National Assembly - 22 May 2002
WEDNESDAY, 22 MAY 2002 __
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
____
The House met at 15:00.
The Deputy Speaker took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS - see col 000.
QUESTIONS AND REPLIES - see that book.
NOTICES OF MOTION
Ms S C VAN DER MERWE: Chairperson, I give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House - (1) notes that the rand has gained about 19% against the dollar this year, making it the world’s best performing currency;
(2) recognises that the gaining of strength is due to multiple factors, including confidence in our economy and in our prospects for growth and development;
(3) further recognises that this confidence is strengthened by the bumper trade surpluses in February and March, helping the country to an impressive trade balance of R10,4 billion in the first quarter;
(4) congratulates the Government, in particular the Ministers of Finance and of Trade and Industry, for their outstanding success in transforming the economy of our country; and
(5) calls on all those who stand whining on the sidelines to take off their cloaks of doom and gloom and to instead celebrate with us in our transformation to democracy and prosperity, facing up to the massive challenges that face our country with commitment and joy.
[Applause.]
Mr J SELFE: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that I shall move:
That the House -
(1) congratulates the people of Delft on turning out in their thousands to welcome the Leader of the Opposition during his afternoon walkabout, and for the successful public meeting held last night;
(2) also congratulates Mayor Gerald Morkel on his strong pro-poor announcements and measures;
(3) recognises that it is clear that the Democratic Alliance has found its way into the hearts and minds of the people of the Cape Flats and that the DA is here to stay; and
(4) warns politicians who were given a mandate in December 2000 by the local government voters that they turn their backs on the people at their peril.
[Applause.]
Mr B W DHLAMINI: Chair, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the IFP:
That the House -
(1) notes that according to one of the findings of a study conducted last year by the University of Cape Town’s Institute of Criminology and the Medical Research Council, verbal abuse of health care workers in hospitals across Cape Town is a major concern;
(2) further notes that 61% of the health care workers interviewed ``frequently’’ had to deal with threats and verbal insults; and
(3) calls upon the public to -
(a) exercise restraint and to understand that health care workers
perform under a lot of pressure and stress; and
(b) desist from making the job of health care workers more difficult
than it is by directing abuse and threats at them.
Mrs B TINTO: Chair, I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes that Cobus Cronjé, a Cape Town businessman and inventor who grew up in modest circumstances, has concluded a R450 million deal to make and export a vehicle exhaust device of his own invention; (2) believes that it is such innovative ideas and entrepreneurship that will bring South Africa to the forefront of international competitiveness;
(3) commends Mr Cronjé’s plans to open a centre to assist people with new inventions to develop prototypes and to patent new products; and
(4) congratulates Mr Cronjé on his outstanding achievement.
[Applause.]
Mr A BLAAS: Chair, I give notice that I shall move on behalf of the New NP:
That the House -
(1) notes the alarming shortage of money necessary for the effective functioning of the Defence Force, therefore causing -
(a) equipment to be neglected to such an extent that it becomes
unreliable and poses a threat to human lives;
(b) a shortage of skills, human resources and the loss of
technicians and pilots due to a lack of flying time;
(c) a trend which, if continued, will put the Defence Force in a
position of being unable to fulfil its mandate;
(d) incidents of theft, fraud and irregularities to become more
frequent;
(e) the Navy to pirate from serviceable vessels to maintain other
vessels; and
(f) the morale and availability of the reserve forces to deteriorate
because logistical support and equipment are unavailable; and
(2) calls on the Cabinet Committee on Safety and Security to investigate the possibility of allocating more money to the Defence Force or to revisit assignments allocated to the Defence Force.
Ms ANNELIZÉ VAN WYK: Honourable Chair, I will move on behalf of the UDM:
That the House -
(1) notes that the Constitutional Court yesterday ruled on section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act;
(2) thanks the Constitutional Court for the obvious effort it applied to clearly and unambiguously explain its ruling, and hopes that this contributes to clarification on the use of lethal force;
(3) urges the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development to immediately draft a new section 49, taking on board the express guidelines that were laid down by the Constitutional Court in order to once and for all end the confusion created by the existence of two different versions of section 49; and
(4) calls on the Minister of Safety and Security to immediately communicate clear and concise guidelines and to launch retraining programmes, if necessary to all members of the SAPS to ensure that the life-threatening confusion that has existed until now is cleared up.
[Applause.]
