National Council of Provinces - 14 May 2002
TUESDAY, 14 MAY 2002 __
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
____
The Council met at 14:04.
The Deputy Chairperson 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.
MOTIONS
(Announcement)
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Order! May I suggest to hon members that unless their motions are urgent, they try to avoid putting them forward today. I am not saying that members should not move motions, but just that they should remember that the hon the Minister of Sport and Recreation is offering members something this evening, so if our sitting goes on into the night, we will forgo such benefits. Does any hon member therefore wish to give notice of a motion? [Interjections.] I did not threaten you. [Laughter.]
DEATH OF MRS F R MATTHEWS
(Draft Resolution)
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE COUNCIL: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) expresses its deep regret and sadness at the death of Mrs Fikile Regina Matthews;
(2) conveys its sincere condolences to her daughter Mrs Naledi Pandor, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, her husband, the hon Deputy Minister Joe Matthews, and to other members of her family in their sad bereavement;
(3) affirms the great affection and esteem in which she was held by all those who knew her; and
(4) expresses its gratitude for her life of outstanding loyalty and close association with the struggle for freedom and democracy in our country.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AGAINST MR P MARAIS
(Draft Resolution)
Me C S BOTHA: Voorsitter, ek stel sonder kennisgewing voor: Dat die Raad -
(1) kennis neem van -
(a) talle aanklagte van seksule teistering wat teen die Wes-Kaapse
Premier, mnr Peter Marais, aanhangig gemaak is; en
(b) sy ongegronde rasionalisering van hierdie universeel erkende
misdryf as ``die gevolg van kulturele verskille'';
(2) hom distansieer van mnr Marais se standpunte; en
(3) hom opnuut verbind tot onverbiddelike teenkanting teen enige skending van die waardigheid van vroue, hetsy deur aksie of deur insinuasie. (Translation of Afrikaans motion without notice follows.)
[Ms C-S BOTHA: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) notes -
(a) the numerous charges of sexual harassment brought against the
Western Cape Premier, Mr Peter Marais; and
(b) his unfounded rationalisation of this universally recognised
offence as being "the result of cultural differences";
(2) distances itself from Mr Marais’ viewpoints; and
(3) recommits itself to unyielding opposition to any violation of the of women, whether by action or by insinuation.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Is there any objection to the motion? There is an objection. In the light of the objection, the motion may not be proceeded with. It will become notice of a motion. CONGRATULATIONS ON MS E N LUBIDLA’S BIRTHDAY
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M A SULLIMAN: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) congratulates Ms Evelyn Numpumelelo Lubidla on her birthday today;
(2) notes that Ms Lubidla has been with this institution from its very beginning and has been an integral part of its evolution from the Senate to the National Council of Provinces;
(3) commends her for the excellent contribution she has made in fostering a close working relationship between her province and the Council; and
(4) wishes her well for the future. [Applause.]
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
An HON MEMBER: How old is she?
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Ask her after the sitting! [Laughter.]
RESOLUTION ADOPTED ON PALESTINE
(Draft Resolution)
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE COUNCIL: Chairperson, I was tempted to amend the previous motion to read ``on her 21st birthday’’, but since that motion has already been adopted, I shall move on to the next one. I move without notice:
That the Council -
(1) notes that the resolution adopted by the Council on 9 May 2002 was intended as a motivation for the agreed subject for discussion on Palestine of that afternoon; and
(2) therefore resolves that the adopted resolution be viewed in that context.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
POINT OF ORDER
(Ruling)
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Order! Just before coming to the Orders of the Day, I want to deal with a matter which has stood over from the previous sitting. As hon members will correctly recall, at a plenary of the NCOP on 7 May this year, the hon Ms Botha raised a point of order as to whether it was parliamentary for the hon Mr Tolo to accuse a member of this Parliament, in this case the leader of the DA, of having been guilty of murder. At that time I indicated from the Chair to the hon Mr Tolo that if he had said that the leader of the DA had killed people, he would have to withdraw those remarks. The hon Mr Tolo replied that he had said that the leader of the DA had served in an army that killed and maimed our people. Since there was a dispute I indicated that I would ascertain from the Hansard record what the exact wording was and deliver a ruling, which I am now doing.
I have had the opportunity to look at the Hansard and according to the record, the words of the hon Mr Tolo were as follows:
We will remember that their leader today, Mr Tony Leon, was among those people who maimed our people in this country; killed them.
Although the hon Mr Tolo did not expressly say that Mr Leon was guilty of murder, the reference that Mr Leon was among those who maimed and killed people clearly implies that Mr Leon killed and maimed people. I therefore rule that the remarks of the hon Mr Tolo are unparliamentary and should be withdrawn.
Whereupon the member withdrew the remark.
APPROPRIATION BILL
(Policy debate)
Vote No 19 - Sport and Recreation South Africa:
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Chairperson, I stood before hon members of this House this time last year and started my address with a tribute to the MEC for sport and recreation of the Northern Cape, Mr Brian Hermanus, who had died tragically and in an untimely fashion in a motor car accident while on official duty.
I stand before hon members today again to pay tribute to a dear friend and brother, my predecessor, Comrade Stephen Vukile Tshwete, who, while enjoying unprecedented success in his portfolio of safety and security, was taken away from us quite suddenly.
I know that many tributes have been paid to Bhut Steve over the past two weeks, but I feel, given his pioneering work within the field of sport and recreation, that it is only fitting that we recognise his contribution to this institution in our society in this House again today.
Comrade Steve made my task as his successor so much easier by having laid a solid foundation upon which I could build. His legacy will remain with us forever, and there can be no better way to honour him, I believe, than to continue what he started, and to actualise what he set out to achieve, namely: to make sport and recreation accessible to all South Africans; to ensure that all our sports teams, including the national representative teams, reflect the demography of our country; to ensure that we are a successful nation in our international endeavours; and to ensure that sport and recreation makes a positive contribution to the achievement of the ideal society that we know is possible at the southern tip of the African continent.
Of course, Comrade Steve was also committed to making an appropriate contribution to the development of the African continent in line with the African Renaissance. In memory of his life, I would like to commit the rest of my career in sport and recreation towards achieving the ideals that he had for this institution. I will miss him as my mentor. He was always willing to give advice whenever I approached him.
Hardly had we come to grips with the blow that we were dealt by Steve’s passing, when we were again struck by the news of the tragic death of a colleague and personal friend, the Minister of Sport of Nigeria, Ishaya Mark Aku. What made the tragedy of his death in an aircraft crash in Nigeria last Saturday even worse for me was the fact that I had just met with him a week earlier at an intergovernmental antidoping meeting in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, where this vibrant young man in the prime of his life gave me valuable support in our efforts to ensure that Africa was adequately and appropriately represented in the World Antidoping Agency and that, as a continent, we played our rightful role in this structure.
I have passed on our condolences to the sports movement of Nigeria and to his family. It is going to be hard to find a replacement for this dynamic young man, particularly at this critical time for Nigeria, as it is preparing to host the eighth All Africa Games in 2003 - a project that Ishaya Mark Aku was heading.
We have lost two great leaders who have had a significant impact on sport and recreation on the African continent. While it is going to be hard to find replacements for them, we have to continue with our efforts to actualise the objectives that they cherished for the institution.
I am honoured to be able to address this august House in this my third budget speech as Minister of Sport and Recreation. I believe that my task in making a case for sport and recreation this year is relatively easier, as I have a sense that the importance of the institution, for which I have been given responsibility in our country, is slowly being recognised.
In the latter regard, allow me to quote from two recent speeches made by significant role-players in our country. Firstly:
The Presidential Sports Awards should not be seen simply as acknowledgements of past greatness, the performances of yesteryear, but also, and more fundamentally, as an investment in our people for years to come and for the sustained development of sport and society in South Africa.
These awards must be seen as part of that fundamental national effort that we have undertaken as South Africans, and that is to push back the frontiers of poverty and to lend a hand to building a better life for our children, our youth, indeed, for all the people of our land, especially those who still reside in areas of underdevelopment and are deprived of benefits owing to all South Africans.
It is with this in mind that we must measure our success, even on the playing fields. We must see the transformation of sport and recreation not simply as finding the ways and means to improve the physical performance of all our athletes, but rather as enthusing all our sportspeople to lend a hand to build a better life.
I continue with the quote:
The Australians are very proud of sport and their sports achievements and you can see very clearly as you talk to them, the great impact that sports has on the cohesion of Australian society. But you also get a sense of the great investment that the country and society make in the development of sports because they understand what sports mean.
I would like to offer our Minister of Sport and Recreation that I am quite ready to join a delegation that he will lead to our Finance Minister to say we need to put more resources into sport. I think we want to see amongst our winners the people of South Africa and not some of the people of South Africa - the people of South Africa.
These were the words of President Thabo Mbeki at the Presidential Sports Awards in Cape Town on 8 March 2002.
Allow me to read you a second quotation:
We could invest more in sports, particularly for the youth as sports bridge cultural boundaries and have the potential to promote tolerance, trust, respect and social cohesion.
More importantly, sport is fertile ground for much-needed positive role models to our youth.
We should emerge with a programme that gives South Africans hope, a programme that says, in working toward moral regeneration: We will mobilise for care and support.
Chairperson - I keep on thinking that you are Madam Chairperson - these were the words of Deputy President Jacob Zuma at the Moral Regeneration Summit in Pretoria on 18 April 2002.
I would like to put to this House that this is the most emphatic recognition given by our leaders, the President and the Deputy President, of the potential role of sport and recreation in our society. Indeed, they have placed sport firmly in the mainstream of the national agenda and I thank them for that. I commit myself to the challenge of actualising the confidence that they have expressed in sport and recreation contributing to the betterment of our society.
I have always held the view that as Sport and Recreation we can play a much bigger role than that which we have always been afforded, and I am pleased that my appeals for more resources to enable us to exploit the potential of the institution for the common good of the country are being acknowledged. Sportspeople are waiting anxiously to make that contribution and I am quite excited about that.
I always appreciate addressing this House because of its proximity to the sites where the delivery of sport and recreation take place in our country, namely the provinces, the cities and the towns - and rural areas as well. We can put in lots of villages, because I am a village ``plaasjapie.’’ [Fellow hailing from the countryside]. I would like to make use of this opportunity to recommit myself to fostering co-operative governance within sport and recreation, even though this constitutes an exclusive provincial competency.
Indeed, I have made a concerted effort to draw the local government sector into the fold by encouraging them to participate in the Technical Intergovernmental Committee with their national and provincial counterparts, but, unfortunately, with limited success to date. I know that the local government sector has just emerged from a difficult period of restructuring, and I shall continue with my efforts to involve them with a view to fulfilling Government’s commitment to integrated planning and service delivery. Moreover, we have to give form to Government’s expressed intention to give greater responsibility for delivery to local government structures.
I am introducing a budget of R160 million today, a 55% increase on the budget of last year. This increase is largely as a result of the increased funding that we are getting from the Poverty Relief Fund, for upgrading and building sports and recreational facilities in conjunction with the provinces and local authorities in disadvantaged areas throughout the country. Our baseline budget has, however, not increased substantially, and this continues to constrain us from achieving the outcomes of greater access and representativity, amongst others.
I am happy to declare that less than 17,6% of the budget is allocated for administrative and personnel costs and that a mere 7% constitutes personnel costs. Of course, funding for sport and recreation in South Africa is still, despite the improvements that we have seen recently, a far cry from what it is in other countries with whom we are competing. This puts us at a distinct disadvantage. I am happy to report also that of the R103 million that we had available last year, we were able to spend R101 million, or 98% of our allocation. The only savings that were realised related to administration costs that could not be shifted to other areas where they could have been spent.
One of the most significant areas in which the three tiers of government have reaped the benefits of co-operation and where local government has been drawn in to a considerable extent, has been within the sphere of upgrading existing, and the provision of new, basic sports facilities. Through this project we are making a sustainable contribution to the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development project and to the Urban Renewal Project.
Over the past financial year we have successfully delivered 55 facilities in disadvantaged, mainly rural, communities. Of these, 30% were located within the identified rural and urban development nodes. Despite the various teething problems that were experienced in the process, we were able to spend all of the resources put at our disposal through the poverty alleviation, infrastructure creation and Jobs Summit funds in the first year of our involvement in the project. We are proud of our achievements and wish to thank the provincial and local governments involved for their superb co-operation in the project, often under very trying and difficult circumstances.
We were able to make a difference to the lives of 2 126 people who were employed in the construction phase of the facility by providing them with an income and empowering them with skills that they will now be able to use to sell themselves more effectively in the labour market. Of these employees 47% were women, 39% were young people and 70 were people with disabilities. In total R8,75 million found its way to the people in the form of wages.
Of course, we have also been able to create permanent employment for individuals who will be managing and maintaining facilities. I would like to appeal to the provinces to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit at the facilities that have been built by creating opportunities for informal trading at these venues when activities take place there. I am happy that we have been able to contribute to poverty alleviation in the communities that have benefited from our projects and especially for the role that we have played in promoting black economic empowerment by ensuring that disadvantaged contractors were engaged to do much of the work that we put out to tender.
For the current financial year we will almost be doubling our output in that we are going to be building at 85 sites throughout the country. A total of 66% of these sites are located within the rural and urban development nodes. This time round we hope to impact on the lives of some 6 500 people who will be employed and thereby improve the quality of life of many more who are the dependants of these employees. In July we will also start with the planning process for the 2003-04 financial year, during which time we intend launching a further 105 projects. The support of the NCOP will be appreciated in ensuring the success of these endeavours, thereby contributing to growth in areas that are still extremely underdeveloped.
I had the privilege earlier this year to hand over the first facility that was completed to the Kutlwanong community in the Sol Plaatje Metropole in the Northern Cape, and was touched by the appreciation and sense of pride that it instilled in that community. It was abundantly clear that it contributed to rekindling the dignity of the people of the town. I trust that the impact will be similar in all the communities that we are and will be involving, and that this will contribute to protecting the facilities against vandalism and neglect. I believe that this House has a vital role to play in this regard.
Of course, our purpose in providing communities with facilities is to ensure, amongst other things, that our youth have opportunities to participate in wholesome and constructive activities that will contribute to the moral regeneration initiative that Government has embarked upon. Government has acknowledged the role that sport can play and, as I indicated earlier, we are prepared to take up that challenge. I am convinced that the problems that we are currently facing in certain communities are related to the lack of facilities and appropriate activities for our youth in these areas.
We have already embarked upon a project aimed at establishing sport and recreation clubs in identified high-crime areas in conjunction with the SAPS. We are also targeting the areas where we have built facilities and we will be working in close co-operation with the community sports councils that we have established at these sites, to further this cause.
In this regard I would like to confirm that the programme ``The youth is our future’’ is still on track and I have been actively involved with Admiral Clothing in distributing sports kit and equipment to schools in disadvantaged areas to enable children in these schools to participate in sport on a more level playing field, while still acknowledging that we still have a long way to go to achieve this ideal. I would once again like to laud the contribution of Admiral Clothing and express the wish that other sports providers in this domain would emulate them. To date we have covered 350 of the 1 000 schools that we eventually hope to reach. I would implore hon members to liaise with their respective provinces in the identification of schools that need this type of support.
Our efforts to exploit the potential of sport and recreation to achieve positive outcomes will not, however, succeed without the active involvement of volunteers. Sport in general is largely dependent on volunteers and a powerful spirit of Vukuzenzele. Again, I appeal to hon members for their support in encouraging such a disposition in their constituencies. We must commit ourselves selflessly in service of the common good, and every one of us should lend a hand in doing the simple things that will make a difference to the lives of especially the poor.
Government has declared 2002 the Year of the Volunteer, and we shall redouble our efforts to ensure that these people who give of their time, effort and very often their own resources in the interests of others are given the appropriate recognition.
Allow me, therefore, very briefly to concentrate on the more pertinent issues that I think have a direct relevance to this House.
Members are well aware that I have three structures that report directly to me: Sport and Recreation South Africa, the SA Sports Commission and the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport. I would like to focus on the programmes and projects that have a direct bearing on provincial and local authorities at this stage.
I have been involved in the Government initiative of provincial and national imbizos [meetings] for the past two quarters through which, I believe, we have achieved remarkable successes in engaging directly with people on the ground in cities and towns around the country. I have had very interesting encounters with citizens at the grass-roots level, whose inputs are often extremely insightful and would certainly influence my thinking in future. I believe this is an excellent initiative that deserves greater involvement and interest from the members of this House.
I would like to reflect very briefly on some of the initiatives within Sport and Recreation South Africa to which I believe this House could make a substantial contribution.
We hosted a very successful Presidential Sports Awards Ceremony this year in Tuynhuys. We are increasingly realising our dream of ensuring greater representativity among the award winners at the ceremony. I believe that we should involve the provinces to a greater extent in integrating the provincial and national ceremonies, in the spirit of co-operative governance and inclusivity. Once again, I have instructed my department to ensure that this happens in future.
