwarded to the Department and the following has been highlighted namely; the need for each department to finalise its file plan, and to provide effective and efficient record management. This financial year we must ensure that all departments have file plans.

The province has a Constitutional mandate to provide for an archive infrastructure. To this end, a feasibility study has been conducted and the report submitted to relevant structures including the Provincial Treasury and the Executive Council committee on Social Services. The Archive Infrastructure was estimated to be at R60 million in 2004. We surely hope that the Provincial government will prioritise this need.

The anomaly of not having an archive infrastructure affects all Departmental filling systems, records management and tracking thereof.

Currently the province does not have effective and efficient record management services.

SPORT AND RECREATION

Madame Speaker, the 2005 has been declared by the United Nations as the year of Sport and physical education, I can not over emphasise the importance of the mass participation programme as well as intensifying the ties with education department in ensuring that school sport is effectively and smoothly run. In our view the starting place to achieve this is to get the basics right. Community clubs must be revived and our children in townships, villages and farm schools must be assisted to take part in sport and recreation activities.

The development and improvement for sport and recreation remains a priority, yet the role of my department is to facilitate and monitor the implementation of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), which is given directly to local government. Madame Speaker, I think it is proper for me to take this opportunity to emphasise that as a stakeholder we are not going to tolerate a situation where the MIG funds are directed for other purposes that were not meant for. As we do that the Department will work closely with the local government and municipalities to ensure that all Integrated Development Plan (IDP) of municipalities are reflective on how the MIG funds are going to be spent for Sport and Recreation.

Madam Speaker, we agree with our social partners namely Safety and Security, Education and Health and Social Services that sports programmes can improve the lives of our people in areas such as, reducing obesity, teenage pregnancies and contracting HIV and AIDS virus and also reducing crime.

School sport is a crucial lever in empowering young people towards healthy and active but discipline lifestyles. Sport promotes the motor skills of learners, teamwork and leadership skills. School sport is the nursery for participants in senior competitions. To this end, the Provincial Department of Education and our Department are expected to sign a memorandum of agreement based on the agreement signed between the two National Departments of Sport and Recreation and the Department of Education.

Madame Speaker, in this financial year 2005/2006, an amount of R2,67 million allocated to the province by Sport and Recreation South Africa, is specifically budgeted for mass participation programme, targeting crime hot spots in the province. During the last financial year 2004/2005 the Siyadlala programme was introduced at Vosman, Kanyamazane, Embalenhle and Siyabuswa. This year 2005/2006, other hubs will be added. In partnership with the Department of Safety and Security, the additional hubs were identified as follows: Piet Retief, Ermelo, Ekulindeni, Tonga, Nelspruit and KwaMhlanga crossroads.

Subsequently, 48 volunteers will be employed, 8 per hub at a stipend of R1 200 per month, to facilitate general aerobics, street ball, Indigenous games and fun-walks. The objective of the Siyadlala Project is to get as many as possible people who will participate en masse in sport activities. Undoubtedly, in the process talent would be identified for further development by the Mpumalanga Academy of Sport.

Following the successful bid to host the FIFA 2010 World Soccer tournament; the department will during the first phase of the financial year launch the Vision 2010 programme, which seeks to prepare at least 2 players to participate in the Bafana Bafana squad in 2010. The Vision 2010 will take the format of 22 Mayoral Municipal tournaments to unearth talent, which will be done in conjunction with the South African Football Association (SAFA).

Madame Speaker, the vision 2010 is linked to SA games project. This year, Mpumalanga will be preparing a non-racial team consisting of 500 athletes and technical staff to participate in the 3rd SA Games to be hosted by KwaZulu-Natal in September 2005.

We have organised inter-provincial games with Free State in order to test our strength before the actual SA games competitions. However, the department needs additional funds to cater for the SA games at a budget of R4,5 million. Madame Speaker, we hope to exhort Provincial Treasury to assist us in this regard.

I am happy to announce that Detroit Women's Football Club has produced 5 team members who are playing for Banyana Banyana and they are all from Mpumalanga Province, and that Mpumi Nyandeni who was amongst those who went to England for trials is also from Mpumalanga Province.

They have won Provincial Vodacom League two times. On the 22 - 29 May 2005 they will be representing the Province in the National Play-Off in the Vaal Triangle, and they are here in the house with us today.

STRATEGIES TO MAXIMISE THE IMPACT OF THE DEPARTMENT

Madam Speaker, firstly in order to improve the service delivery, we are currently reviewing the Department's organizational structure to be aligned with the programmes structures of the Department, to streamline our systems of monitoring and evaluation, to improve the performance of our administration in the implementation of the current strategic plan.

We intend implementing the new structure in phases because of financial constraints as soon as it is finalised by work-study.

Secondly, due to limited financial resources, we intend to engage our social partners, especially the business sector, to collaborate with the department in implementing some of our programmes and projects. We are confident that additional funding can be leveraged to speed up service delivery on our sectors.

Thirdly, we intend working collaboratively with local government structures in a quest to promote co-operative governance through MUNIMEC forums and other structures to ensure that culture and sport imperatives are made priority in the IDP processes.

To this end Madame Speaker, all components of the department, are expected to facilitate the formation of Culture and Sport Councils in all 22 municipalities, and we are prepared to run workshops to empower these structures to access external funding from institutions such as the Lottery Board and National Arts Council.

Added to this we are continuing in updating our database for our clients, structures, available facilities and amenities, and we intend publishing this database during the second quarter of this financial year. Quite clearly, this database will enable our sector in the province to work effectively without duplication and overlapping of delivery of programmes and projects.

Lastly, regarding skills development in the Culture and Sport sector, we have planned to engage the specific sector within Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA) relating to Culture, Sport and Recreation so as to empower our people with relevant skills in their occupations.

Madame Speaker, I now wish to table the budget allocation for the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation for consideration by the house.

The Department has been allocated R74 676 million for this financial year. R43 353 million (that is, 58%) will be spent on compensation of employees, leaving R31 323 million (42%) for operations and departmental programmes.

In order to manage the department and co-ordinate the activities of its different programmes, the department has allocated R27, 731 million for the Administration programme.

To promote culture, heritage and the arts in the province, the Cultural Affairs programme will receive R23, 367 million. For the department to continue to run public libraries and also oversee the archives, including records management throughout the province R13, 042 million is therefore allocated to the programme Library and Information Services.

To further contribute to social cohesion and the fight against social ills, the department will get communities playing through a myriad of sport and recreation activities. For this purpose R10 536 million is allocated to the Sport and Recreation programme.

CONCLUSION

Madame Speaker, allow me to express my sincere gratitude to the Honourable Premier Thabang Makwetla, Members of the Executive Council, Members of the Legislature, the Acting Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Education, Culture, Sport and Recreation and members, as well as the various culture and sport bodies for their relentless support to the Department. I will also like to thank the staff in the department led by the HOD, for their commitment and diligences towards their responsibilities as members of our public service. As I am about to sit down I would like to extend my gratitude to the members of my family and my office for their unwavering support in trying times.

Ngiyathokoza!

Samuel Mpatlanyane
Head: Communications
Tel: (013) 766 5014
Fax: (013) 766 5576
Cell: 082 923 0550
Issued by: Department of Culture, Sport & Recreation, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
19 April 2005

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