Mr P J GOMOMO: Hon Chairperson, I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes that President George Bush Junior has refused to lift the United States trade embargo against Cuba; (2) further notes that this embargo is based on ideology rather than matters of principle on the part of the United States, which remains quiet about human rights abuses in countries whose governments it supports; and
(3) calls on the United States not to abuse its power as the world’s wealthiest nation with the largest economy at the expense of the people who inhabit a tiny neighbouring state.
[Applause.]
Dr M S MOGOBA: Chairperson, I shall move as follows:
That the House -
(1) congratulates the new chairman of the traditional leaders, Nkosi Mpiyezintombi Mzimela, and wishes him success in this important position;
(2) observes that the status and authority of the traditional leaders is vaguely stated in the Constitution;
(3) appeals to the ANC Government to revisit sections 211 and 212 of the Constitution so that the status, role and authority of traditional leaders can be stated in a more meaningful manner which befits the status of African royalty, and truly recognises the institution of African royalty in our country; and
(4) notes the PAC view that genuine traditional leaders are custodians of African culture and customary law and that there can be no African restoration without retrieving lost African glory.
Dr C P MULDER: Mev die Speaker, hiermee gee ek kennis:
Dat die Huis -
(1) kennis neem dat die nuwe Springbok-rugbyafrigter, Rudolf Straeuli, sy groep van 22 spelers aangewys het vir die eerste toets teen Wallis;
(2) die afrigter, sy bestuurspan en die spelers sterkte toewens met die kragmetings wat teen onder andere Wallis, Australië en Nieu-Seeland voorlê;
(3) Straeuli en sy keurders gelukwens met die moed wat hulle aan die dag gelê het om ‘n betreklike jong en onervare span op grond van meriete saam te stel, en hoop dat meriete deurgaans die norm sal wees by die kies van spanne; en
(4) ‘n beroep doen op Sarvu om sy huis in orde te kry en behoorlike langtermynsekuriteit aan talentvolle spelers te verskaf, wat sal verhoed dat hulle die land verlaat om vir buitelandse klubs te gaan speel. (Translation of Afrikaans notice of motion follows.) [Dr C P MULDER: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice:
That the House -
(1) takes note that the new Springbok rugby coach, Rudolf Straeuli, has selected his group of 22 players for the first test against Wales;
(2) wishes the coach, his management team and the players everything of the best for the upcoming tests against, amongst others, Wales, Australia and New Zealand;
(3) congratulates Straeuli and his selectors for the courage they displayed in putting together a fairly young and inexperienced team on the basis of merit, and hopes that merit will remain the norm throughout when teams are selected; and
(4) appeals to Sarfu to get its house in order and to provide proper long- term security for talented players, which would prevent them from leaving the country to play for clubs abroad.]
Miss M N MAGAZI: Chairperson, I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) the Johannesburg High Court handed down multiple life sentences
to Bruma Lake serial killers Simon Majola and Themba Nkosi; and
(b) members of the SAPS worked tirelessly to ensure that the duo was
brought to book;
(2) congratulates the Johannesburg High Court on an appropriate sentence meted out to these criminals;
(3) commends the SAPS for investigating and bringing these criminal to book; and
(4) calls on the communities to work with the police to ensure that we fight crime and that our people live in a secure environment. [Applause.]
Ms R TALJAARD: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that I shall move:
That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) the headline inflation rate for April 2002 is 8,0% and that this
rate is the highest since February 1999;
(b) the CPIX increased by 0,8% for April, moving further out of the
inflation target range and now stands at 8,8%; and
(c) inflationary pressures continue to cause hardship for South
Africans who have to feed, house, transport and ensure the
health and wellbeing of their families;
(2) expresses its concern at the continued after-effects of the dramatic depreciation of the rand in the fourth quarter of 2001 on inflation despite the possible ameliorating impact of the recent rand strength primarily on the back of dollar weakness; and
(3) calls on all role-players to co-ordinate their efforts to ensure that inflationary pressures are curtailed.
[Applause.]
Mr J H SLABBERT: Chair, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the IFP:
That the House -
(1) condemns the incident in which two houses vacated due to evictions by banks were burnt down in Mandela Park in Khayelitsha after bank representatives from the NBS, Standard Bank and Servcon Housing Company failed to attend a meeting called by residents to address evictions in the area;
(2) regrets that such evictions occurred through nonpayment of bonds because of the shoddy construction work, but recognises that the occupants were merely making a statement after their complaints fell on deaf ears from both the banks and the construction company;
(3) does not condone nonpayment for services rendered, but wishes to register that shoddy work is in violation of a contract between the service provider and the receiver of such service;
(4) calls upon the banks and construction companies to be civil with the complainants and to give attention to consumer complaints; and
(5) wishes to solicit the support of the Minister of Housing to intervene in the matter to prevent further destruction of property …
[Time expired.]