We have had a very successful season with the Siyadlala television programme. I am sure many members have seen that programme every Monday afternoon at 17:00 and repeats on Fridays. It has moved now to Saturday mornings. The series will be extended and we have offered provinces an opportunity to showcase their initiatives in sport and recreation on it. Once again, I would like to urge members of the House to get involved in this effort to ensure maximum exposure for the work of our provincial departments responsible for sport and recreation in getting the nation to play.
We are in the process of publishing a revised White Paper on Sport and Recreation that takes cognisance of the altered governance landscape in the institution. At the same time we have embarked upon the process of writing a new White Paper for sport and recreation that will chart the course forward for our activities in the next five years. This initiative might correspond very closely with my intention to appoint a task team to oversee the drafting of a national plan for sport and recreation, a sequel to the Ministerial Task Team on High-Performance Sport, whose report we are now busy interrogating with a view to implementing some of the recommendations. These recommendations could have far-reaching consequences for high- performance sport in our country, but I shall refrain from elaborating on it at this juncture. People can, however, expect an announcement from me in this regard soon.
I am also happy to report that we are moving closer to the public process with regard to the broadcasting of sports events of national interest. Icasa has appointed consultants to investigate the issue and they shall be engaging the public on this shortly.
I shall continue with my drive to ensure that sport in South Africa continues on the path of transformation, so that every person in our country has an equal chance to access the institution and to reach the highest level that his or her potential allows for.
I have already had meetings involving 24 federations, which all signed performance agreements with me, articulating their plans and targets for ensuring greater representativity at all levels within their sport from the playing, officiating, administration, coaching and management perspectives. I shall call them to account within one year to determine whether they have accomplished what they have set out to achieve and establish ways and means to assist them if they fail. We shall proceed in this manner with more and more federations on an annual basis until I am satisfied that we have achieved our goals.
Within the same context, I have requested my officials to revisit the resolutions that were made at the Colloquium Against Racism in Sport during the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban last year with a view to determining how this declaration can be implemented. I wish to bring to the attention of this House that during my deliberations with national federations, I am often confronted with claims that the problems surrounding transformation and racism are not so much at the national level, but rather that provincial and local sports structures are the stumbling blocks and the culprits. In this regard, therefore, I would like to appeal to hon members to strengthen my hand by urging provincial and local authorities to tackle the problem head-on. Only by working together in this manner will we be able to achieve the desired results.
A solution to the question of school sport continues to elude us. We have received a very clear indication from the Mincombud, the Minister’s Committee on the Budget, that school sport is a competency of provincial departments of education.
I am still of the opinion, however, and I have been supported by the Technical Intergovernmental Committee in this regard, that Education departments should take responsibility for the curricular aspects of school sport, while Sport and Recreation should take responsibility for the competitive and representative aspects thereof. I shall continue to pursue this argument, and I appeal to this House, the Select Committee on Education and Recreation and Ntate Kgware to support me in this regard, in order to secure a speedy solution to the matter. I am convinced that part of the problem that we are experiencing with our national representative teams, in terms of their current international success rate, is linked to the absence of the solid foundation that school sport can provide.
I am looking forward to the inaugural South African Games that will take place in Pretoria from 25 to 30 September this year. These games will serve as a nursery for our elite performers, by giving those individuals in the under-23 age group, and who are on the verge of breaking into the national team, opportunities to display their skills and talents, and to provide them with a chance to compete against the best from around the country.
All nine provinces will take part in this festival of sports comprising nine codes, including soccer, netball, athletics, swimming, sevens rugby, cricket, table tennis, field hockey and goalball, in which opportunities for participation by women and people with disabilities will also be maximised. Hon members’ support for the event and, indeed, for the participation of their constituencies and provinces, will be appreciated. The event will take place biannually on a rotational basis amongst the provinces, and is intended also to provide economic spin-offs for the centres in which it will take place.
Very quickly, we are in discussions with the Sports Commission on provincial sports academies which should be playing a vital role in the nurturing of our up-and-coming elite performers. Some provinces have these academies and others do not. We are trying to assist those that have them, and we are trying to make sure that we create them in those provinces that do not have them.
We are also looking forward to the possible establishment of a national sports academy that, I believe, can play a vital role in addressing the problems that we are experiencing, also with the performances of our teams. I am currently considering various options in this regard and we will be consulting with the Minister of Finance about resourcing such a project.
I am aware that there is a great deal of concern about the apparently slow progress in areas such as recreation, indigenous games and women in sport. I am quite happy to report that the Sports Commission has made considerable progress in these domains and will unveil their plans for these projects shortly. We have held recreation workshops in all the provinces, recreation structures are being formalised and mass participation events are being planned.
With regard to the indigenous games project, a research report is currently being finalised and a national festival of indigenous games is on the cards. So, Kgosi Mokoena should get ready with his stick fighting! We will have the indigenous games nationally. Other members can get ready with rope jumping, Ugqaphu, and I want to challenge some of them to that. [Interjections.] No, golf is not indigenous! Efforts are also being made to network with countries in the SADC region in respect of indigenous games, while locally we are investigating the standardisation of equipment for these games.
A policy document on women in sport has been drafted. I am satisfied with what I have seen and I have requested that it should be distributed to the provinces for comments via the Technical Intergovernmental Committee and Minmec.
Lastly, I would like to report that I have received Judge Ngoepe’s interim report on the Ellis Park soccer disaster. I am eagerly awaiting his final report so that we can lay this tragic incident in our country’s sporting history to rest in the knowledge and comfort that those who lost their lives in the disaster would have secured, for generations to come, the assurance that something of this nature will never happen again. The report has been made public. The President has allowed it to be made public. The Select Committee on Education and Recreation will get a copy of that report
Of course, Bafana Bafana will be departing for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan on Friday. We wish our team well and give them the assurance that they have the support of every South African. We are proud of the fact that they have qualified for this prestigious event, an achievement that must certainly be the dream of every footballing nation. Of course, they played well in KwaZulu-Natal, in Durban, and they are leaving with that victory under their belt. The announcement of the final squad will be on Thursday, and, of course, many members here who love football will be sitting in front of their televisions to watch if some of their stars will be among the 23 that will be going to Korea and Japan. As I stand here, I do not even know who is going and who is not going. [Interjections.] [Laughter.] And Cyril Nzama!
Our Commonwealth Games team will be participating in the Manchester Games later this year, and we trust that they will be able to improve on their performances at the 1998 games in Kuala Lumpur. By the time I come back here next year, we would also have witnessed the Cricket World Cup in our country in 2003, and I would like to urge provinces to ensure that each and every South African is afforded an opportunity to derive maximal benefit from this event, and that we use it to present a favourable image of our country and society internationally to secure similar events in future.
In concluding, I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed towards making this task less onerous than it could have been. In particular, I would like to thank the Select Committee on Education and Recreation in the NCOP for the support that it has given me. The same goes for the MECs, who, without fail, attend Minmec. I thank Minmec itself, the Technical Intergovernmental Committee, the staff in the Ministry, and especially the parliamentary officer Rodney Swiegelaar, who deals with issues on Parliament, Sports and Recreation South Africa, its head, Professor Denver Hendricks - they are all sitting here on our left-hand- side - Solomon Phango, who deals with all the areas around for poverty- relief buildings for sports, as well as our CEO of the Sports Commission - I did not see him coming in - former MEC from Limpopo, Dr Joe Phaahla, who is sitting there, as well as everybody who is there, including our Chief Director, Greg Fredericks, who deals with the federations, which is not an easy job at all.
As always, my thanks also go to the macrobodies, the national federations and their various affiliates, as well as each and every individual, particularly the volunteers who so selflessly contribute to ensuring that sport and recreation continue to take place in South Africa. I laud them for their example within the context of Vukuzenzele. I am sure that sport and recreation can set a fine example in this regard for other institutions to follow. I thank hon members. [Applause.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: I so wish I could see the hon the Minister playing Ugqaphu. [Laughter.] [Interjections.]
Mr D M KGWARE: Chairperson, hon Minister of Sport and Recreation, hon MECs for Sport and Recreation, hon special delegates, hon members and distinguished guests, 10 years after the death of apartheid sports, the deceased is still breathing. This is, however, not entirely surprising, given the amount of negative coverage of and responses to our well-meaning efforts to transform our teams in order to ensure that they reflect the demographics of this country at all sporting levels.
The same goes for the issue of transforming the administration of our federations. At this juncture in the history of our country, we still maintain that these issues are non-negotiable. We are quite aware of malicious attempts by some, especially in media circles, to create a sense of division amongst our compatriots as to what is meant by transformation of our sport, and this does not contribute to making us a winning nation. Redressing the past distortions is the mandate we have received from the overwhelming majority of the electorate and we will steadfastly execute this mandate. This is, unfortunately, the reality. Black sportspersons are extremely frustrated because of the refusal of coaches to give recognition to their talents and the generally slow pace of transformation. All they are asking for is the creation of an environment in which they can showcase their talents.
We are not asking for any favours or preferential treatment. As elected public representatives of this institution we have a moral obligation to create the environment in which equity and access, accountability, redress and representativity are the key elements.
As he has already mentioned, the hon Minister recently signed a performance agreement with a number of federations to fast-track and assist them in their quest for transformation. This gesture will ensure that they are in line with Government policy on transformation in order to improve the quality of life of all South Africans.
Budget Vote 19 before this august House today also places sport and recreation at the forefront of efforts to address issues of national importance, such as unemployment, economic development, poverty and health. It is for these reasons that we would like to commend Sport and Recreation South Africa for linking its objectives with the priorities of Government, and in this respect, we commend Sport and Recreation South Africa once more for its Building for Sport and Recreation programme. Its main thrust is the funding of new sport and recreation facilities; the upgrading of existing facilities, thereby creating employment opportunities; income generation, and poverty relief.
Through these programmes, sport is utilised as a vehicle to support the objectives of other Government programmes, such as human resource development, rural development and urban renewal, prioritising the poor, and speeding up delivery of basic services. The Minister has already mentioned those. Also flowing out of the Building for Sport and Recreation programme is Sport and Recreation South Africa’s objective of increasing the levels of participation of South Africans in sport and recreation activities.
The projected outcome is an increase in participation in organised Sport and Recreation from its present 7% to 20%, with an emphasis on increasing the levels of participation of disadvantaged and marginalised groups, including black South Africans, women and persons with disability. Key elements of this programme include the provision of training in facility management and the implementation of a sustainable maintenance project.
Another encouraging objective is the development of ``the case for sport’’ document, which will raise the profile of sport. This is being done primarily to raise the profile of sport among decision-makers in order to secure more resources for sports and recreation. In terms of policy development, Government has largely retained responsibility for national policy on sport and recreation, resulting in a more streamlined Ministry and necessitating a number of amendments to the Sports Commission Act. The SA Sports Commission Third Amendment Bill augments the Minister’s role in the commission, and we support this. We are also anticipating the fourth amending Bill that will align the SA Sports Commission with the Public Finance Management Act, Act No 1 of 1999, and will provide a clear distinction between the roles of the commission and Sport and Recreation South Africa.
Moreover, new legislation governing boxing was enacted in 2001 and this House looks forward to the new Bill that will govern provincial boxing, which will be tabled later this year.
We are also proud of Sport and Recreation South Africa. Hon members will realise that I keep saying ``Sport and Recreation South Africa’’. I think that is the new name we are using now.
Regarding assistance rendered to Mali before and during the recent African Cup of Nations football tournament held in that country, South Africa assisted in the following areas: telecommunications, ground and air transport and aviation and ground control training equipment. As we all know, the tournament was a major success and the dividends of this kind of co-operation will certainly give impetus to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.
The Government has demonstrated that we remain uncompromising in giving effect to the objectives and priorities that we have set for this country and for ourselves. This includes a united, democratic and nonsexist society. We will continue to prioritise equity and access. This can only be realised through a concerted effort to develop the historically disadvantaged and the underprivileged.
South African sport will not be able to realise its true potential unless it reaches all its people. We are ready to play ball. [Applause.]
Mr N M RAJU: Chairperson, hon Minister Balfour, hon special delegates and hon colleagues, the stated aim of Sport and Recreation South Africa, which is to improve the quality of life of all South Africans by promoting participation in sport and recreation in the country, cannot be faulted.
The hon the Minister has just presented an exhaustive and excellent report on the subject of Sport and Recreation South Africa, what it has done, what it intends to do, what inspires the Minister and the Ministry, and so on. But the hon Minister’s usually trenchant remarks on the big issues of national sport teams, their lacklustre performances and controversies around team selection and transformation are conspicuously absent. He has alluded to these in an oblique way, but not in a direct manner, to the parlous situation in which the major codes of cricket, soccer and rugby find themselves at present.
One of the key objectives identified by the Ministry is to increase the probability of success of South Africa’s sportspersons and teams in major international competitions. Let us for one moment join Mark Shuttleworth flitting across the sky and survey the sporting landscape. What a sorry mess. The three major codes, cricket, rugby and soccer, are in the doldrums. South Africans from every walk of life are wallowing in utter despair and despondency as a result of poor performances in international arenas by our national sides.
Let me hasten to assure the House that I am not suggesting that the Minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa should take responsibility for the diabolical failures of our teams in national competitions. But allow me to dwell a little on the subject of transformation in sport. The DA is not against transformation in sport, but when the hon Minister wades into national selection boards demanding racial quotas like a bull in a China shop, the ripple effects affect the morale of all concerned: administrators, selectors, players and, most importantly, spectators and the broad sports-loving South African public.
My party cannot but distance itself from such bumbling efforts at transformation or forced integration. Let us instead listen to what Mr Banele Sindani, CEO of Athletics South Africa, had to say recently:
I looked at myself in the mirror and asked: Are we going to fight forever in this country? I told myself, admit that … ASA have made many, very many, mistakes in the past. It is time to learn from those mistakes.
He went on to say:
Race was always the most important thing, although we never admitted it. We were not busy developing the sport, we were busy fighting personal fights.
Leonard Chuene …
That is the president of ASA -
… and I spoke about this at length and decided: it is time to build.
One of the changes made in athletics was the establishment of an elite …
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Sorry, Mr Raju, would you please take your seat? Yes, hon member, what point are you rising on?
Mr V V Z WINDVOëL: Chairperson, would the member take a question, if he is confident about what he is saying?
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon Raju, can you take a question?
Mr N M RAJU: Chairperson, certainly not at this stage. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Please continue, Mr Raju.
Mr N M RAJU: One of the changes made in athletics was the establishment of an elite coaches co-ordinating committee. An interesting feature of this committee, which is responsible for training and selection, is that all four of the people on it happened to be of one colour, that is white. Let us hear Sindani again, and I quote:
Before it would have been peculiar that all four are co-incidentally white. Now we accept them as experts in their fields. The ASA executive unanimously endorsed their appointment without asking questions about their race.
What is positive about this development is not that four white people were chosen to do the job, it is the fact that the four best people were chosen. They might have been black, and that would have been just as good if they were the four best people available.
My party wishes to make it categorically clear that our national teams must be made up of the best players in the respective codes, irrespective of their skin pigment. The whole nation would then be solidly behind our Proteas, Springboks and Bafana Bafana.
Patriotism cannot be manufactured or engineered. It must be a spontaneous outpouring of national pride. We certainly do not want mediocrity to be the hallmark of excellence. If, as the chairperson of the select committee has pointed out, the teams must reflect the natural demographics, it surely does apply to national teams at this moment of transformation in our country. We must get the best.
I wish to applaud the affable Minister for his attempts to reign in the Premier Soccer League, which like a wild horse refuses to be brought under control, when he meets the board of governors soon.
Hon Minister Balfour has expressed his concerns about the negative publicity the Premier Soccer League has attracted in recent weeks and insists that the PSL and Safa take steps to restore faith in the game. In a weekend newspaper The Sunday Independent the hon Minister is reported to have said: ``I am unhappy that professional football should be in such an untenable situation with regard to its finances.’’ in alluding to the delay in payments of PSL clubs. [Laughter.] The hon Minister went on to say … [Time expired.]
Ms H H MALGAS (Eastern Cape): Chairperson, hon members, hon Minister, hon MECs and members of this House, it gives me great pleasure to speak on the budget speech of the Minister, and I applaud him for the excellent work he is doing in sport.
In its analysis and approach to the country’s problems, the ANC has always sought the most sustainable solutions. It has stayed steadfast to the principles of nonracialism and nonsexism up until today, at a time when it is severely tempted not to do so. The ANC has resisted the temptation to exchange one form of racial domination, as a solution, for another form of domination.
This brings us to the ideological, contested terrain of sport. Sport is contested terrain in this country, because of the legacy of a system whose flames have not totally been extinguished. Be that as it may, the following milestones have been achieved in the Eastern Cape.