Mr M RAMGOBIN: Chairperson, I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes reports of increased tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir;
(2) believes that it is mostly unarmed civilians, women and children in particular, who are subjected to human rights abuse in situations of all wars and terrorists’ activities;
(3) calls on the two countries in the spirit of coexistence to work towards a peaceful resolution of their conflicts; and
(4) further calls on the international community to make efforts to avert war between these two countries and, in keeping with international law, to make sure that the territorial integrity of both countries is respected.
[Applause.]
Mr I J PRETORIUS: Geagte Voorsitter, ek gee kennis dat ek op die volgende sittingsdag gaan voorstel:
Dat die Huis -
(1) die Minister van Handel en Nywerheid se versoek ten volle steun dat die kwotastelsel soos vervat in die voorgestelde Wetsontwerp op Immigrasie geskrap word;
(2) meen dat die kwotastelsel die toelating van hoogs geskoolde persone sal belemmer; en
(3) ook van mening is dat die afskaffing van die kwotastelsel sal meebring dat mense met broodnodige kundigheid die stimulus sal verskaf om ekonomiese ontwikkeling te bevorder en werkgeleenthede te skep. (Translation of Afrikaans notice of motion follows.)
[Mr I J PRETORIUS: Hon Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House -
(1) fully supports the request by the Minister of Trade and Industry that the quota system as contained in the proposed Immigration Bill be removed;
(2) is of the opinion that the quota system would hamper the admission of highly trained people; and
(3) is also of the opinion that the removal of the quota system would result in people with essential expertise providing the stimulus to promote economic development and create job opportunities.]
Prof L M MBADI: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that I shall move on behalf of the UDM at the next sitting of this House:
That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) the son of the Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy was
recently expelled from his school for setting off a smoke bomb
on school premises that injured 10 pupils;
(b) this expulsion was overturned by the Gauteng MEC for Education,
without consulting the school governing body; and
(c) the ANC in Gauteng defended the MEC's decision;
(2) calls on the Government to ensure that its interaction with schools is even-handed and fair, and that special attention is paid to the legal and democratic role that school governing bodies are entitled to play.
Miss J E SOSIBO: Chairperson, I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes that a pool of foreign and local investors has spent R7 million to light up KwaMpungose, a rural KwaZulu-Natal community, as part of a world-first commercial project to supply low-priced electricity using sustainable fuel cell technology; (2) believes that this project will contribute positively to the rural renewal programme and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas; and
(3) commends the Alternative Energy Development Corporation for embarking on this important initiative.
DISESTABLISHMENT OF SOUTH AFRICAN HOUSING TRUST LIMITED BILL
(Second Reading debate)
The MINISTER OF HOUSING: Chairperson and hon members, the Bill which we have before the House represents the end of a chapter of a government intervention which began during 1986 when the government and the private sector, under the leadership of the late Dr Fred du Plessis of Sanlam, agreed that the country was faced with two major crises, namely, lack of housing with ownership for the lower income segment of the South African population, and unemployment.
Following discussions between the then government and the private sector, it was agreed that a joint venture should be established outside of government so as to create employment opportunities through the facilitation and funding of housing directed at the lower-income segment of the South African population. For this purpose, the SA Housing Trust Limited was established in January of 1987 with its main business and purpose stated as follows, and I quote:
To promote and facilitate the provision of affordable shelter and security of tenure to the lower income earning communities of South Africa in a way which will maximise job creation.
Since its establishment, the business of the company evolved through a number of phases. These phases reflect the impact of and adjustments made by the management of the company in relation to changes in the external environment from time to time. Two wholly owned subsidiaries of the company were established, namely, Nu-Way Housing Developments (Pty) Limited and Khayalethu Home Loans (Pty) Limited, which respectively house the property development business and the home loan business of the group.
On incorporation, the company issued 10 000 ordinary shares with a par value of R1 each to various institutions. Simultaneously therewith, the government provided an interest free loan of R445 million to the company and undertook to guarantee loans raised in the private sector to an amount of R890 million. During the 1993-94 financial year, the government’s interest-free loan of R445 million was converted into share capital by the issue of one Class A ordinary shares with a par value of R1 and issue at a premium of R444,9 million. This Class A ordinary share ranks pari passu with all other ordinary shared in the authorised and issued shared capital of the company, save that the holder thereof shall on a winding-up of the company, whether voluntarily or compulsorily, be entitled to a liquidation dividend after all the creditors of the company have been paid in full and in priority to the ordinary shareholders, equal to the aggregate of the par value of such share and the share premium attached thereto.
The aforesaid capitalisation had the effect of improving the capital structure of the company and geared the company appropriately so as to grow its business substantially. In addition to the above, during the 1992-93 financial year, the government made a nonrefundable grant of R40 million to the company.
The delay in profitability of stand sales together with the bond repayment boycotts by home owners severely hampered the growth of the company. The company had substantial accumulated losses for each year from 1995 to 1998.
The Government and the directors of the company came to the conclusion that the likelihood of the company successfully trading out of its difficulties was remote and that the company’s operations should be restructured. The Government approved the restructuring during March 1998 and agreed to honour all guarantees which it had issued. It also agreed that the subsidiaries - Nu-Way and Khayalethu - and businesses of the company be sold as going concerns for the best prices available and that any proceeds therefrom be applied towards settling the liabilities of the group.
During 1999 and 2000, the company sold Nu-Way and Khayalethu with the approval of the Cabinet. Cabinet also agreed that steps should be taken to disestablish the company. The winding-down process has taken place with the knowledge and consent of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts of the National Assembly. After the sale of the two subsidiaries, the liabilities of the company amount to R571 million, which has been transferred to the Government.
The assets of the company that remain after the sale of the two subsidiaries amount to approximately R70 million, which consists mainly of loans to various housing corporations of the former TVBC states. Government has agreed that the company should transfer its assets of approximately R70 million to the National Housing Finance Corporation, wholly owned by the Government, for a nominal fee of R1. National Treasury became responsible for the serving and payment of the debt obligations after 1 April this year.
As I speak, there are no employees of the SA Housing Trust Limited. All the employees of the company have either moved to other employment or been redeployed in the companies which purchased Nu-Way Warehousing Developments and Khayalethu Home Loans. The only directors remaining, with the exception of the chairperson, are employees of the state, and no director of the company has received or will receive any benefit other than a nominal director’s remuneration.
The Bill seeks to disestablish the company from 1 April this year through clause 2(1). The Registrar of Companies must deregister the company, in terms of the Companies Act of 1973, from the effective date through clause 2(2). In terms of clause 3(a), all rights and assets of the company will vest in the National Housing Finance Corporation, while all obligations and liabilities will vest in the Government as national state debt and the Government becomes bound to meet these obligations and liabilities on the dates stipulated for compliance through clause 3(b). The directors of the company retire as directors as from the effective date, through clause 3(c).
In terms of clause 4(1), payments made by the Government after the effective date but during the 2002-03 financial year to meet the obligations and liabilities referred to above must be direct charges against the National Revenue Fund to the extent that such payment cannot be defrayed from funds appropriated under the Housing Vote in the Appropriation Act. In subsequent years, payments by the Government of any of the company’s obligations and liabilities are a direct charge against the National Revenue Fund as if they were payments in connection with loans as contemplated in section 73 of the Public Finance Management Act of 1999, in terms of clause 4(2).
After discussions between the Department of Housing and the Portfolio Committee on Housing, it was found necessary to make minor amendments to the Bill, relating to the extension of the effective date from 1 April to 1 July this year, the extension of the date from which the National Revenue Fund takes over the liabilities of the company from 1 April 2001 to 1 April 2002 and the rewording of clause 4(2) to bring the repayment of the company’s future obligations and liabilities into line with the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act of 1999. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
Bill read a second time.
The House adjourned at 17:25. ____
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
TABLINGS: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
Papers:
- The Minister of Communications:
Group Annual Financial Statements of the South African Post Office
Limited for 1997-1998.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
National Assembly:
-
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security on the Private Security Industry Levies Bill [B 11 - 2002] (National Assembly - sec 77), dated 22 May 2002:
The Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security, having considered the subject of the Private Security Industry Levies Bill [B 11 - 2002] (National Assembly - sec 77), referred to it and classified by the Joint Tagging Mechanism as a money Bill, reports that it has agreed to the Bill.
-
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Transport on the National Railway Safety Regulator Bill [B 7D - 2002] (National Assembly - sec 76), dated 22 May 2002:
The Portfolio Committee on Transport, having considered the National Railway Safety Regulator Bill [B 7D - 2002] (National Assembly - sec 76), amended by the National Council of Provinces and referred to the Committee, reports that it has agreed to the Bill.
Report to be considered.