Boxing has entrenched itself as the leading code in our province at local, national and international levels. The same applies to black rugby players who are playing rugby in other provinces who in fact come from our province. Cricket has its roots in this province. We do have our stars in the national and international teams, and we commit ourselves to there being more up-and-coming stars.
The quality of sport administrators that come from our shores is highlighted by the huge number that is anchoring many federations and organisations at the national level. Our drummies are dominating the national scene. Our physically challenged sportspersons are dominating nationally and internationally.
The deracialisation of sport is high on the ANC agenda at this phase of our struggle, the struggle of its constituencies, those who cast their vote for transformation in all spheres of society, including sport.
The ANC, being a proactive movement, started transforming sport in the the early nineties while looking forward to a democratic order. At the same time sports federations were looking to international participation, and the international community was expecting South Africa’s compliance with the requirements for admission into the world of international sport.
On the ANC’s agenda within the unification process, three key areas pertaining to transformation in sport were identified: mass based, developmental and integrated, which is an ongoing process.
Those against transformation in sport tend to forget that we have a fully integrated National Defence Force according to our national population demographics, with black people, and Africans in particular, in the majority. Are we saying black people are good enough to die for the country while the ex-minority enjoy preferential treatment when it comes to team selection in sport?
Because of those new liberal tendencies against transformation, the provincial department is introducing a provincial Bill on sport and recreation so as to ensure that the hon MEC is able to intervene decisively in all these matters and to carry out the ANC-led Government’s agenda on the deracialisation and integration of sport, that is, transformation, even if it means enforcing the quota system in its extremes.
The following measures have been put into place. An indigenous games project was launched and is ongoing. The department has trained 20 instructors through the Exercise Teachers’ Academy that will drive the programme that seeks to inculcate the culture of fitness and health in the corporate, public and community sectors, which can lead to job creation opportunities and entrepreneurship.
We have excellent relationships with the New Zealand Hillary Sports Commission and the Australian sport and recreation department. We are benefiting from these partnerships in terms of the introduction of young kids to sports and recreation, administration and the development of infrastructure.
We have programmes facilitated by our veterans to instil in the minds of our youth the everlasting virtues of honesty, discipline, self-management, mutual respect, leadership, etc, in programmes, namely village sport, the Peter Mokatla Memorial School Rugby Project, fitness and health programmes and indigenous games and projects.
Although we have excellent relationships with the above international bodies, globalisation, unlike many want us to believe, also has a negative impact on sport, where sportspersons are increasingly pushed to decide between big multinational sponsors and their respective nation states, who have invested a lot of resources and human capital in them. Patriotism is under serious threat, and this I would like the Minister to look at seriously.
The challenges still facing the department are school sports, financial resources, capacity-building both in administration and at athlete level, lack of sports and recreation playing facilities, and the link between the South African Sports Commission, provincial federations and provincial sport and recreation departments.
An amount of R14 million has been allocated to sports from the provincial budget for the financial year. The breakdown is as follows, although it does not add up: R600 000 will go to village sport projects for the empowerment of our rural communities; R280 000 go for the promotion of netball; R150 000 for increased participation in the development of the physically challenged; R100 000 for participation by individual athletes and organised teams in international events; R100 000 for tournaments and coaching clinics; R289 000 for equipment for village sports - that is our rural communities; R200 000 to volunteers that will train and promote our recreational programmes; R200 000 towards wellness/fitness programmes for our province; R200 000 for participation in provincial and national events for the physically challenged; R150 000 to train facilitators; R300 000 for indigenous games; R1 000 000 for ten sportsgrounds and village green development. An amount of R8 million goes to district development.
In conclusion, the noble idea of volunteerism has its origin in the drawing up of the Freedom Charter of 1955. [Interjections.] This those members do not want to understand. This practice of volunteerism has been followed right throughout the years of the struggle. The call of 1955 was one of defiance against unjust laws. The call today is to assist in building a democratic, nonracial, nonsexist society. Vukuzenzele serves to highlight the fact that volunteers continue to occupy centre stage in improving the quality of life of our people, as we in the ANC have committed ourselves to a better life for all of our people. I would like to remind all the people present here today that when we speak to our MEC, we should call her Doctor MEC Nosimo Beauty, the name that was given by the former minority, because she is beautiful.
Mr F ADAMS: Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members of this House, I am greatly honoured to deliver my maiden speech in this House today. I want to thank my party for this opportunity. I hope that I will form a bond with members as my colleagues, in the interests of service delivery to our people. In these uncertain times, we should be a source of strength to our people, with a vision of and dedication to their plight.
I am proud to say that the Western Cape is slowly but surely becoming the sports mecca of South Africa. With its world-class facilities, our province is the ideal venue to host national, as well as international, sport events.
South Africa is a country of vast anomalies. It has poverty next to wealth, rich next to poor, skilled next to unskilled, and a host of other differences. We are a society in transition, excited about change and the possibilities change can bring future generations.
Sport and recreation avenues that can give our people focus and direction, and assist change. Unfortunately, only 5% of the population actively participate in sport. With more facilities, as well as sport development and changing attitudes, we can double this figure. The vision of our sport and recreation fraternity is to ensure that the socioeconomic benefits of sports and recreation will ultimately lead to an overall improvement in the quality of life of all the people of the Western Cape and South Africa.
Today, as Africa stands on the threshold of its Renaissance, once again sport is playing a major role, because it is giving a new, brighter window into the so-called continent of darkness. We are most fortunate that we live in a country whose people love sport, and we are equally fortunate that our continent in general provides the climate that allows sport to be played almost all year round. As a consequence of these and other factors, Africa has produced some of the world’s greatest sporting stars, who have risen to the top despite emerging from very humble beginnings.
Here I would especially like to refer to our own South African paralympic team that performed so brilliantly in Sydney by bringing home a total of 38 medals. The 38 medals and the historic world records are an inspiration to the nation to overcome any obstacles we may face. It is also very encouraging how our nation embraced our paralympic team. In the words of former President Mandela, and current President Mbeki, we really need to be more supportive of all our international teams, win or lose. It will be of considerable benefit to our sportsmen and women.
Die nuwe millennium hou vir ons baie belofte in, en ons vertrou dat Suid- Afrika in dié tydperk sy regmatige plek sal inneem in die wêreld van sport. Sport is vanselfsprekend nie die oplossing vir al ons probleme nie, maar dit is duidelik dat die fasiliteite ook baie geleenthede skep buite die veld van sport. Voordele wat daaruit spruit, kan baie bydra om kwessies soos vaardigheidsontwikkeling en werkskepping te steun en het groot potensiaal om die ekonomie van ons land te versterk. As ons dit wil bereik, is dit egter noodsaaklik dat daar behoorlike koördinasie en samewerking moet wees wanneer sportgeleenthede in die Wes-Kaap en Suid-Afrika aangebied word. Dit is net so belangrik dat deelnemers toegelaat word om deel te neem, en toeskouers toegelaat word om die sportgebeure dop te hou in ‘n omgewing wat gerieflik en veilig is.
Ons is nie langer bereid om enige verdraagsaamheid te openbaar teenoor mense wat daarop ingestel is om die geleenthede vir die bevordering en die welstand van ons mense te vernietig nie. Hierin het almal van ons ‘n rol om te speel, individue, families, skole, kerke, gemeenskappe en staatsdepartmente.
Ons in die Nuwe NP besef dat sport alternatiewe vir misdaad in ons gemeenskappe kan skep. Ons steun ten volle, en is aktief betrokke by verskeie veldtogte teen misdaad wat op streekvlak en nasionaal geloods is. Ten spyte daarvan dat ons sportstelsel nie volmaak is nie, en dat dit ‘n paar inherente swak plekke het, het dit tog sigbare resultate gelewer sedert ons terugkeer na internasionale mededinging. Dit het ‘n nasionale bewuswording gekweek en ‘n gemeenskaplike trots by ons mense gevestig. Dit het meer as enigiets anders gedoen ten opsigte van versoening en nasiebou.
Ek wil die agb Minister van Sport en Ontspanning verseker dat ons in die Nuwe NP hom ten volle steun in die uitbouing van die positiewe rol wat sport behoort te speel in die lewens van al ons mense. Daar is natuurlik nog baie wat gedoen moet word, en ons het nog ‘n lang pad om te loop, maar as ons die regte beleid gereed het wat mense kan inspireer, kan ons die geesdrif onder ons mense wek om ‘n nasie van sportliefhebbers te word.
Ek wil die agb Ministers en provinsiale ministers verseker van die Nuwe NP se steun in hierdie verband. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The new millennium holds much promise for us, and we trust that South Africa will claim its rightful place in the world of sport in this era. Obviously, sport is not the solution to all our problems, but it is clear that the facilities also create many opportunities outside the world of sport.
Benefits resulting from this can contribute much to support issues such as skills development and job creation and have much potential to strengthen the economy of our country. However, if we want to achieve this, it is essential that there should be proper co-ordination and co-operation when sporting events are presented in the Western Cape and South Africa. It is just as important that participants are allowed to participate in, and spectators are allowed to watch sporting events in a comfortable and safe environment.
We are no longer prepared to show any tolerance towards people whose aim is to destroy the opportunities for the advancement and the welfare of our people. All of us, individuals, families, schools, churches, communities and government departments, have a role to play in this.
We in the New NP realise that sport can create alternatives to crime in our communities. We fully support and are actively involved in various anti- crime campaigns that have been launched at regional and national levels. In spite of the fact that our sports system is not perfect, and that it has a few inherently weak spots, it has nevertheless shown visible results since our return to international competition. It has created a national awakening and established a collective pride amongst our people. It has done more than anything else with regard to reconciliation and nation- building.
I want to assure the hon the Minister of Sport and Recreation that we in the New NP give him our full support in developing the positive role that sport should play in the lives of all our people. Obviously there is still a lot to be done, and we still have a long way to go, but if we have the right policy in place that can inspire people we can awaken the enthusiasm amongst our people so that we can become a nation of sports enthusiasts.
I want to assure the hon Ministers and provincial ministers of the support of the New NP in this regard. [Applause.]]
Ms F N MAZIBUKO (Gauteng): Ngiyabonga Mhlalangaphambili [Thank you, Chairperson], firstly, I wish to indicate to the Minister that I looked with interest at the composition of his department, especially at the senior decision-making positions. I noticed with interest that it is mostly men, except for one rose amongst the thorns. This does not necessarily reflect the gender balance of this country, where women make up 51% of the population, as opposed to men, who make up 48% of the population in our country.
We as Gauteng await with anticipation the policy document on women in sport which is still in draft form, as the Minister has indicated. Going back to my earlier comments on the composition in relation to gender, no wonder it took so long to get this draft document. We hope the Minister will commit himself and the department to making sure that all sporting codes will reflect the participation of women and their representation and that the favourite sport of us as women, which is netball, is not only declared an exhibition sport in Commonwealth countries, but is also recognised as a sport that will get awards. In short, we must encourage our young women to participate.
In this financial year of 2002-03 in Gauteng, we are looking more at an integrated approach through the concepts of co-operative governance, social services strategy and joint programmes on, for instance, HIV/Aids and the rehabilitation, maintenance and upgrading of facilities. The budget aims at contributing to economic growth, infrastructure development and job creation, addressing backlogs, and showing good governance and nation- building and the commitment of the Gauteng provincial government to building a culturally diverse, but united, democratic nonracial nation, proud of its heritage - a nation that unleashes its potential and is not hindered in achieving its goal and participation in the economic mainstream, thus creating a better future and a better life for all.
In this financial year, the financial support that we get from the national department to the tune of R7 million will go a long way towards alleviating poverty, especially in providing and upgrading sports and recreation facilities. While our intentions might be good, the question we must ask ourselves is whether our plans and programmes are designed and implemented in such a way that they give meaning to our intentions. We have made positive strides in addressing sports and recreation challenges in our province. Today there is a bigger pool of participation at grass-roots level through the Masakhane games. These games seek to increase participation in high-performance sports and focus on youth from disadvantaged communities, amongst whom we will identify those with talent and channel them to our academic programme.
The South African Games will also help to compare these athletes with those who come from other provinces. Our intention is to contribute to a pool of athletes that this country will send to the international competition. The sports academy that we have in our province has the objectives of identifying and nurturing talent to develop and enhance the level of performance of our identified talents, to transform the demographic composition of our South African teams and to provide quality support services to our athletes. We are going to focus on four sporting codes in these academies, that is, athletics, swimming, cricket and rugby. Already we have also developed partnerships with our federations, educational institutions and, most importantly, the SA Sports Commission in realising this dream.
We thank Sports and Recreation South Africa and the SA Sports Commission for the support they have given the province in the development of facilities at local level, the provincial championships, the administration of federation, the international events hosted by our province and the academy programmes. Without this assistance we would not be able to stand here and talk about these success stories. While women - especially young women - are going to be at the centre of our academies, we have identified netball as the most important sporting code for the development of women’s sports in our province.
Netball will receive funds to enable them to form structures and vibrant league systems that will allow maximum competition and development. The South African Indigenous Games was launched in Qwaqwa. In our province we have decided to co-ordinate training for our heritage societies, so as to ensure that we have a team of people who understand these games before we launch our programme in our province. We are at present focusing on an advocacy programme. At this point in time, our attention is mainly directed to the rural areas as our entry point, before we move to urban areas. There are specific indigenous games that have moved at a much faster pace and have formed their associations and have competitions like the dibeke, our black cricket. In the spirit of volunteerism, our sports and recreation have gone a long way in our history of volunteerism. Many of the people that were running sports and recreation have volunteered and some are still volunteering up until today. We are nurturing this spirit, but we are developing a pool of volunteers, especially for our competitions and provincial games.
There are a number of developmental initiatives from the private sector and civil society that complement our development. There are individuals like Linda Buthelezi, our former Bafana Bafana star, who has engaged in vigorous development programmes in our area, especially in Heidelberg, which is always forgotten by our well-resourced groupings. This is an indication that our Vukuzenzele programmes are actually making strides within our province. We thank all these good South Africans, and hope that many others will follow in their footsteps and help us to remove these big stumbling blocks within the shortest space of time.
While we need to highlight our successes, we also need to look at challenges we are faced with, so as to be able to deliver successfully to the masses of our people. There is a need for more facilities in the previously disadvantaged communities. We need to focus on the development of clubs if we are to sustain development programmes. We need to train our coaches, administrators and technical officials through appropriate sports education. We need to change the present composition of our teams to reflect both the provincial and national demographics. We should improve communication between us as the Government and between Government and our stakeholders. I would like to go on and on, but time will not allow me to do so. [Applause.]
Mr J O TLHAGALE: Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members of this House, the main objective of sports and recreation is to improve the quality of life of all South Africans by promoting their participation, and increasing the probable success of their sportspersons and teams in major international competitions.
These objectives are pursued with the co-operation of the various sports structures and are furthermore linked to certain priorities that have been set by Government, the first being poverty alleviation. By hosting major international sports events and promoting sports tourism, many jobs could be created, resulting in income generation.
Secondly moral regeneration can be achieved by involving young people in sports and recreation programmes in which they can learn the values that form the moral fabric of society. On the other hand, political parties should not allow their young people to hurl insults and abuse at the leaders of other political parties for their own expediency, as this practice ultimately leads to the moral degeneration of our youth.
The third priority is marketing South Africa. Through the enhanced performance of South African sportspersons and the hosting of international sporting events, our country could be marketed abroad.
It is gratifying to note that the budget allocation for the building of sports and recreation facilities nationally has been increased from R40 million in the 2001-02 financial year to about R90 million in the 2002-03 financial year. I also wish to join the chorus of applause directed at the hon the Minister, not only for this increase of the budget, but also for his enthusiastic and energetic approach to his departmental responsibilities.
An issue of great concern to us across the party-political spectrum is the underutilisation of two sports facilities in Mafikeng and Odi in the North West. However, I was partly comforted recently, when I read in the Mafikeng Mail that the hon Mayisele, MEC for sports and recreation, was also concerned about the underutilisation of these facilities. They have been built with the taxpayers’ money and the taxpayers must get value for their money.
In conclusion, I wish to appeal to the hon the Minister and the relevant sports structures to join hands in mobilising for the maximum use of these facilities. [Applause.]
Mr M W MFEBE (Free State): Chairperson, hon members, I stand here imagining myself standing in front of the mirror and saying: ``Hey, boy, are you in the old South Africa, or are you in the new South Africa?’’ when I hear hon members in this august House argue very strongly, and believing very strongly, that being black is equal to being substandard and inferior and that, therefore, we must maintain the current composition of our teams, irrespective of the demographics of our country. [Interjections.]
This will never happen for as long as the ANC is the leader of the Government in this country. We will change society and give benefits to all South Africans based on merit. There is a silly notion in this country in that people think that being black is being inferior and being substandard. [Interjections.]