- Report of the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation on study tour to Northern Cape, dated 30 October 2001:
INDEX
Item Paragraph
Introduction A
Delegation B
Areas visited C
Welcoming by MEC D
Observations E
Meetings with sports bodies
and communities F
Observations G
Overall comments H
Recommendations I
A. Introduction
A delegation representing the Portfolio Committee on Sport and
Recreation visited the Northern Cape province from 9 to 12 June
2000. The purpose of the visit was to assess the progress made by
the provincial department with regard to development and
transformation of sport in South Africa. The delegation wanted to
understand the problems and challenges experienced by the
province. The Committee also wanted to assess the link and
congruence between the programme of the provincial department of
sport to the national vision on sport and recreation.
The delegation representing the Committee focused on the
following:
1. Availability of sports facilities to all communities, which
include the following:
(a) Provision of sports facilities to communities that were
previously disadvantaged.
(b) Accessibility of sports facilities to all and in all
areas.
(c) Sensitivity to disabled people when building sports
facilities.
(d) The level of standard of facilities within different
communities.
(e) The ownership of sport facilities by communities.
(f) The maintenance of facilities by both the community and
the municipalities.
2. Accessibility of all sports to all communities, including the
following:
(a) The integration of all to sports, irrespective of race and
gender.
(b) The representativity of previously disadvantaged people in
the provincial and regional teams of different sports
codes.
(c) The back-up support that is given to financial
disadvantaged sports people who are selected for
participation in national and international tournaments.
(d) The promotion of the disabled people's participation on
sport and recreation activities.
(e) The recognition of deserving sports people as role models
and the use of such people as human resources by
communities.
(f) The utilisation of sports people by the community and
various structures in the programme of nation building.
3. Sport Development Programmes, which are run in the province.
4. The availability, accessibility and impact of the sports
academies.
5. The relationship between the provincial department, the
Standing Committee on Sport and the local government
structures.
6. The relationship between the government departments, the sports
bodies and other role players in sport such as the business
sector.
7. The role of the community on sports issues.
8. Challenges that are encountered by the Sports and Recreation
Department.
B. Delegation
The delegation was:
Ms R Bhengu (leader)
Mr J Louw
Mr C Frolick
Mr E T Ferreira
Mr L Myoli (Committee Secretary)
C. Areas visited
The delegation visited the following areas:
* Greenpoint School
* Old De Beers Ground
* Greenpoint Primary School
* Old Griqualand Rugby Union Field
* Pescodia
* Venus High School (Pescodia)
* Galashewe
* Ministry Offices
* Olifantshoek
* Paballelo Stadium in Upington
* Department of Sport in Upington
* Matjieskloof in Springbok
* District Council in Springbok
* Calvinia
D. Welcoming by MEC
On arrival in the Northern Cape, the delegation was welcomed at
and collected from the Airport by the late MEC for Sport and
Culture, Mr Brian Hermanus, accompanied by Mr A Babuseng and Mr Le
Grange, officials of the department.
The delegation was taken to the Northern Cape Legislative Building
in Kimberley and was officially welcomed by the chairperson of the
standing committee on sports and culture, Mr P Tulase. The MEC
briefed the delegation on the activities of his department. The
delegation had an opportunity to view a video cassette of an
awards ceremony honouring previously unrecognised sports people.
In his remarks the MEC said that they were a province at work.
Indeed this was something that was seen in the course of the study
tour, as key areas of the transformation programme were covered in
this province. The MEC touched on a programme adopted by the
provincial cabinet under the slogan "Cabinet meets the people",
where the Cabinet goes out to and meets with people in different
districts, churches, businesses and councils. He mentioned that
one of the issues raised by groupings, in sports was sports
facilities. He appealed to the delegation to take up the issue of
a contribution from the lottery towards sport. He also spoke of a
programme in the Northern Cape intended to highlight and raise the
awareness of the community about the consequences of crime to
young people under the slogan "a child in sport is a child out of
jail".
Reference was made to negotiations with municipalities to ensure
that they live up to their constitutional obligations regarding
the provision and maintenance of facilities.
In his concluding remarks the MEC made a poignant call for special
measures to address imbalances and distortions in sport.
The chairperson and leader of the delegation thanked the MEC for a
detailed report and made the observation that the MEC and his
department were well organised and prepared for the visit. She
went on to state what the purpose of the visit was, and said that
the Committee was trying to familiarise itself with what was
happening in the province, what influences the provision of
facilities, how the facilities are utilised by communities, how
accessible the facilities are for communities of the different
racial groups and problems experienced by communities with regard
to sport and recreation.
The MEC, the standing committee and officials of the department
were all well prepared for the visit. They gave all the
information needed by the delegation. They had a detailed
programme, which covered all regions in the province. All relevant
structures in sport were part of the programme presented to the
delegation. The MEC and members of the standing committee were
part of the study tour to some of the areas visited by the
delegation. Officials in the Department of Sport and Culture were
part of the entire visit and were always pleasant and willing to
work.
E. Observations
1. Greenpoint School
This was a newly built school, which was going to be
officially opened in July 2000. It was built from funds
donated by Iscor and the Sport and Education Trust. The school
has 27 classes. The delegation was joined here by Mr G Miller
and Mr S Jonas, who both represented the Community Development
Forum, which had participated in the building and setting up
of the school.
2. Old De Beers Ground
This facility was built in 1995 at a cost of R350 000. It is
used for basketball and volleyball. Schools and federations
were said to have free use of the facility. The facility had
neatly cut natural grass. It is well looked after by both the
community and the municipality.
3. Greenpoint Primary School
The delegation met and had informal interaction with Mr F
Swaerbroek, Mr M Arthur, Mr M Gidley and Mr B Kidson, all from
the Griqualand West Cricket Board.
The delegation had the opportunity to witness a cricket
coaching clinic for the under 13s and 15s. Mr Z Abrahim, their
coach, was putting the young boys through their paces. The
majority of the boys were blacks from previously disadvantaged
communities, which indicated to the delegation that there was
an effort to afford the previously disadvantaged communities
the opportunity to participate in sporting codes previously
dominated by white people during the apartheid era.
4. Old Griqualand Rugby Union Field
The delegation made a brief stop-over to see a facility
situated close to West End Township. The community also uses
this facility for community activities. This facility is in
the care of the Deputy Chairperson of the Sport Council.
5. Pescodia
The delegation visited a basic facility, situated just a few
meters from Venus High School. The facility was built by the
provincial department of sport, arts and culture from funds
provided by the national Department of Sport and Recreation.
This facility was in a good state. It had a dilapidated
cricket pitch, for which the municipality was responsible.
6. Venus High School
There are three sports facilities in Venus High School, built
with money from the Premier's Fund at a cost of R600 000.
These facilities are used for soccer, cricket and hockey. The
netball court was said to be on the other side of the school
building.
7. Galashewe
The delegation visited the Yorkshire Cricket Club. The
facility was built as a result of co-operation between the
United Cricket Board, the Municipality, the Premier and MTN.
This facility has pitches and nets.
De Beers was said to be responsible for providing sponsorships
for club competition.
At the time of the visit the facility was in use. Young boys
of between 12 and 17 were practicing cricket. From what was
seen and with continued sustenance of the development
programme, there is no doubt that South Africa will produce
cricket stars of high calibre from previously disadvantaged
communities.
The facility was in excellent condition and no cases of
vandalism were reported, this being attributed to community
involvement. Three townships have access to the facility.
The facility is also going to be upgraded, with help from
Daimler Chrysler and Vodacom.
8. Olifantshoek
The delegation visited a sports facility in Olifantshoek,
where an annual soccer tournament organised by the department
to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, was held. The MEC for
Sport was also there to welcome the delegation and officiate
the tournament. An accompanying theme or message for the
tournament was that of "a child in sport is a child out of
jail". The leader of the delegation briefly addressed
spectators and athletes.
An unfortunate part of these tournaments was the fact that the
ground on which the clubs were playing did not have grass, and
the reason cited was that water was not just scarce but very
expensive to bring into the area. The leader of the delegation
undertook to raise the issue with both the Department of Sport
and Recreation as well as the Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry.
9. Paballelo Stadium
The delegation visited the Paballelo Township to view the
facility there and to establish which recreational activities
were taking place there. The facility catered for soccer,
netball and basketball. The facility was in an impeccable
condition, being looked after by the municipality, which had
provided floodlights. The facility was complete with a stand,
well secured with new fencing and had neatly cut natural green
grass for the pitch.
10. Matjieskloof
The delegation visited Matjieskloof Township a few kilometers
away from Springbok to see three soccer and netball fields
that had been built in 1996. The delegation was told that a
lot of excavation work had to be done before these sports
fields could be built, as the area is uneven. The building of
each sport field had cost about R350 000. Not one of the three
had any grass and there were no plans for this in the near
future, as water was said to be very expensive in the area.
F. Meetings with sports bodies and communities
The delegation held a number of meetings in various towns,
townships and villages. These meetings were aimed at:
Identifying sports development programmes taking place in the
province.
Interacting with the communities in order to understand the
experiences of different communities with regard to sport.
Assessing the level of community involvement in sport matters.
Giving the community an opportunity to give feedback about how
the programmes of the Department of Sport and Recreation
impact on them, as well as recommendations relating to sport
and recreation.