The question of representativity has been addressed a number of times by the national Minister. People tend to conveniently distort it to mean that token blacks who are in the team will mean competent people who can represent South Africa. Who would want to put a person to swim in competition with Penny Heyns if that person was not competent in swimming? She would drown and die. Who would want that to happen? We want a competent person to compete with another South African, irrespective of colour.
Allow me to make my contribution within the context of the Free State White Paper and the Free State Development Plan, whose policy frameworks both refer to two important aspects which are the priorities of the Free State government: firstly, people development and, secondly, economic development. In order to realise people development to sport and recreation in the Free State province, we have put in place three interactive strategies. Without constant interface with those strategies sport advancement would be a pipe dream in the province and in the country for that matter. The strategies are, firstly, the provision of sports facilities, secondly, opportunities for mass participation and creation of competition, and thirdly, the academy assisting.
On the question of sports facilities I want to use the example of Mark Shuttleworth. Mark Shuttleworth, with the best will in the world, would not have been successful in realising his dream of getting into space without a facility, that is the capsule in which he jetted into space. Similarly, without sports facilities, our dreams as a province or as a country, or the dreams of an individual athlete, will never be realised.
In the words of the late Comrade Steve Tshwete: ``You cannot teach a child to swim in bed.’’ One has to provide a swimming pool in which to teach the child - a facility. So, therefore, the creation of facilities is of key importance in the sport development continuum if we are to succeed in this country. The question is: What have we done in the Free State to realise this important aspect?
Since 1994 we have spent a total of R135,5 million on sports facilities, of course with a little help from our friends in the national department … [Laughter] … benefiting 72,2% of the Free State communities. However, the challenge remains the vandalism that takes place in these communities. It is for this reason that I call on communities, wherever they are, to preserve what is truly theirs. The communities are provided with Government programmes truly belonging to those communities. There is no need for anyone to steal from themselves. We must preserve these facilities.
Secondly, on the question of opportunities for mass participation and competition, the strategic platform which we have embarked on is the Masakane Games, which serve as a comprehensive talent identification, selection and nurturing system for elite performance in order to draw all the athletes in the province into the mainstream of sport.
To date we have processed, through these games, 126 000 youths, and this is important, because we capture them during school holidays. As hon members know, the Minister has alluded to the fact that school sport is still the responsibility of the Department of Education, in terms of both physical education and competitive aspects, but we look at after-school hours to involve these youngsters. The best time is during school holidays, where these competitions are important.
This is also important in respect of the question of moral regeneration in the country. As we know, sport plays an important role and teaches young people many social lessons, the value of teamwork, of co-operation, of team spirit, the need to abide by rules and regulations, and how to take victory or defeat with good grace. Those are the values that are necessary in the classroom situation, in communities and wherever we are as a people. We have embarked on this system.
Linked to that is the question of identifying talent, as these games are taking place to feed into the academic system. The academy, as we are probably aware, is high-performance-centred. It is a school of excellence that transforms alleged potential into realised talent by putting certain programmes into place. In the Free State we process 2 000 people per annum in the various areas on which the academy is concentrating, from coaching, athlete conditioning, and technical officiating to women in sport. There is also sports psychology to empower people to take charge of their own lives, especially in so far as life skills are concerned.
This is important, because, as I have said, for the sport development continuum one needs facilities, one cannot do anything without facilities. We should address that. We need to create opportunities for competition so that people can compete, so that we can select them and put them in this fast-track, scientific and sustainable development programme within the academy system itself.
The other priority which I mentioned is economic development. I think the Minister has often in the past made a case for sport’s role in economic development. In this particular instance we concentrate in terms of the Free State Development Plan and the Free State White Paper on Sport Tourism which we have embarked on in terms of a project concerning the motorcycle Grand Prix.
I am happy to report to hon members that this programme has yielded good results which are important to note in this august House. So far we have had four Grand Prix events in the Free State, in Welkom, which marketed the province and the country to a total audience of 1,4 billion people in 200 countries. South Africa and the Free State have received a total of 14 609 minutes on television. If the Free State, and South Africa, were to purchase this exposure, it would have cost, based on South African advertising rates of R28 000 per minute, R306,8 million per event. All those events total a value of R1,23 billion in terms of exposure that the country has received.
We have, through the four events, brought to the Free State, and to Welkom, 20 000 foreign tourists from outside the country. Based on the international formula … [Time expired.] [Applause.] Ms J L KGOALI: Chairperson, I cannot start my speech without first responding in one line to the hon member Raju - just one line, because my colleague the hon MEC from the Free State has addressed some of the issues. I just want to ask the hon member who said that other people of other races had no capacity or capability. That is the question that I want to leave with him. [Interjections.] Transformation. [Laughter.]
Mr N M RAJU: May I answer? [Laughter.]
Ms J L KGAOLI: No, the hon member will answer me outside. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon Kgoali, you have the floor, not Mr Raju, so continue.
Ms J L KGOALI: Chairperson, thank you. Transformation in sport for us as the ruling party involves more than just the attainment of unity. It involves a fundamental paradigm shift in which certain pillars practice, as it is not putting a couple of black faces in teams, the federation and committees. Nor is it cooking up some half-baked development programme and selling it as redressing imbalances.
I want to say, in honesty, that the only sport in this country that is showing preparedness for transformation is soccer. They are doing all they can to ensure that they accommodate everybody, but with the others it is a different story.
We are aware that in certain quarters transformation is equated with mediocrity. There is also a school of thought that equates it with the quota system, at the expense of what is, in historically advantaged circles, known as excellence. However, we are not averse to these kinds of sentiments and are more than ready to discuss this apparent resistance, these insecurities and discomforts with whoever is not sure of what he wants to see, or to show what we are doing in this country. Sadly enough, reality dictates otherwise, and more often than not we are accused of not meeting the expectations of aspiring and budding young black sportsmen and sportswomen. I wish to state that the neglect of the women’s sports constituency in South Africa is an issue of serious concern. In our encounters with sportswomen, in both rural and urban areas, we are informed that transformation and development only benefit those who also benefited from apartheid sports. Historically disadvantaged sportswomen suffered triple doses of discrimination. I do not want to mention that. During these encounters we are also, almost as a rule, faced with accusations of racism, prejudice, disrespect, lack of commitment by federations, etc. As a consequence the levels of black women participating in sport are in serious decline.
What we find even more disconcerting is that discrimination against women extends beyond the playgrounds. It also manifests itself in the corporate sector and the media, especially the electronic media. Week in and week out viewers and television license-holders are being fed an overdose of brawn, muscle and male vanity. This represents sexism in the extreme. An example of this insensitivity happened during the senior national netball championships in my constituency in Pretoria during August of last year. As more than 600 players assembled and vied for honours in this prestigious competition, the media, both print and electronic, decided to boycott it. We would like to believe that the public broadcaster has a special responsibility in this regard.
During the last continental women’s football championships, Banyana Banyana demonstrated that they have what it takes to compete at the highest level by reaching the final of this competition, and they gave every football lover in this country sheer pleasure with their ball skills, pace and stamina - more, I am sure, than my hon colleague Raju. These girls can run.
Also, Dikeledi Moropani was the only black South African female athlete of note who, although she did not win any of the sprints, gave a good account of herself in the recent Absa series, and yet schoolchildren do not even know about this person. It is a shame for us as a country. Moreover, in the early nineties we had the likes of Evelina Tshabalala, Blanche Moila and Marcelle Winkler, who made us proud when they notched up victories in their respectives disciplines. Since they have retired, there are no apparent successors to their thrones.
It is such inconsistencies that make women sportspersons lose interest and become suspicious of the status quo. Moreover, we will have to do something drastic to take so-called high-profile sports events and championships back to disadvantaged communities. This situation is portraying a false image of our society when black people have to go to affluent suburbs to watch such events. Women’s sports have the potential to rebuild broken and divided communities.
I want to call on Sport and Recreation South Africa to address this very serious issue as a priority. However much we are encouraged by the inclusion of and provision for women in their Building for Sport and Recreation project, we would like to see policy guidelines. It must not remain a draft paper for all time. We want to see it taking shape and getting into the provinces and being implemented.
Transformation is indeed futile when we rant and rave about lily-white male national teams and nothing is being said or done publicly about the racial composition of, for instance, our hockey team. It is a disgrace that we can see a hockey team of that nature in South Africa as a rainbow nation.
On the whole, Sport and Recreation South Africa have indeed proved that they are heeding our President’s call to push back the frontiers of poverty. They have consistently demonstrated an unfailing commitment to this end. Their Building for Sports and Recreation programme is indeed proof of this and will ensure that democracy, nonracialism, nonsexism, access, equity and transformation are sustained.
There is an outcry in Gauteng, in the area of Midrand in Khayalami, where the community, much as they are situated in a rich area, are crying out for a simple facility, namely a sports ground. The owners of the place, who have lots of money, cannot even contribute two poles for the playing of soccer. This is one matter in which we are also looking to the Hon Minister to call people to work together and assist every province with regard to the facilities which are needed in those areas. Although people feel - as, perhaps, the hon the minister himself does - that Gauteng is a much more advantaged province, there are still problems in Gauteng, and we cannot deny that. [Time expired.]
Mr S B NGIDI (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, hon Minister, colleagues, may I begin by commending the Minister on the budget speech which he has delivered this afternoon. I am always enthused and encouraged by the hon the Minister of Sport and Recreation because of the enthusiasm he actually puts into driving this particular portfolio. I only wish that kind of enthusiasm could be injected into our various sporting bodies, both into the administration and into the players, so that we could actually begin to become the proud South Africa that we used to be. I met people from Australia recently and I decided that I was not going to talk about rugby and cricket, although they wanted to talk about those particular things, for various obvious reasons.
One of the things which always come to mind when I think about sport is development. I have actually made my own yardstick. It might be a very poor yardstick. I always look at tennis. Whom do I associate with tennis in South Africa? The names that would just come to mind are Wayne Ferreira and Amanda Coetzer. I have no problem with these athletes, but I seem to remember that almost all the people who played with them have retired. Are they in England or in Germany or any other European countries? It tells me that with regard to programmes of development in this particular area, we still have a long way to go. We still have only those people in that particular area.
I agree with the Minister’s approach towards co-operative governance. I know that sport is a form of provincial competence but we still have this particular problem that we are one country and we want to transform. Yet, at the same time we also want to develop and open up opportunities for everybody to actually develop to the maximum.
One of the things that we are always talking about is the issue of facilities and resources. I know that local government is doing something about it, whereas provincial government should be doing something about it to a level that is so encouraging that different things happen. In my province, if we look at Nomvete and Zuma, they are township boys and they have come to where they are because there were these facilities where they grew up.
I also realise that the only people going up in sport in the rural areas are those who are in medium-distance and long-distance running. One only needs legs in order to run. They have a particular talent. If one is far away from that rural setting, then opportunities for sport are very far removed. I can mention Sizwe Mataung and Herman Kelele, who ultimately got to those levels and who are from the Newcastle area. There are very few facilities available for them.
As we try to say that we need development in sport, and we should develop people who otherwise would not have a chance, the question of facilities is thus very important. Any facility which we put in the deep rural areas will actually help to bring a calibre of people up to certain levels of development. It not only helps the family, it also helps the area in which those people are.
We would also support, in our own small way, any measures which say: We need to improve facilities for our various people as we develop. We watch wonderful soccer during the weekend, but what happens is that the people come from all over the country to watch that. In the province we would have people driving from the North Coast area or the Ladysmith-Newcastle area or from Potchefstroom upwards. Bafana Bafana has a lot of support in our province. We built a beautiful stadium in Newcastle and if we sent Bafana Bafana to that, they would all be back. [Applause.] Mr H T SOGONI: Chairperson, Minister and members, in participating in today’s debate, we should remember to pay special tribute to the late Mr Steve Tshwete, one of the fierce campaigners, who exerted his efforts to liberate the country, not only from political domination, but also from its fragmented apartheid sports policies and structures that were designed to advance racial division in society. This was done to effectively protect the minority, whilst depriving the rest of the citizens of equal opportunity, mainly in the area of sport.
As the first Minister of Sport and Recreation in the new political dispensation, the late Mr Tshwete greatly assisted the country in laying a new foundation on which we could begin to address the problems of the past. Today we are able to sing the praises of all sports heroes and champions in one voice, with pride that together we play to make South Africa a winning nation.
The department has clearly outlined three programmes in terms of its strategic plan as well as the estimates for the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. Of particular interest to me are programmes on the funding policy and liaison and the Building for Sport and Recreation programme. In terms of the programme on funding the UDM appreciates that the department recognises the significance of co-operation between itself and the various national sports bodies and federations and other service providers in order to achieve the objective of improving the quality of life through increased participation in sport and increasing the number of successes of South African teams and individual participants in major events and the successful hosting of international events as well.
The realisation of such goals, in my view, however, remains a pipe dream if other role-players themselves do not share the same commitment with the department and do not put their house in order. An example that quickly comes to mind is the one that the hon the Minister has already paid attention to in his latest media statement, namely the Safa-PSL fiasco. The UDM fully supports the Minister in his clear and unambiguous message to these football structures, which in my language I could interpret to mean ``opetheyo makapathe, opetheyo aphateke.’’ [The leader must lead and the follower must follow.]
Without the co-operation and commitment of all the stakeholders, performance standards will certainly drop. The country will slide down in world rankings and our national pride and reputation as a sporting nation will fade away. Transfer payments of 86,3% of the total expenditure in this programme for 2002-03 are an indication that the department is committed to providing her partners with the necessary means to play their role in meeting the targets. The UDM supports this endeavour.
The programme deals with a variety of key issues on the basis which the real challenges of the ongoing processes of transformation should be viewed. This programme embarks on facility provision through the Building for Sport and Recreation project. According to SA Yearbook 2001-02 this project is another phase in the Government’s determination to deliver in areas where the needs are the greatest, in an attempt to bridge the gaps that exist between rural and urban communities.
Projects in this programme therefore have been identified in line with the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme strategy and the Urban Renewal Programme, which seek to address issues of critical importance to the majority of people in South Africa. I can only mention a few: moral regeneration, which has already been mentioned; crime prevention … [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mr P C McKENZIE (Western Cape): Chairperson, Minister, members, it is, of course, a great privilege for me to return to this important House of Parliament to present the Western Cape’s vision for sport and recreation. Also, my congratulations to our colleague from the Western Cape on his maiden speech today. I congratulate him on his speech. [Interjections.] As a province and a department we are committed to ensuring that sport and recreation are used as tools to better the lives of all our citizens.
It is our belief that by investing in sport we are able to improve safety and security in our communities, through providing healthy alternatives to antisocial behaviour, particularly amongst our youth; to improve the health and welfare of all our citizens by providing opportunities to participate in sport to all age groups; to contribute to the growth of our economy by promoting sport and tourism; and to invest in important capital projects that focus on ensuring that the Western Cape establishes itself as the sports mecca of Africa.
That we are making good progress in this regard is quite clear, if one takes into consideration our representation in national sport teams, be that rugby, softball, soccer, cricket or bowls, to name a few, as well as on the administration side, not to mention the fact that the province has been chosen to host the opening ceremony of next year’s Cricket World Cup, after our success in hosting the opening of the 1995 Rugby World Cup here in this province.
It is pleasing to announce that, as a result of the new political dispensation in the Western Cape, a new level of co-operation has developed between our province’s sports department and national and local institutions dealing with sports. [Applause.] This new approach to co- operate with all tiers of government is bearing positive results and will continue to do so in this province.
Furthermore, we have established three regional sports councils, as well as an overarching provincial sports forum. In order to improve service delivery to our various communities, we have opened in the Western Cape three new regional offices, one in the Boland-Overberg area, one on the West Coast and the other at Hartleyvale for the Cape metropole area. Earlier we established an office in Oudtshoorn for the South Cape area.
The unsatisfactory level of participation in sport among our youth, especially at schools, is a major concern to my department. Hon members will agree with us that this is something we cannot afford in a province where youths so easily fall prey to gangsterism - to quote writer James Baldwin: ``The wonder is not that so many are ruined, but that so many survive.’’
I am therefore particularly proud to announce that the Western Cape provincial government, different to a lot of other provinces - other provinces should also take the lead here - has recently adopted a new school sports policy. This policy in essence means that the Department of Sport and Recreation will be responsible for all school sports, while the Department of Education will be responsible for physical education. Through this relationship between Sport and Recreation, and Education, we will give effect to the slogan ``a child in sport is a child out of court.’’
To this end, I would like to reaffirm the Western Cape government’s viewpoint that the beautiful revamped Athlone stadium should be the home of soccer in this province. This, however, does not exclude any other events from taking place at the stadium. We are committed to ensuring that the immediate communities should benefit from any activities or events being held at that venue. We would also like to thank the Minister for his involvement in that.