1. Meeting in Ministry's Office
The delegation met with the officials responsible for extra-
curricular services and the Griqualand West Sports Council.
This meeting was held in the offices of the Ministry of
Education, in 1 Albertyn Road, Newpark. Griqualand USSASA and
community development forums also attended this meeting.
The leaders of the delegation provided a framework for
discussion by explaining to the meeting the purpose of the
visit and the focus areas of the meeting. In the discussions
that followed, there were two outstanding issues:
The Sports Commission - the absence of communication between
the provincial structure of the NSC and the Sports Commission.
School Sports - who is responsible for school sport the
Department of Education or the Department of Sport and
Recreation?
The leader of the delegation gave information to the meeting
regarding sports related legislation that was in the pipeline.
This legislation were explained within the context of problems
that were raised by the meeting, and included the issue of a
lack of sponsorship for clubs which are not at the level of
the Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town. Among
the issues raised, was the issue of funding based on the
population of the province. People from the Northern Cape felt
that funding should not be based on population, but on
conditions prevailing in each province. In the case of the
Northern Cape, the issue of poverty, scarcity of water and
high rate of unemployment were viewed by the meeting as the
most appropriate yardstick and base for funding instead of the
population figures.
A clarion call was made by the leader of the delegation for
all the structures to go back and look into the whole question
of their interaction and contribution to the development of
sport in their province.
2. Meeting at Department of Sport in Upington
The delegation had a session with representatives from the
following structures: North West region of USSASA, NSC, rugby,
adult netball and the Recreation officer from the
municipality. A broad framework for discussion was tabled by
the leader of the delegation, who said they were in the
province to see, amongst other things the facilities in the
province, the conditions of those facilities, the level of
usage of these facilities, the accessibility of the facilities
to all members of the community regardless of race, the
accessibility of sport to all, what development programmes
there were, and whether teams in the province reflected the
demographics of the country or province.
The USSASA representatives talked about the mass participation
programme and the healthy relations they had with the
Department of Education, alluding to the assistance given to
by the principals. USSASA also pointed out that pupils were
still not able to compete in some competitions due to
financial constrains.
The municipality was accused of not consulting with the
community, particularly on the issue of reallocating the
funding to another community without consultation with the
community which was initially awarded the same funding for
building a sports facility.
It was also pointed out that there are very few teachers
involved in sport, and as a result the talent identification
programme misses some of the children with sporting talents.
The most acute problem highlighted and experienced by the
adult netball was the absence of sponsorships. The development
of rugby at club level was continuing although there were
distortions, as facilities were not readily accessible to
pupils from previously disadvantaged communities because of
transport problems.
Local council representatives alluded to the co-operation they
continue to receive from the Sports Council. However, in the
same vein mention was made about the absence of a Facilities
Committee in the council itself, making it difficult for the
relevant officer to operationalise his vision relating to the
provision of facilities.
After identifying a lack of communication and sound
interaction between the structures in the area, the delegation
called on the representatives to put their house in order.
Ms A Botha, a member of the provincial legislature, undertook
to raise all issues highlighted in the meeting with the
provincial standing committee on sport and also with the MEC.
3. Meeting in District Council Building
The meeting took place at the district council building, where
the delegation met with the following structures and sporting
codes: SAFA District, netball, rugby, USSASA, tennis and
cricket. Each of these structures was given an opportunity to
share with delegates what each of them was doing in their
respective fields. The problems highlighted by these
structures centered on the issue of:
(a) Lack of funding from national federations.
(b) Absence of sponsorships and, as a result sport being
funded from pockets of individuals involved in sport.
(c) Long distances between towns, which had the potential of
killing sport in that region.
(d) Inadequate facilities, for example, with cricket there was
only one field and no transport.
It was made clear by the leader of the delegation that the
main focus is competent athletes, therefore the development
programme becomes the central nerve of all sports activities.
She pointed out that sports facilities should not be viewed as
the end product of the delivery process, as they are only
means through which athletes will be developed.
A plea was made for co-operation between federations and the
three spheres of government particularly the local sphere of
government.
The leader of the delegation pointed out that facilities
provided by government structures should be informed by the
programmes and needs of the sports bodies in the area. She
emphasised that the business of sports bodies together with
the government of this country was to produce competent
players who would make South Africa excel in sports within the
global village.
4. Meeting in Calvinia indoor sports hall
The meeting took place in an indoor sport facility at Calvinia
stadium, the only facility that is publicly owned, as most of
the facilities are privately owned. The meeting was graced by
the presence of the speaker of the Northern Cape provincial
legislature Mr C A T Smith and the Mayor of Calvinia, Mr C V
Peterson. The following discipliness were also present, namely
rugby, soccer, volleyball as well as the USSASA body.
The meeting was held at night and the delegation experienced
the freezing temperature the area is well known for.
The leader of the delegation apologised to representatives of
the different structures for arriving late at night. She also
thanked the representatives for the patience shown by waiting
in the freezing temperature for the delegation to arrive. She
then explained the purpose of the visit, and said there was a
national vision for sports where the government of the country
wanted to transform sports and make it possible for people of
South Africa to participate in sport activities of their own
choice. She also mentioned that the ultimate goal is for South
Africa to compete at international level as an equal partner.
Four focus areas to make that possible, include:
(a) Providing communities with adequate sports facilities and
maintaining those facilities.
(b) Breeding competent sports managers, administrators,
coaches and athletes through development programmes and
establishment of sports academies and sports development
centres.
(c) Making sport facilities accessible to all, including
disabled and rural communities.
(d) Ensuring that sports teams particularly the national team,
represent the demographics of the country.
It was pointed out that what the delegation wanted to hear,
was being done in the Northern Cape in relation to the four
areas of focus mentioned above.
All sports codes represented in the meeting highlighted the
following problems:
* The high poverty levels, which impacts negatively on sport
in general.
* The fact that farming was the main source of income in the
area.
* Lack of financial resources needed to send children who
are doing well in sport and are selected to compete at
national level.
* Long distances between towns were also highlighted as one
of the hindering factors to participation of children
from Calvinia in competitions.
* The issue of affiliation of the local teams to provincial
structures. It was mentioned that some sports federations
in Calvinia were not sure whether they should affiliate
to the Western Cape structures, as they play most of
their games with the Western Cape teams (Boland). This
was due to the fact that they were closer to the Western
Cape than to other towns in the Northern Cape.
* The fact that it was very expensive for local teams to
affiliate to the sports federation.
* The fact that the facility in which the meeting was held,
was not accessible to disabled people.
* The over-utilisation of the only public sports facility in
the area.
* A call was made by the local people to the provincial
Department of Education and Sport to make financial
resources available for the development of sports
facilities in the area thereby enabling school children
to participate in sport at school level.
G. Observations
The delegation identified that Calvinia was trailing behind in so
far as sports facilities were concerned. It was identified that
because of the distance between Calvinia and Kimberley, where the
department is located, Calvinia was not getting equal support to
that of other towns from the Department of Education and Sport.
It would therefore be recommended that the Department of Education
and Sport pay attention to the issues raised by this community and
also find ways of keeping contact with sports bodies in Calvinia.
H. Overall comments
The late MEC for sport, Mr Brian Hermanus, was seen to be on top
of the sports issues, with a clear programme of keeping the youth
out of jails. The Premier of the province was also seen to be very
supportive of sports development. The officials of the department
were highly committed and prepared to work extra hours to ensure
that programmes of sport were efficiently and effectively managed.
The MEC was seen to be at the level of the people in terms of
interaction and communication with structures on the ground. It
was unfortunate that he passed away before the presentation of
this report. This was the first province in which members of the
standing committee on sport were part of the meetings that were
held with the delegation of the Portfolio Committee on Sport and
Recreation. It was also clear in the meetings that the Standing
Committee members had a full understanding of sports-related
matters in the province.
The successor of the late MEC would find it easy to follow such a
clear programme in sport.
I. Recommendations
The Committee -
1. noting that some sports facilities have no grass and that water
in the Northern Cape is not just scarce but expensive to
reticulate (recommended that special funding for the
installation of synthetic grass at those facilities which have
no grass be made available by the national Department of Sport
and Recreation to the Northern Cape, thereby bringing the
level of standard of facilities in the Northern Cape to the
level of facilities that are found in other provinces);
2. noting that some of the facilities are neglected by the
municipalities responsible for maintaining such facilities;
3. noting that some municipalities lack the capacity of providing
and maintaining the sports facilities;
4. noting that members of the community, which such facilities are
provided to improve their living standards, vandalise these
facilities, and
recommends that -
(a) the provincial department of sport engages municipalities
for purposes of identifying problems affecting municipalities
in this regard;
(b) the provincial department of sport builds the capacity of
municipalities around sports issues;
(c) sports forums be established at local level so as to
facilitate community ownership to facilities, thereby
preventing vandalism from taking place.
It is recommended that exchange programmes between the provinces
be initiated so as learn from one another, the Northern Province
being one province from whom a lot could be learnt.