With regard to the future management of the Athlone stadium, my department, the City of Cape Town and SAFA Western Province meet on a weekly basis to finalise the agreement in respect of the matter, and good progress has been made in this regard. They are also in the process of planning an appropriate official opening at Athlone and we will definitely need the Minister’s support and help that we may even get Bafana Bafana at the opening match here in Cape Town.
In conclusion, allow me to turn to the very important issue of transformation in sport. Sadly, a decade into democracy, many of our sport codes lag behind with respect to transformation and development. I believe it is time that we bring an end to lip service in terms of transformation. Earlier this year, when I delivered my own budget speech in the provincial legislature, I specifically pointed to the so-called elite sports, those which have for many years being regarded as sports for the wealthy only, and which have been allowed to get away with virtual murder, while we are concentrating only on rugby and cricket in terms of transformation.
My department has subsequently instituted measures to ensure that transformation and development are taken seriously by all our sport federations, particularly when it applies to the involvement of women, black and disabled persons. However, I agree with the hon MEC, we are not talking about tokenism. I believe that those who are black have proved themselves on the sport fields over and over again and those people must be given an opportunity to represent their country. [Interjections.]
Furthermore, we will be hosting a sports indaba with all stakeholders in the latter half of this year, where we will collectively reflect on the progress made to date, as well as future requirements. This sports indaba will monitor how transformation takes place in all sporting codes in this province. I want to thank hon members. My time is up and I appreciate having had this opportunity to speak. Our congratulations go to the Minister on doing an excellent job in this department. [Applause.]
Mr M MTHIMKHULU (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson and hon members, as a KwaZulu- Natal special delegate, one regards this debate as of primary importance. Sport and recreation are vital, especially in expediting nation-building in our country, which still bears visible scars of the inhuman system of apartheid which divided us as a people along racial lines for decades.
There are still communities without basic sports and recreation facilities, let alone having these in our schools in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which is, as hon members know, largely rural. One can hardly find facilities for sports and recreation in those areas. One will only see those young men and women playing soccer, because soccer only needs a few logs and a patch of area to set up a soccer field. It is therefore of vital importance to dwell on the issue of facilities. We will all recall that KwaZulu-Natal was a province that was torn apart by apartheid state-sponsored political violence. Thus, I am short of words to underscore how significant sport and recreation are to my province as a vehicle for reconciliation. We need vigorously to revamp our policy on sport and recreation. In my province, since education is underfunded, sport and recreation, as a directorate of the department of education and culture, is suffering immensely
In my province one will find that sport and recreation will not even get half a slice of the budget. That has a negative impact on us, a because we need to reinforce sports, as I said earlier, as a means of consolidating reconciliation in this province, which was once torn apart by political violence.
I must say, the situation right now is that the sport and recreation directorate does not have enough of the budget. To us that is a real disservice to our people, because sport and recreation are treated as the stepdaughter in our province.
One is encouraged by the Minister’s commitment to co-operative governance and hopes that if the Minister puts a lot of work into ensuring that the problems encountered in this regard, in as far as sport and recreation are concerned in our province, are addressed so that we will all be able to realise the importance of sport in our society.
Although the Minister announced a 55% increase in this year’s budget, I feel strongly that there must be more budgetary bias towards sport and recreation so that that will cascade down to provinces. I think a firm national policy to … [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mrs J N VILAKAZI: Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, it is interesting to speak about one of the creative activities enjoyed by communities around the world. The Minister’s budget speech is encouraging and gives us hope. A wide range of sports activities is enjoyed by both players and spectators, either as individuals or groups of people according to their common interests. A sport which is not practised or promoted can never develop; it may as well be dead or not exist.
I salute our hon Minister of Sport and Recreation because he does not have that designation in name only, but is visible on the ground as he is usually where the sport is. Some people are talented in certain sports, but owing to a lack of financial support and recognition fail to develop their talents accordingly. The Minister in his budget will be doing a great service to the nation and also extending his great talent by identifying such people, especially in the underdeveloped areas of our society by giving assistance according to their identified needs. By so doing, the country will benefit a lot when these people, after training and development, start ploughing their skills back into their communities.
Sizalwa yizizwe ezinamasiko ahlukene. Ekukhuleni kwethu kwakunezinto eziningi zokuvocavoca umzimba esasizenza.Imali yayingekho futhi nezikhulu ezazikhona zazingakunakile ukuthuthukisa ezemidlalo, ikakhulu kithina luhlanga olunsundu.
Emakhaya kukhona intsha ezivocavoca ngezindlela eziningi. Uma kungenamuntu onakekela leyo midlalo yayo, igcina ishabalele. Siyazi ukuthi umdlalo odume kakhulu ibhola lezinyawo kanti naleli lomnqakiswano seliyaqala ngoba linakekelwe. Sincoma uHulumeni owelula isandla ezimalini ukuze ezemidlalo zidlondlobale. Umdushuzwano lona oyibhola lombhoxo usuqalile ukuheha labo abawuthandayo, ikhilikithi neminye.
UNgqongqoshe nomnyango wakhe abake baqinise isandla sabo, ikakhulu kulabo abasafufusa nabangenawo amandla okuzifukula noma benalo ikhono. Laba phela abasemakhaya. Anibobanaka, inkunzi isematholeni njengoba kade esho nje umhlonishwa engimlandele. Inkunzi isematholeni, bagcwele emakhaya esizonqoba ngabo.
Abantu abadala bona benzani? Asiyiboni imidlalo yabo. Nabo banawo amakhono abangawasebenzisa. Mhlawumbe ne-high blood pressure, ushukela nenhliziyo kungathikaziseka. [Ubuwelewele.]
Ngiyacela mina kuNgqongqoshe ukuthi asebekhulile, abanayo imidlalo yokuqinisa imizimba, banikezwe ithuba. Kuyimpilo lokhu. Mina njengelungu lomphakathi elibe ngumhlengikazi iminyaka eminingi, kuye kungiphathe kabi ukuzwa ukuthi umdlali webhola odumile akasakwazi ukungena adlale, iminyaka yakhe ayisamvumeli. Uma iminyaka ingasamvumeli, usezokwenzani ngoba ungumthandi womdlalo? Liphi iqembu leminyaka yakhe asezongena kulo?
Umshayisibhakela onekhono usedinga umhlalaphansi, bese enzani emva kwalokho? Liphi iqembu azongena kulo aqhube ikhono lakhe? Umuntu ugcina lapho esevule ibhizinisi, iqale i-high blood pressure nezinye izifo ezenziwa ukuswela ukuvocavoca umzimba, aye kudokotela bese udokotela emtshela ukuthi udinga ukuthi avocavoce umzimba noma ahambahambe ayaluze nje. (Translation of Zulu paragraphs follows.)
[We come from different nations. When we grew up, there were a lot of things that we did to exercise our bodies. There was no money and the officials did not care about promoting sport, especially for black people.
In the rural areas there are young people who exercise their bodies in different ways. If no one takes care of the sports that they play, they will eventually disappear. We know that the popular sports, soccer and netball, are only starting to kick off because they were overlooked. We applaud the Government, which extended a financial hand to promote sport. Rugby has stated to attract those who like it, as well as cricket and other kinds of sport.
The Minister and his department should intensify their involvement, especially relating to the amateurs who do not have the power to uplift themselves although they have the talent. These are the rural people. Take care of them; the leaders of tomorrow are among the young people of today, as the hon member said on whom I followed. The leaders of tomorrow are among the youth of today. There are a lot of people in the rural areas through whom we will win.
What have the older people done? We do not see their sports. They too, have talents that they can utilise. Perhaps even high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases could improve. [Interjections.]
I would like to ask the Minister to give the older people who have talents in sports the opportunity to exercise their bodies. This is healthy. I, as a member of the public who was a nurse for many years, feel bad when I hear that a soccer player who was once popular can no longer play because his age prevents him from doing this. If his age prevents him, what must he do, because he loves soccer? Where is a team of his age group that he can join?
If a talented boxer needs to retire, what he must do afterwards? Where is the team that he can join and continue to use his talent? One ends up opening a business, then the high blood pressure starts, as well as other illnesses, because he does not exercise his body. When he goes to the doctor, he tells him that he needs to exercise his body or just go for walks.]
This is a challenge to the Minister and his department. Sport and recreation must be made available to people of all ages to avoid stress and all other diseases caused by lack of exercise. With these few words and despite all the concerns I have highlighted, the IFP supports the Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Mrs C NKUNA: Chairperson, hon Minister of Sports and Recreation, hon MECs present here and hon members of the NCOP, firstly I would like to apologise on behalf of my MEC who could not make it to this House because of unforeseen circumstances. Allow me to start by partly qualifying in this House that in this Government we are looking for substance in whatever we do. We are looking for capability or capabilities and we are looking for skills.
This Government checks to see whether a person, or an area, is in a position to be trained. If that person or that area is, then training takes place. In this way I wish to say that the Government is blind to any skill colour. To those who still cling to the traditional or apartheid ideology in which people used to say that the colour of their skin was their badge of security in South Africa, this Government wants to say that it does not have any room for that.
``My graad is my vel of my vel is my graad. Ons het nie plek vir so ‘n houding in hierdie Regering nie.’’ [My degree is my skin or my skin is my degree. We do not have room for such an attitude in this Government.]
The fact that this century has been declared the period of human existence in which we reclaim the African cultural heritage, poses a challenge of rare proportions. This challenge can be overcome with ease if we, as gathered in this august House, regard ourselves as agents of the African Rennaisance on a march to deliver a successful conclusion to the African century in the year 2100.
We are also grateful to note that with regard to the indigenous games, the Minister of Sport and Recreation has played a vital role. I would therefore take this opportunity to thank the South African Sports Commission for the four-day workshop held in April 2001 that empowered the provincial co- ordinators in the seven games identified, the seven indigenous games.
Muchaviseki, mutshami wa xitulo, a hi ku tsakisa ka swona tiva leswaku vana va hina namunthla va tiva no tlanga mintlangu ya ndhavuko yo fana na tinghedzo, khadi, muravarava, ncuva, khokho na dibeke. Muchaviseki, a ndzi kanakani leswaku mintlangu leyi yi ta va na ntshovelo wo karhi eka vanhu va xifundzakulu xa Limpopo.
Xo sungula vanhu va ta kota ku tlanga mintlangu leyi vona vinyi va yi tsakelaka. Xa vumbirhi va ta kota ku nghena eka tiko lerintshwa leri ri nga ta va fikisa eka mintlangu ya swa tiolompiki. Ku seketela mintlangu leyi mfumo wu komberiwa ku engetela swo pfuneta ku kota ti mali, switirho ni swin’wan ni swin’wana.
Eka xifundzankulu xa Limpopo hi xakelana na lava vuriwaka leswaku i tiprivate sectors. Naswona swo laveka. Hi seketeriwile hi switichi swinharhu swo haxa kunga Munghana Lonene, Phalaphala na Thobela Fm lava va hi pfuneke ku sumeka rijini eka swa mintlangu ya ndhavuko leswi a swi kongomisanile na siku ra ndhavuko ra September 2001. Mintlangu leyi yi kumeka exikarhi ka vanhu naswona mfumo wa xikaya hi wona wu vonaka no fambisa mintlangu leyi. Tikomiti leti ti tinyikile matimba hi ku endleriwa ti workshop mayelena na mintlangu ya ndhavuko. Matshalatshala lawa ya pfuneta ku endla leswaku mintlangu ya ndhavuko yi kula ku ri na ku yi tshika yi nga fambisiwi hi munhu.
Eka South African sports commision hi khensa switirho na swilaveko leswi mi hi nyikeke, leswi mi nyikeke xifundzankulu xa Limpopo. Hi ku ti tsongahata ha ha kombela swin’wana. Aku sunguleni ka lembe hi vile na rhijini ya mintlangu ya ndhavuko eKlasiri Dam. Hi Nyenyankulu lembe leri hi enghenerile ntlangu wa muravarava wa world championship, laha swirho swa mune leswi humaka eka province ya Limpopo swi nga vuya na medali ya silver. Matiko yo fana na Germany, Thaiwan, Botswana, Swaziland na man’wana ya nghenerile. (Translation of Tsonga paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Chairperson, it is very good to know that today our children know how to play traditional games like the stone game, double dutch, draughts, the stone game for men, square and touch games. I do not doubt that these games will produce better results amongst our people in the Limpopo province.
Firstly, our people will be able to play games of their own choice. Secondly, they will be able to enter into new country, which will eventually enable them to reach for the Olympic Games. In order to support these games, the Government is requested to increase the allocation of money in order to be able to obtain equipment and comply with other needs.
In the Limpopo province, we join hands with the private sector. This is very necessary. We are supported by three radio stations, namely Manghana Lonene, Phalaphala and Thobela FM that helped us to establish indigenous games in our region, and this coincided with Heritage Day during September
- These games are played by the people and the local government is responsible for the guidance and management of these games. These committees were empowered by way of establishing workshops on indigenous games. These efforts help to develop indigenous games instead of neglecting them, with nobody to look after these games.
We want to thank the South African Sports Commission for the equipment, and for providing in other needs of the Limpopo province. We again humbly request an additional supply of equipment. At the beginning of the year we had the regional sports competition of indigenous games, which were held at the Klaserie Dam. In February this year we entered the draughts world championship competition, where four competitors from Limpopo province were awarded silver medals. Competitors from countries like Germany, Taiwan, Botswana, Swaziland and others took part in the competition.]
When opening the sitting of the provincial legislature this year, Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi said the following in reference to education, and I quote:
Quality education requires a chain of actions involving the entire civil society. If any link in this chain is broken the entire system finds itself in jeopardy.
This statement makes us define the role of sport in enhancing the quality of education of our children and in dealing with other broader challenges faced by society. It is in that context that there is agreement that school sports is an important tool which has to contribute towards holistic development of the child.
We have the duty and responsibility to make sure that the environment in schools assists in developing healthy lifestyles, productivity, peace and democratic practices throughout society. The funding of school sport is very important, since it is the foundation on which professional and amateur sport rest.
It is very clear that if school and college sports are not receiving the attention they should be receiving, sport in this country will not reach its full potential.
Swirhalanganyi swi kona. Ha hlangana na swirhalanganyi. Xirhalanganyi so sungula, swikolo swo tala ngopfu lomuya matiko-xikaya a swi na tifasilithi. Xirhalanganyi xa vumbirhi hi pfumala mali. Xirhalanganyi xa vunharhu xiphiqho xa ku tiva laha mitlangu yi welaka kona. Xana hile ehansi ka ndzawulo ya dyondzo kumbe ndzawulo ya mitlangu na vuhungasi ke?
Hi na mahungu lamanene. Limpopo sport association yi kumile R20430 yo huma eka lotto. Mali leyi yi tirhisiwa ku pfuneta ku tiyisa mitlangu leyi yi yisiwa emahlweni. Xifundzankulu xa Limpopo xi na vatlangi va ndhuma vo fana Mbulaheni Mulaudzi loyi a nga nghwazi ya 800 metres naswona a nga khoma rekhodo ya Afrika Dzonga.
Eka ntlangu ya bolo ya milenge kuna Harris Choeu anga museketeri wa mudzhabi wa xipano xa Orlando Pirates, Ku na Trott Moloto a nga museketeri wa Jomo Sono eka xipano xa Bafana Bafana na Alex Barness Bapela ni van’wana vatele, ku hlaya vona i ku xurha.
Swipano swa Ria Stars na Black Leopards swi le ka Premier League, kasi xipano xa Dynamos hi langutele leswaku na xona xi joyina premiere league. Eka boxing. [Nkarhi wu herile.] (Translation of Tsonga paragraphs follows.)
[There are problems. We are confronted with problems. The first problem is that most schools, especially in rural areas, do not have facilities. The second problem is the scarcity of money. The third problem is that we do not know whose responsibility sports is. Does it fall under the Department of Education or the Development of Sports and Recreation? We have good news. The Limpopo Sports Association received R20,430 from the Lotto. This money will be utilised to strengthen these games so that they could develop. There are famous sportsmen in the Limpopo province like Mbulaheni Mulaudzi, who is an 800 metres champion and he holds the South African record.
In soccer we have Harris Choeu, who is a deputy coach of Orlando Pirates. Trott Moloto is a deputy coach who assists Jomo Sono in training Bafana Bafana. We have Barness Bapela and many others.
Ria Stars and Black Leopards clubs have reached the Premier League and we are still expecting Dynamos to join the Premier League too. In boxing … [Time expired.]]
Mr B J TOLO: Chairperson, if the hon Raju would look … could the hon Raju please listen. If he would look at his party and thereafter at himself in the mirror, he would realise that he is a square peg in a round hole in that party. [Laughter.]
Chairperson, hon Ministers, MECs here present, special delegates and permanent delegates, the pace of transformation and the impatience resulting from unmet expectations constitute a challenge that the Ministry of Sports and Recreation in South Africa encounters on a daily basis.
It is common knowledge that there are some amongst us, like the hon Raju, who have gone to great lengths to ensure that a distorted picture is created in the minds of South Africans about what is meant by transformation.
For us, transformation is underpinned by democracy, nonracialism, nonsexism, equity and access, redress, representativity and accountability. And we must hasten to say here that without positive discrimination in favour of blacks, transformation will remain a mirage in this country.
By positive discrimination in favour of blacks, we mean that if there are two people, one white and the other black, both of whom are equally able to fill a certain position in sports, one must consciously forget about the white person and take the black person, put him forward to be able to fill the position. That is positive discrimination.
Because transformation and representativity are inextricably linked to Government’s policy to create a better life for all, sport cannot - and as some of would like to have it - be outside the national agenda.
Sport does not operate in isolation, nor is it independent of the transformation agenda of which the ANC-led Government is the pioneer in this country. In the same way in which every sphere of our socioeconomic and political lives are evolving from a past steeped in discrimination, sports is expected to do likewise. The Budget Vote before us today is meant to ensure exactly that.
The Sport and Recreation department of South Africa has embarked on a three- year programme of facility provision through its building of sports programmes and recreation projects. The projects are another phase in Government’s determination to deliver in areas where the needs are the greatest in order to correct the imbalances of the past.
It demonstrates the commitment of Sport and Recreation South Africa to pushing back the frontiers of poverty and expanding access to a better life for all.
Besides the fact that this programme will go a long way towards addressing the sports facilities backlog in the disadvantaged areas, it is also aimed at creating temporary and permanent jobs, resulting in income generation, and thus providing poverty relief. As the Minister has indicated earlier, to date 55 projects have been identified and created, in line with the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy and the Urban Renewal Programme, especially in the nodal points. In all projects, the aim is to employ local labour, with a bias towards women, youth and the disabled. We want to commend the department for that.
At present, Sport and Recreation South Africa is in the process of developing a sport and recreation policy that will ensure access to sport and recreation, and equity in the participation of the youth, disabled persons and women. It goes without saying, therefore, that to us this aspect is of major concern. These groups, especially the black African groups, are still not being given access and adequate opportunity to participate on level playing fields. In this respect, we want to call upon MECs, all provincial departments and local governments to play a crucial role in seeing to it that those who have hitherto been disadvantaged do get a chance. Moreover, it is important that all national federations embrace this very noble principle.
The development of policy on transformation is also overdue, and we support Sport and Recreation South Africa for their commitment in this regard. Sport and Recreation South Africa has also established a distribution agency for Sport and Recreation, as part of its broader social responsibility. The main focus of this agency is the establishment and consolidation of thriving, sustainable, mass-based sports and recreation structures and programmes, especially in the rural communities.
This will be achieved through, among other things, presidential sports awards, training in sports and recreation leadership, establishing co- ordinated partnerships with learning institutions, government-to-government exchange programmes, and the visible increase of national sport and recreation structures, activities and physical infrastructure.
The successes and victories of the Ministry and Sport and Recreation South Africa on a very broad front are well documented, and we remain convinced that they will continue to champion the cause of the poor and the underprivileged through sports.
Sports and recreation play an immeasurable role in removing children from the streets. It keeps them engaged so that their minds do not become the workshop of the devil, as the saying goes. The spin-offs include reduced crime in communities, leading to stable communities which will eventually thrive economically. Sports also go a very long way in enhancing patriotism and national identity.
In conclusion, sports and recreation therefore, directly or indirectly, improve the quality of life of all South Africans. Finally, we want to join the Minister in wishing Bafana Bafana well in the upcoming Soccer World Cup in Japan and Korea. We want to say: a healthy mind in a healthy body should be our guiding principle as a country. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Madam Chair, I will respond very quickly. I will not keep members waiting; we have been here for a long time. My colleague here, Dullah, is panicking. I know, because he also has to do some work here tonight.
Very quickly, I do thank all the members, special delegates, and MECs who have spoken in this budget debate today. Most of the contributions really are in line with what we are doing within the department, and all of them are giving us guidance and insight into what we should be doing. To answer one by one is not going to help us. I like what Tata Kgware said at the beginning of the debate, as he finished his speech. He said: ``Let’s play ball.’’ Sometimes we forget that we have to play ball.
There were very, very good contributions, from across the board. The issue of women in sport is very close to my heart. It is an issue we will tackle. We will make sure that we bring it to this august House, and report on it.
There are a number of other areas. With regard to school sport, the Western Cape is leading the pack at the moment with what they have told us, and they could serve as a model for other provinces. I hope, really, we will be able to follow them. We will watch very, very closely what came from the Western Cape.
Regarding the issue from Gauteng on women in sport and netball, I know that the MEC holds that very close to his heart, and it is something that we need to look at.
There was the Free State’s commitment to the White Paper, and the economic viability of sport, and everything that has taken place there. I will not dwell on issues of transformation, because all of us tend to agree. I will come back to that at some stage, but not now. We also need to look at the decline, as Joyce has put it, in the participation of women. We need to promote and market the role models that are there. Sometimes we blame the public broadcaster, but at the moment they are trying their best. They are doing very well, I must say. There is a programme that comes on every Saturday morning, Sesifikile, about women and netball. It is a lovely programme that they put on. They look at the national netball competitions in our country and they profile the players, the participants, very well.
The issue of vandalism is an issue that all of us should take care of in our communities, talk to communities about vandalism of these facilities, instead of the maximum utilisation of those facilities. We should always look at that. In the same breath I want to say that I have spoken about resistance to transformation coming mainly from clubs and provincial structures, from coaches who do not want to play ball, Ntate Kgware, who would give any excuse to exclude players. Some of the presidents of these structures would give any excuse to exclude people from the management administration. We need to look at that.
Somebody touched on boxing. We did eventually, last Saturday, come up with associations that give effect to the new Boxing Act, and I was quite happy with the participation that we had, thanks to Gauteng. We had it in the Civic Centre in Gauteng. We were given that by the Gauteng department, which was very good. I must mention also - when Dullah came in I smiled - we got through the Cup of Nations three Ministers of our Government - Foreign Affairs, Sport and Recreation, and Transport. We were awarded with the highest honours by the Mali government for assisting Mali with the Cup of Nations. [Applause.] It is something that we are very proud of because that is also giving flesh to Nepad. We do not simply talk about the African Renaissance in the abstract. We try our best. I would like to dedicate my award to all the companies, starting with Johnny Dladla, who took up the cudgels for that to all the teams that he worked with and to all the South African companies that contributed to making that competition a success. That one is for them.
Very quickly, I am just finishing off. Yes, in tennis there are up-and- coming youngsters. It does worry us quite a lot but there are youngsters that are coming up: Raven Klaasen, P J Nomdo and others. But we still need to do a lot to assist tennis, to make it work.
Lastly, with regard to old or mature citizens of our country, the hon Vilakazi was quite correct. She was very correct. I wish she could actually start here with Parliament. We parliamentarians could come in in the morning and all of us could start walking from right down the bottom end of Adderley Street right up to here and back again. That would give a good message to the whole country that it is not about us only giving orders to the old and mature citizens of our country, but about all of us participating, with everybody - including Enver and Dullah - in shorts. [Laughter.] Yes. It would be recreational for all of us to do that, and maybe on the route up here, we could do some skipping as we go. Dullah must bring along his dog.
On the way up here or back, we could actually be convincing Mr Raju by talking to him. It is amazing. I met Mr Raju some time ago and he said to me that he was involved in nonracial sports. [Interjections.] I am coming to that. He said that he felt very bad about a number of people who had been treated very badly in this country during the apartheid years. He knows the history very well, make no mistake. He spoke about Papwa Sewgolum, the golfer who was given whatever in the rain in Durban. [Interjections.] But unfortunately, I did not think that there would be a day when I would say this to Mr Raju - I am not sure - but the way he thinks is exactly the way Clive Rice does. It is amazing that he can think the same way as Clive Rice.
It is a real pity that he thinks that way. But also at some stage, when he looks in the mirror, he should tell himself that he is Mr Raju and knows the history of sport in this country, and that he cannot be told something by a party that does not know a damn thing and come and say it here. He does not believe it himself, but he is saying the things he does not believe. He is just repeating what they are telling him to repeat. I would like to tell the hon Mr Raju that what he is saying is wrong, because he is misleading a lot of people out there. He must tell his party that he does not agree with them, because they are wrong. He must tell them that he does not agree with them.
Unfortunately they will kick him out. [Laughter.] But at least he would have been kicked out with pride and dignity. It is really a pity that he thinks that way. But we have addressed some of these things. The hon member, in his party caucus, must please say that, as the hon member Raju, knowing the history of black people in this country, he is not going to be a party to this thing. He must not sell his soul, knowing what is wrong.
I am not going to go into this thing of transition and transformation, because there are two distinct things here. The performance of our teams is not about transformation. Yes, part of it is. National teams all over the world go through peaks and troughs. They do. Anyone can read about it as a student of sport. For the first time, the West Indies are coming back to being the old West Indies team that we knew it to be - for the first time. New Zealand and Australia went through that. When it happens in South Africa people talk about mediocrity and all that kind of nonsense.
There are players who are performing better now, at the present moment. Gcobani Bobo is injured, but I will never forget the sight of Gcobani Bobo, a black young star, coming from the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, running across the whole of Loftus Versfeld. This has never been done before by any black, but he did it. He was not there because he was mediocre. He was there because he was damn good! He is damn good! Bolla Conradie is the best scrum half in the country. He is not there because Balfour pushed him there; he is there because he is bloody good! End of story! He is bloody good! Ashwell Prince got selected from Potchefstroom, was put in the team and batted the Australians out. Let us be honest in whatever we say.
There are two things - transformation and transition. Teams go through that. To stand there and talk about pushing teams into selecting black players! We will do it because we believe that these players are damn good! End of story, non-negotiable. Those who want to leave can jump, scream and lie across the railway line. Let the train cross and then we will bury them. Those who want to leave can leave. We have the players to do the job.
I wish Mr Raju a good night. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
NATIONAL RAILWAY SAFETY REGULATOR BILL
(Consideration of Bill and of Report thereon)
The MINISTER OF TRANSPORT: Chairperson, permanent delegates, delegates to the NCOP, friends and comrades, I rise to introduce the National Railway Safety Regulator Bill. This Bill has, as its central objective, the promotion of safe railway operations in South Africa. Through this Bill South Africa seeks to bring itself into line with best international practice in the provision of safety and security in railway operations.
Government is committed to improving safety and security across the whole
transport sector, including railway stations, trains and operations. Today
we are focusing on railway operations in the main, but we do so in the
greater context of the need for safety and security across the system.
Security'' is defined in the Bill asfreedom from intentional harm or
damage to persons or property’’. Safety'' is defined as the lack of
railway occurrences, fatalities, injuries or damage within railway
operations’’. The major focus of the Bill is on safety as defined. The
issue of security, however, is also receiving focused attention.
The Bill before this House is the product of wide consultation and study. We have been fortunate in having the support of the Canadian government provided in terms of a co-operation agreement we have with them. With Canadian assistance we set up a team which looked at how other countries promote safety in rail operations. We have tried to extract best practice. Our team visited Canada, and Canadian experts in turn worked with us in South Africa. We settled on the Canadian model as a benchmark in developing our legislation, but we have customised the Bill to meet the needs of our country. We can safely say that the safety management system envisaged in the Bill will be in line with best international practice.
Through this piece of legislation and its implementation, we will move away from a system which has been with us ever since the first rail operation commenced in South Africa about 150 years ago. For the duration of that 150 years and reflecting the current situation as well, the operating entities were not only the service providers. They were also responsible for regulation, setting standards, conducting investigations and making findings. The operator has been both referee and player at the same time. That institutional arrangement may have been adequate in the past, but it is clearly inadequate now.
Principles of good governance demand that we separate the setting of standards, the monitoring of safety measures, investigations and oversight functions generally from operations.
We are bringing about institutional reform to provide greater transparency and independent safety regulation and governance. No longer will the operator set its own standards, be solely responsible for monitoring its compliance, conduct its own investigation, and be the arbiter on whether there has been compliance or noncompliance.
Operators will continue to bear responsibility for developing their safety management plans, but this will be done in accordance with norms and guidelines that will be specified in regulations and standards which will be promulgated into law. The standards will not be set by the operators themselves, and whilst the operator will no doubt be required to ensure constant monitoring of compliance, it is the regulator which will oversee safety and will enjoy considerable powers to enforce compliance.
I am fully aware of the fact that the passing of this law and the establishment of the office of the Railway Safety Regulator on their own will not be enough to secure safe railway operations. We need to upgrade our infrastucture, railway stations, rolling stock, the perways and our signalling systems. Moreover, train drivers and other personnel must be properly trained, so that they are able to render high-class and responsible service, conscious of the fact that they hold in their hands the lives of countless men, women and children.
They must be motivated, alert and fit at all times. Nothing less will do. Therefore, Government and employer have the added responsibility to ensure, in co-operation with employees and their trade unions, that working hours, remuneration and conditions of service will facilitate and keep in place the skilled and motivated workforce needed to promote maximum safety and security.
In addition we need to reach out to the commuting public to win their confidence, support and co-operation. We need their support to protect our system against vandalism, theft and damage. Our commuting public needs to feel that the railway system belongs to them and that Government is the trustee and caretaker acting on their behalf.
The system of co-operation, consultation and interaction between Government, operators and commuter fora must be encouraged and extended. There is much work to do on all of these fronts. I am aware that the passing of this legislation is not enough. But it is an essential prerequisite. This is so because the current institutional arrangement is outdated and flawed.
Indeed, as the first ever democratic government to come into office after our first democratic elections, we prioritised the issue of safety in the different transport modes. We effected institutional reform to bring us in line with best international practice. We passed legislation and took all the practical steps necessary to create arms-length institutions operating at arms length from Government.
Hence one now has the SA Civil Aviation Authority and the SA Maritime Safety Authority. Whilst there is always room for improvement, the new arrangement has been a big success. Aviation safety is very much in the news. We have on two occasions during the past few years subjected our civil aviation authority to audits by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Our system is generally in compliance with international requirements, though we strive to improve all the time. In the case of the SA Maritime Safety Authority, compliance with standards set by the International Maritime Organisation is top priority. A number of steps have been taken to promote safety at sea, and some others are still in the pipeline.
The general principle which we have applied is that we must separate policy- making and regulation from actual operations. The reform with regard to railway operations is part of the general vision of Government to ensure that we are in line with international best practice.
In terms of the National Railway Safety Regulator Bill, operational railway safety will now be managed within the framework of a safety management system. The final authority and guardian of railway safety will be the national Railway Safety Regulator. In terms of the system, no one will be allowed to conduct railway operations without a safety permit. The safety permit can only be issued by the national Railway Safety Regulator. Before such a permit can be issued, the operator must submit to the regulator a proper application.
Details of requirements will be promulgated in regulations. Regulations promulgated in the Government Gazette will also prescribe the standards with which operators must comply. An operator will be required to submit his or her detailed safety plan, focusing on geographical considerations, transport of dangerous goods, transport of other commodities, transport of passengers, transport of general freight, speed-related and traction- related issues and provision for safety inspections.
The regulator will judge the safety plan of the operator against the standards prescribed in the regulations. The regulator may reject a plan, may require amendments or additions, but will only approve an application for a safety permit if all the requirements for safety have been complied with. The regulator will also have the power to suspend or revoke a safety permit. No operator will be allowed to conduct operations where a safety permit has been suspended or revoked. In other words, no operator can operate without a safety permit.
I draw special attention to the provisions of Chapter 4 and 5 of the Bill. Chapter 4 deals with railway undertakings requiring a safety permit, the form of applications, the conditions of a safety permit and also authorises the suspension, revocation and surrender of a safety permit. The safety permit may not be transferred according to the provisions.
Chapter 5 makes provision for safety management systems and safety management system reports. It requires the Minister to make regulations on procedure and for the board of the regulator to lay down standards. It covers provision for regulation regarding design, construction, operation and alteration of rolling stock, infrastructure and stations, also nonrailway operations affecting safety.
The Bill provides for wide powers of entry and inspection and a legal requirement to assist railway safety inspectors. These inspectors will also have the power to issue directives on how to deal with unsafe conditions.
Another new feature in the South African railway system will be the requirement that all railway occurrences must be reported to the regulator, who will have the power and, in some situations, the duty to conduct investigations. In effect, the Bill makes provision for coresponsibility. The functions and responsibilities of the regulator as overseer, the setter of standards, the issuer of safety permits, the arbiter in alleged violations or noncompliance, the responsible body for monitoring compliance with safety plans are clearly defined.
On the other hand, an operator must comply with its safety plans, or face cancellation of its safety permit. It is responsible for safe operations, and if it fails, it will pay the price. Clause 45 of the Bill lists a number of offences, and provides for penalties ranging from 5 to 15 years’ imprisonment, alternatively to a fine or both a fine and imprisonment.
What is more, in the same enquiry an award or compensation for harm, loss or damage suffered as a result of an act or omission constituting the offence, may be made by the court. This will save victims the need to institute legal proceedings in court with all its inconvenience, cost and delay - though the right to seek redress in court will always be respected.
We believe in the rule of law in all governance issues and hence the law makes provision for appeals to the chief executive officer, and ultimately the board. In terms of our Constitution and the law, all decisions can be subjected to review by South African courts.
In its totality the Bill will give birth to a safety management system through which railway operational safety will be managed. It includes the safety of the public and personnel within the railway industry, protection of property and environment, including design, as well as commissioning of infrastructure and rolling stock.
This safety management system includes a regulatory framework within which a uniform set of safety standards is to be developed and applied. One cannot have one set of rules for one operator and another set of rules for another operator in the performance of similar functions. The Bill makes provision for uniform standards.
We are on the eve of a new dawn in railway safety in South Africa, but as hon members can see, there is a great deal of work to be done. But there is clear direction and the marching orders are clear. There will be no turning back, because for us people come first and the safety of our people is paramount.
Ms P C P MAJODINA: Deputy Chairperson, as the chairperson of this committee I will lead by example. It is not compulsory to use all six minutes. [Laughter.] The Bill in front of us is long overdue, especially in that it speaks of providing for safety standards for the protection of persons, property and environment. As the Bill intends to provide for and promote safe railway operations, the responsibility and accountability of railway operators become its key objective.
The poor safety standards in passenger trains in our country have been a concern for many years. Train accidents, poor service standards and crime at the stations and inside trains have made trains the least desirable mode of transport for many commuters. The problems of the rail industry can be attributed to the fact that at present there is no regulation specifying norms and standards that should be followed by the rail operators. As a result rail operators set their own safety standards without an independent body playing an oversight role.
The introduction of the National Railway Safety Regulator Bill brings hope for the transformation and rationalisation of South African rail transport. The history of transport in South Africa has been a continual increase in the use of road transport as the preferred means for most commuters. In order for us to achieve a sustainable transport system, there is a need to improve rail passenger services significantly. Reliable and safe rail transport can make a positive contribution to the economy by reducing the demand for oil imports. Between 1 May 2000 and April 2002, there were four reported accidents on trains.
Rail transport has a potential role to play in the development and creation of a sustainable transport system in South Africa as a whole, especially in the context of Nepad. An operator should not be a referee and a player at the same time.
The committee appreciates all the concerted efforts by the Minister, Dullah Omar, towards achieving safety in all modes of transport. We look forward to the urgent implementation of this Bill, and we as the members of the select committee are going to monitor the implementation and ensure that all our passengers are safe. [Applause.]
Mr J L THERON: Chairperson and hon Minister, I am reading this speech on behalf of the Gauteng province, so this is the Gauteng provincial input. We from Gauteng concur with the viewpoints expressed by the Minister.
The Gauteng province welcomes the introduction of this Bill before this honourable House, the National Council of Provinces. Our province cannot wait for the passing of this important piece of legislation, as its introduction is long overdue. We want to believe that all members of this House by now are aware of the fact that Gauteng is one of the leading provinces in terms of train accidents that have occurred nationally.
Amongst all modes of public transport, rail is the most affordable and accessible to the poorest of our people. As a result it becomes our responsibility as Government to ensure that we provide not only affordable but also safe and efficient public transport. Therefore the issue of safety is not negotiable.
Gauteng, in considering this Bill, did note some concerns in key areas which were submitted during the negotiating mandate. Indeed, most of our concerns were addressed by the national Department of Transport. One of our most important concerns is around the representation of women on the board. We feel that there must be a specific clause which should cover gender balance in the Bill. We are of the opinion that we cannot just leave things to chance and we must avoid ambiguity in the Bill. We therefore appeal for serious consideration to be given to our recommendations.
We want to reiterate our position from Gauteng, that our province supports the Bill, as we believe that it will go a long way in transforming the rail industry. We are grateful for the opportunity to add our voice in this important debate. [Applause.]
Mr N M RAJU: Chairperson, hon Minister of Transport, hon special delegates, hon colleagues, my previous speech was grossly misunderstood, and therefore I intend to deliver this rather slowly. [Laughter.] I might seriously think of taking English classes.
The National Railway Safety Regulator Bill addresses the urgent need for operational safety and its management, control and supervision within the South African railway system.
After a spate of accidents resulting in the premature deaths of many commuters, including schoolchildren, it was disconcerting to discover that no transport legislation existed to govern safety in the railway industry. The Occupational Health and Safety Act deals with working conditions in the factory environment and I think there are other pieces of legislation existing in the health and environment sectors, but there is a lack of legislation specifically for the safety of the public and personnel within the rail industry and for the protection of property and the environment. The National Railway Safety Regulator Bill introduced by the Minister addresses this deficiency in transport legislation.
One of the concerns my province of KwaZulu-Natal had was in relation to the composition of the board, and accordingly it introduced an amendment in favour of provincial representation. This amendment was strongly supported by both Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape, two other provinces heavily affected by railway operations. But this intervention sought by these provinces fell on deaf ears, the department purveying the view that the board was intended to be run on business lines and that catering for provincial or parochial representation would make the board unwieldy and affect proper administration of the regulatory system.
The DP calls for the protection and security of passengers using rail transport. The hon chairperson of the select committee, Ms Majodina, has already referred to the kinds of crimes that take place and the fact that passengers have to be victims of these criminal elements. The freedom enjoyed by the criminal elements in harassing passengers by robbery, assaults and even murders is untenable in rail transport or any other business. Only recently we read about a tragic situation affecting, I think, commuters on one of the Cape Metro lines, where quite a few young commuters fell victim to thugs and some of them died.
The principle of co-operative government and intergovernmental relations as contemplated in Chapter 3 of the Constitution has been recognised by the proposed legislation. The Department of Safety and Security playing a complementary and positive role becomes an important, integral part of this Bill.
My party requests that the former railway police be reactivated and introduced as a visible presence, not only as a deterrent to criminals, but also to apprehend those incorrigible miscreants who insist that crime pays and thus provide safety and security to rail commuters. My party supports the Bill.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Order! Hon member, your go-slow has robbed you of your time. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Mr T MHLAHLO (Eastern Cape): Chairperson, the Eastern Cape welcomes and supports this Bill, especially because it is designed to address the safety operations of all persons safeguard and the environment in which rail service and public transport operate generally in our country.
It is important and remains a priority to strengthen safety and security standards of our rail system and passenger rail service in general. As this Bill seeks to bring all state organs around railway operations and build co- operative approach in provision of services, this will give effect to the principles of Chapter 3 of the Constitution. We believe this will realise co-operative governance.
In the recent past we have seen a number of incidents in our passenger rail service. Some of these must not repeat themselves. We believe this Bill will strengthen relations amongst stakeholders and passengers will have a platform to communicate through the regulator.
Commuters must not allow individuals to destroy state assets and we believe any individual who want to solve problems by means of violence should not be allowed within the railway system in this country.
We are convinced that the establishment of the Railway Safety Regulator with a board of directors and chief executive officer will further strengthen the Bill and build confidence around railway programmes in this country. We fully support the composition of the board as reflected in the Bill.
The railway service must remain the safest mode of transportation in South Africa, because it is the only means of transport for the majority of our people who are poor and who are without alternative.
The Ministry of Safety and Security must see railways as one important sector, as defined in the Bill, and strengthen safety and security measures, which are very necessary at present. The negative impact of failures of the past apartheid regime are most felt today in this country. The failure to provide the necessary regulations to manage our railway system affects the innocent and most are suffering as commuters in this country.
The poorest of our communities were moved away from job opportunities and amenities, and railway safety regulations were designed on a racial basis. Affordable public transport as a social service was ignored. South Africans must be encouraged to use public transport.
We further support the objective of positioning our country in the Southern African region and become an international role-player. The railway system will transport our African communities across boundaries.
The South African railway system needs to achieve the objectives of the African Renaissance and Nepad’s intention to be able to move South Africans across Africa so that we can become participants in the development of our region.
We want to convey to this honourable House our province’s position and we are fully in support of this important Bill. We regard this as one of the important moves towards a better life in this country. [Applause.]
Mr P E PASHA (Mpumalanga): Chairperson, what more can I say, if the Minister, the Chairperson and the people have spoken. [Interjections.] I come from Mpumalanga and therefore have to reflect the input by my province.
The past few weeks have seen the province of Mpumalanga, like many others, engaged in extensive committee discussions and interaction with stakeholders on one of the most important pieces of legislation before us. Railway transportation is one of the key and most important modes of public transport in the country, used in the main by those of our people who stay and commute between towns and townships, across the borders of South Africa and beyond. It is the voice of those commuters who are workers, mothers, fathers and children that I represent here today.
Having been a commuter myself before and my experience of how it feels to be on a train for three days from the Free State to Johannesburg, always preoccupied with one’s safety and security, I must indicate that the Bill presented and debated today is a step in the right direction and is a Bill that we have waited for. The ANC-led Government should be congratulated on coming up with this piece of legislation and to the hon Minister I wish to say: Sithi kungqongqoshe siyathokoza. [We would like to tell the Minister that we are happy.]
I have no doubt that despite matters of substance and detail we all have raised in our mandates, we all welcome the mandate as it relates to the establishment of a safety regulator - something unheard of before. Notwithstanding both our negotiating and final mandates submitted, we as a province wish to reiterate our submission on two areas as contained in the Bill. Hopefully, the Ministry will consider them.
It is our view that provinces will, to a larger extent, be required to implement the Act. Nonrepresentation of provinces will have particular implications as it relates to design and construction of new railway infrastructure. It is with this in mind that we make our appeal once again and resubmit our proposal that the representation of provinces on the board of the regulator is a very important thing to be considered.
The second issue that we want to raise relates to the powers of the regulating authority. We will propose that instead of the applications for permits being made to the CEO, this be done to the board directly. This would give greater legitimacy to the process. Here again, provincial inputs will be necessary. The intergovernmental, interdepartmental and integrated approach to addressing issues of occupational health and safety and security in broad terms should enhance our capability of creating safe railway operations.
Mpumalanga would like to see rail corridors strengthened, extended and used more optimally and safely. In particular there is an urgent need for the province and the country to introduce safe and affordable rail services, which process will be enhanced by the regulator. Mpumalanga is supportive of this progressive legislation and we once again say: A road to success is always under construction. It is a progressive course and not an end in itself. [Applause.]
Mr R M NYAKANE: Chairperson, the MEC for Transport, Dr Farisani, apologises for being unable to attend this debate due to other commitments. The chairperson of this committee also extends his apologies. A maxim goes: No man shall be a judge of himself. The argument that Metrorail operators cannot be both a player and a referee holds very strongly.
Now, the Bill’s intention to establish a national Railway Safety Regulator therefore becomes critical. The Minister indicated in May 2001 that his department would embark on a R400 million programme over a period of five years to improve commuter rail safety, especially in the metropoles. A few months later, in the same year, the Minister expressed a need for the extension of the commuter rail network in order to relieve the congestion that usually occurs during peak hours. I raise this matter because the Bill that we are interrogating seems to kick start the process today.
The need for the services of the Railway Safety Regulator cannot be overemphasised. We sit with a situation in our metropoles where Metrorail transports almost two million people to and from work daily. About half a million stations are serviced daily by about 2 500 trains, let alone Metrorail activities that take place outside our cities. Given this background, it is crucial that the safety of these commuters be protected at all costs. It is therefore basically this intention which the Bill aims to achieve. Although I am not equipped with statistical evidence, Metrorail transport facilities are used by the majority of the underprivileged, as already alluded to by my colleagues here. Most of the elite depend on privately- owned transport.
The promotion of the use of rail as a mode of transportation through improved safety performance in the railway transport industry will undoubtedly benefit the majority of the historically disadvantaged. Part of these historically disadvantaged are four million long-distance Metrorail commuters located in the peripheral areas like, in the case of the Northern Province or Limpopo, Messina, Tzaneen, Louis Trichardt, Mara-Base, etc. Equity in terms of providing and managing railway safety measures in the metropole is just as important as on mainline passenger trains, since they link South Africa with SADC member countries such as Zimbabwe and others.
While Metrorail and mainline passenger fees are generally cheaper and more affordable, and while it is a fact that there are fewer accidents compared to road transport, travelling time has remained a deterring factor. Taxis and minibuses have turned out to be more service-friendly. It takes one not less than 14 hours to travel from Park Station to Tzaneen by train. The promotion of the use of rail as a mode of transportation has to take into account this factor.
The Standing Committee on Public Works, Transport and Housing in Limpopo has carried out close scrutiny of this Bill and has made the following observations. Firstly, the composition of the board should take into account representation from areas outside the metropoles, since the mainline passenger services extend to the peripheral areas of South Africa. Secondly, the committee appealed for co-operative governance with regard to the management of crime committed during travelling.
In conclusion, I would like to put on record that the Limpopo legislature supports this Bill without reservations. [Applause.]
Mr T RALANE: Chairperson, Minister, special delegates and hon members, in order to appreciate the impact of this Bill it is important to understand the background against which it arose. First of all, the railways in South Africa perform both a social and an economic function. The railway system plays a major role in export trade, and in moving grain, coal and minerals to ports; moves large volumes of freight between states in the SADC region; and, as an urban transit mode, plays a critical role in providing millions of poor people with a cheap and accessible mode of transport to employment and educational opportunities. Because of these important economic and social functions, it is imperative that the rail transport system is safe.
Because of the time factor, I am just going to raise two corrections. The first one is the opportunism displayed by the two hon members who decided to smuggle some views, which were defeated in the committee when we dealt with this Bill. The first aspect is the issue that was raised by the hon Raju and that we have dealt with. Opportunistically he decided to mobilise the other provinces to support that view. We had agreed that the provincial aspects were covered in terms of some clauses. Of course, there is a clause that provides that the Minister, after consulting the MECs, will make regulations and so on.
Secondly, it is unfortunate that the other province decided again to give the representation to somebody who conveniently decided to raise things addressed in the committee by saying, for instance, that issues of representativity would be addressed in the advert for the board. Now, we have raised the issues of, for instance, women, disability, rural people and so on. For all of us to start addressing these things in this Bill would mean an overhaul of all the laws that we have in the country.
The Free State supports this Bill. [Applause.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana), Order! Hon P Dyonase! I hope I am pronouncing your surname correctly. Mr P P DYONASE (North West): Chairperson, that is a good pronouncement - eNorth West bathi Dayonase. Chairperson, hon MEC, special delegates and permanent delegates, last year when the hon the Minister launched the Road to Safety 2001-2005 programme in this country, we experienced, during the festive season, a high number of accidents. In the North West our interpretation was that these were the kicks of a dying horse. Such high accident rates will become a thing of the past.
In the past months we have also experienced some accidents in the railway sector. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have not yet passed this Bill. In the North West we are also saying such railway accidents will become a thing of the past. When we scrutinised this Bill in the North West, our experience, in the North West, was that road-rail crossings were areas where we had experienced a lot of problems. A practical example happened in Klerksdorp, where a taxi was hit by a goods train. Recently in Taung, which is a rural area, we saw a taxi hit by the Blue Train. Chapter 5 clause 31(g) provides that the office of the hon Minister may make regulations pertaining to these road level-crossings. Our appeal is that we see some boom gates in other areas where trains cross. Of course, warning lights are there, but even the best or good drivers ignore them. We are appealing to the Minister to put up these boom gates in most of our country, particularly in those areas already identified as problematic.
It is fortunate or unfortunate that because the North West is a rural area, the past regime felt that in the villages that kind of infrastructure was not needed. Although fewer accidents are happening, we are talking about our country, not the province.
As the North West we fully support this Bill. It is hoped, as our chairperson has said, that we are going to monitor. But we must not only monitor, we as members must also assist where possible. [Applause.]
Mr C M DUGMORE (Western Cape): Chairperson, Minister, I must admit that listening to the first debate on sport helped me to describe how I feel. I feel like a reserve today. Minister Essop is ill, the chairperson of the committee, that is Mr Rhoda, also happens to be ill, and our deputy chair is not available. So I am probably the C team, but it definitely is a privilege for me to bring to this House some of the views from our province in regard to this particular Bill.
Fortunately I was part of the discussions on 26 April, at which our standing committee looked at the Bill, and I would like to make some comments on behalf of the Western Cape. The first thing to say is that the Western Cape fully supports the Bill that is before the NCOP. I speak here with a mandate from the Western Cape, because we have a very clear interest as a province in the success of this regulator. Its success in every corner of our country, in fact, is going to require that all of our provinces - and that is the commitment that we as the Western Cape make - have to play their part in ensuring that the regulator succeeds and there must be no doubt about that.
The preamble, in fact, talks about a very important aspect and that is to encourage the collaboration and participation of interested and affected parties. From the Western Cape we definitely see our provincial government and the Department of Transport, specifically, as very much such an interested party. As a province, we are therefore absolutely committed to collaboration and participation.
It also gives me great pleasure to say that when I stand here representing the Western Cape, we, in fact, represent a Government that speaks on behalf of over 80% of the people of this province, which was not the situation a year ago. [Interjections.] It is unfortunate that the representatives of the DP, including the colleague who recently left the Chamber, are not here to hear that, because we have a responsibility not only to the 80% of the people who were voted into Government, but in fact to the 20% who are not in the House today. That is the responsibility which the new provincial government accepts in regard to the Western Cape. [Interjections.]
Also, I would like to refer to Chapter 2, clause 2(b) which very specifically talks about another very important issue, and that is to encourage collaboration and participation of interested and affected parties. Clause 6(2) in Chapter 3 also refers to the issue of a written agreement with organs of state. What we would like to bring to the Minister’s attention, specifically, is that clearly we regard an organ of state as also being provincial government and, in fact, a provincial department of transport.
We want to ask that the Minister consider encouraging the regulator to, in fact, enter into a written co-operation agreement with the provincial government itself. I think if that is done - if the regulator actually enters into such written co-operation agreements with the provinces - the concerns of some of the provinces in regard to representation on the board of the regulator itself could be taken into account. We would urge the Minister to give serious consideration to this written co-operation agreement with our provincial department of transport and others.
The briefing from the Minister’s department also clarifies for our members that the mandate of the Bill looks specifically at safety in regard to employees and the rail operations themselves, and does not necessarily look directly at the safeguarding of passengers from criminal action. This is going to require the co-operation of community safety and other role- players.
I also want to bring to the attention of the NCOP on the point that our provincial MEC, MEC Essop, has in fact earmarked R2 million as seed funding for the appointment of public transport safety officers. These particular safety officers will be a visible presence, not only on trains, but also on buses and taxi ranks to provide assistance and a service to communities.
So I do not think any of us should be under the impression that the regulator itself is going to be able to solve all the problems. We are going to have to work together. We need to take note of the fact that without our people, without our organised communities and without the leadership supporting the regulator, we will not be able to expect and demand that the regulator itself stamp out some of the conduct that we have seen recently. It is going to be up to us as public representatives, as MPs, as MPOs and as councillors to really get out there and mobilise our communities to actually own and take ownership of the property of our democratic Government.
We need an active campaign in every corner of our country, and commuters,
in particular those who live alongside the facilities, need to be empowered
to take ownership of the property which we, in fact, own. Unless we do
this, and make sure that the commuter organisations are properly
representative of the rural and urban communities that actually use our
public transport, we will not achieve what we want to.
We do not need a situation in which some politicians once a year ask the
press to follow them on a train, and that is the end of it. We need follow
the example of our Minister of Transport, Minister Dullah Omar, who is
constantly seized of the need for safety. We do not need a letter to
Parliament'' ora post box to Parliament’’ campaign in which people are
just called on to write a letter. We need the active engagement of our
leadership supporting our Minister to achieve this.
Ixesha lifikile lokuba thina siqale ukugcina izinto zikaRhulumente wethu. [Uwele-wele.] [Kwaqhwatywa.] [The time has come for us to start looking after the property of our Government. [Interjections.] [Applause.]]
Die tyd het nou aangebreek dat ons moet besef ons moet saam met die reguleerder verantwoordelikheid neem vir die geboue en die spoorlyne. Ons kan nie verwag dat hulle alleen verantwoordelik moet wees nie. [Applous.] [The time has now come for us to realise that we should take responsibility for the buildings and railway tracks along with the regulator. We cannot expect them alone to be responsible. [Applause.]]
Dr P J C NEL: Chairperson, rail operators have been responsible for setting safety standards, and for monitoring and investigating accidents. This means that up to now the operator was the player as well as the referee.
There are enormous challenges facing South African rail passenger transport before it can become a safe, reliable and efficient mode of transport for commuters. This Bill brings hope as it makes provision for the establishment of a railway safety regulator, with its main objective being to promote and oversee safety and security in the railway industry.
Not only will improving the safety, reliability, quality and speed of transporting goods and people benefit the thousands of commuters who use rail transport daily, but a basic requirement of improving South Africa’s competitiveness in the global economy will also be met. It is therefore imperative that the establishment of an independent railway regulator takes place as soon as possible.
The promotion of safe railway operations is not only fundamental to the safety of passengers, but also to all the people working for the operators and to the environment. As a medical doctor I am very pleased that the Bill makes provision for the regulator to play a very important role in supporting occupational health and safety for its staff members, whose responsibility it is to keep the wheels of the economy rolling. It is of the utmost importance that the environment and the workplaces of employees are safe so as to ensure a healthy workforce, which is so necessary to obtain and sustain safety operations.
Vandalism is causing the swift deterioration of the fixed and rolling stock of passenger rail operators, which stock will have to be replaced to ensure safety. According to the SA Rail Commuter Corporation, property worth about R50 million has been vandalised over the past two years. There is also a need for additional infrastructure, and if one bears in mind that the backlog in the maintenance of South Africa’s railway system is approximately R22 billion, one can only hope that the Government will find the money to provide sufficient funds to give the department the capacity to implement this piece of legislation.
I appeal to the Minister of Finance to make enough money available to the Department of Transport for this purpose. The New NP supports the Bill. [Applause.]
Ms B THOMSON: Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, the National Railway Safety Regulator Bill flows directly from the obligations imposed by the National Land Transport Transition Act on the different spheres of government to place greater emphasis and focus on the rights of the users of South Africa’s public transport system, including our national railway system.
This Bill is the culmination of a long process of consultation and discussion between our country’s main railway operators and the national Department of Transport over the issue of rail safety.
Mphathisihlalo, mhlawumbe kubalulekile ukuthi sichaze ukuthi lo mThethosivivinywa awukhulumi ngezitimela kepha ukhuluma ngabantu abazigibelayo.
Njengoba sazi ukuthi akulula ukuthi umuntu alimaze isitimela, kodwa kuyinto elula ukuthi isitimela silimaze umuntu. Sesiye sibone nje manje kuba yizitimela ezigibela abantu. Ngiyabona ukuthi kuye kube yiphuthana lokho. (Translation of Zulu paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, perhaps it is important to explain that this Bill is not about trains, but about commuters.
As we know, it is not easy for one to injure a train, but it is easy for a train to injure a person. Now we see trains hitting people and I think that is wrong.]
The Bill covers all aspects of railway safety and is not limited to Spoornet and Metrorail. It includes all other rail entities, such as Heritage railway steam clubs, surface railway lines in our mining industry and railway traffic crossing our borders from other countries in the region.
Abafowethu laba o-Metrorail no-Spoornet, kuyabonakala njengoba bonke asebekhulumile besho, ukuthi babukeka bengabadlali kanti babuye futhi babengonompempe, yingakho mhlawumbe singasho ukuthi babukeka bengabantu abathwele nzima kakhulu. Lo mThethosivivinywa-ke ophambi kwethu uzobethula umthwalo ukuze umsebenzi wabo ube lula. [These brothers of ours, Metrorail and Spoornet, are clearly players and referees at the same time, as previous speakers have said. That is why we can say that it looks as if they are heavily burdened. The Bill that is in front of us will lessen that burden so that the work will be easier.]
The way the Bill works is that individual rail entities must have safety standards in force to manage the risks of any activities undertaken by them. The role of the safety regulator is to assess the adequacy of those controls and standards and to monitor their effective implementation. The means by which that is done is to require the rail entities to satisfy the regulator that they have systems and standards in place, and approved by the regulator, which will ensure that safety will be properly managed.
The regulator can ask each rail entity to prepare a safety plan and then receive the safety plan. It will then make sure that there are no gaps which would compromise the safety of railway users. Once the regulator has received and approved the plans, it will ensure that the plan is carried out.
If, for example, there are elements of a safety plan that need to be introduced in the following year, the regulator can go to that particular entity and say to that entity that it agreed to improve its braking systems, or to improve signals or whatever the particular issue was. The regulator can then make absolutely sure that this was happening. Ngamanye amazwi i-regulator le izosebenza njengonogada kuwo wonke lo mcimbi. [In other words, the regulator will operate as a security measure in this regard.]
All this will be achieved through co-operation between the safety regulator and the rail entities, and by communication between them.
A very important aspect of this Bill is the fact that it looks at railway safety in a holistic way. In other words, it does not limit itself simply to safety on the steel roads, but will be proactively engaged in setting standards for all other aspects of railway operations which may impact on safety in the system.
Whilst I believe that there are some who would argue that the safety regulator should be totally divorced from the setting of other standards, particularly those relating to the design, construction and alteration of the rolling stock and infrastructure or standards of performance generally in the system, I believe that there is a nexus between the two and that a well-run and well-disciplined rail system, which is achieving good results in other areas, will also tend to be safer.
Another important aspect of the Bill is that it places responsibility for the regulator within the Department of Transport. In terms of the Bill, the regulator will report to the Minister.
Ngamanye amazwi i-regulator ayizilawuli kodwa izolawulwa nguNgqongqoshe, ngoba kuzoba nombiko njalo abawenzayo kuNgqongqoshe wethu u-Dullah Omar. [In other words, the regulator does not control itself, the Minister controls it, because they will occasionally report back to our Minister Dullah Omar.]
This is very important, because if the regulator was placed outside the department, that could provide an excuse for Government to externalise the blame for any compromises in the safety standards. If the regulator is outside the department, there may not be the same commitment to doing the job well. Our rail transport system plays a very important role in the social and economic life of our country, and it is imperative that the system is safe.
While the railway transport system, generally, is one of the safest modes of transport, unpreventable accidents occur from time to time. Their causes are complex, deep-rooted and only superficially explained by the final disastrous trigger, whether a broken rail, a missed signal, a mechanical failure or human error. Time after time independent accident investigations reveal a complex web of shortcomings in rail operations.
These shortcomings will continue to persist unless we do something to make rail operators accountable for their operations. The National Railway Safety Regulator Bill is one of the most important advances we have made as a means of mitigating the economic and social costs of railway accidents. It needs our support. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF TRANSPORT: Chairperson and hon members, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee of this House for the excellent work which it has done. I am aware of the proceedings of the committee, the discussions that have taken place and the concerns which have been expressed. I want hon members to know that I take those concerns very seriously. They will certainly be taken into account as we go along.
I say thank you very much to the committee for outstanding work and to the chair of the committee for outstanding leadership. I also want to thank all those who participated in the debate today. I believe that each delegate made an important contribution.
I would like to say, very briefly, that I have taken note of the concern with regard to the composition of the board - the concern about the lack of specific reference to provinces - and the concern that there is no reference to women in order to ensure that there is proper representation of women on the board. The issue of representation in respect of those two issues is very important. Likewise, there are other issues, such as rural representation, representation by disabled persons and commuter organisations.
All those issues are very, very important. We need to find the right balance when the board is appointed. That is why the Bill provides that there must be a notice in the Gazette to invite nominations. Therefore all stakeholders and role-players have the right to make nominations. Then there must be a panel which will consider names which have been put forward, and the panel will compile a shortlist of names for submission to the Minister.
The Bill provides that the panel may include representatives of the committees of Parliament. I believe that the committees can play a very important role in that process. Therefore the concerns which have been expressed here must be remembered by all of us, and when the panel is established, committee members will be represented on the panel, and those concerns must be addressed in that process. Members will have the opportunity to make inputs in the compilation of the shortlist, so as to ensure that when the shortlist is presented to the Minister, those concerns have indeed been taken into account.
One can debate what is the best manner of ensuring appropriate representation, taking into account all those concerns. That is the way in which the Bill provides, I think, for a way of addressing those concerns, and I hope that we will be able to empower the committees, and Parliament generally, so that the committees do indeed have the opportunity of making that input.
The issue of crime at stations and in trains, violence against people at stations and on trains, is one which has also been raised. I refer to the definition clause, because in the main this Bill deals with operational safety. It does not deal with what is referred to in the definition as intentional harm perpetrated by people against others, or property. That also is an issue which has been addressed by Government. It has been a big concern throughout the country. And as members know, Government has decided to create a special division of the South African Police Service which must address the question of personal security, and prevention and combating of crime.
This is not specifically addressed in this Bill, because this Bill’s focus is on operational safety. However, it is not an area that has been neglected. It is receiving attention, and no doubt we will have occasion to address the House again with regard to these matters.
I am pleased that the hon delegate Mhlahlo from the Eastern Cape referred to SADC and Nepad, because indeed there is provision in the Bill to promote harmonisation within the SADC region. We are looking in that direction. Nepad, of course, is our bigger vision, and already within the Nepad structures the issue of promoting rail across the continent and harmonising the rail system, as well as the regulations, are very much on the agenda in those discussions.
The last issue I want to address, one but the last, is the issue of level- crossing deaths, and I am very grateful to the hon Dyonase from the North West for raising that question. It is an issue which has been raised elsewhere, but now that the hon member has reminded me of this issue, I will certainly take it up. I will take it up with the operators, with Metrorail, with the SA Commuter Rail Corporation, and within the Government itself, so that we do not have to wait for the office of the regulator to begin to deal with this issue. If there is something that we can do now, then I think it should be done, because it is quite true that many deaths do occur at the level crossings, and something has to be done, and we will certainly be looking at this.
I must also compliment the Western Cape, and hon comrade Cameron Dugmore, for the initiative in the Western Cape, setting aside money to make provision for safety officers. I think it is very important that provinces take this kind of initiative.
The last matter, on which I want to conclude, is to say that as members are aware, our vision for transport planning is that such planning must take place at provincial and at local level. That is the direction in which we are moving. For example, with regard to the administration of subsidies, we have proposed to the national Treasury that that function should be devolved to the provinces. We have not yet arrived at an agreement with national Treasury, but that indeed is still the proposal of the Department of Transport, which we are promoting in our discussions with Treasury.
We are also mindful of the legislation, which we ourselves promoted, the National Land Transport Transition Act, which makes provision for local planning, and the need for local transport plans to be prepared. We are also mindful of other legislation, which makes provision for integrated transport planning at local level. Therefore it is appropriate that, as we move forward, we empower provinces and local government, so that indeed they can plan, because they know best what the transport needs within their areas are. I want to assure the House that I take those concerns that have been raised with regard to provincial and local government participation - local government was not mentioned but I am sure members were thinking of that as well - very seriously, and no doubt we will come back to the House to indicate the progress we are making in either decentralisation or devolution of functions, so as to enable provinces and local governments to play a greater role in transport planning and implementation. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Bill be agreed to.
IN FAVOUR OF: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Northern Province, North West, Western Cape.
Bill accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
The Council adjourned at 19:23. ____
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
FRIDAY, 10 MAY 2002
TABLINGS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
Papers:
- The Minister of Home Affairs:
Strategic Plan of the Department of Home Affairs for 2002-2005.
- The Minister of Transport:
Bilateral Air Services Agreement between the Government of the Republic
of South Africa and the Government of the State of Qatar, tabled in
terms of section 231(3) of the Constitution, 1996.
- The Minister of Health:
(a) Government Notice No R.393 published in the Government Gazette
No 23277 dated 5 April 2001, List of approved facilities where
pharmacists can perform community service in 2003, made in terms
of the Pharmacy Act, 1974 (Act No 53 of 1974).
(b) Government Notice No R.490 published in the Government Gazette
No 23340 dated 26 April 2002, List of approved facilites where
dentists can perform community service in 2003, made in terms of
the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No 56 of 1974).
(c) Government Notice No R.491 published in the Government Gazette
No 23340 dated 26 April 2002, List of approved facilites where
medical practitioners can perform community service in 2003, made
in terms of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No 56 of 1974).
(d) Government Notice No R.492 published in Government Gazette No
23340 dated 26 April 2002, Regulations relating to Microbiological
standards for foodstuffs, made in terms of the Foodstuffs,
Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No 54 of 1972).
(e) Government Notice No R.493 published in Government Gazette No
23340 dated 26 April 2002, Regulations relating to Labelling of
foods for special medical purposes, made in terms of the
Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No 54 of
1972).
(f) Government Notice No R.494 published in Government Gazette No
23340 dated 26 April 2002, Regulations relating to Application of
the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System(HAACP
System), made in terms of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and
Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No 54 of 1972).
(g) Government Notice No R.540 published in Government Gazette No
23379 dated 30 April 2002, Amendment to the General Regulations,
made in terms of the Medical Schemes Act, 1988 (Act No 131 of
1998).
(h) Government Notice No 399 published in Government Gazette No
23282 dated 4 April 2002, Correction: replacing "Act" with "Bill",
made in terms of the Health Donations Fund Repeal Bill, 2002.
MONDAY, 13 MAY 2002
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
- The Speaker and the Chairperson: The following papers have been tabled and are now referred to the relevant committees as mentioned below:
(1) The following papers are referred to the Portfolio Committee on
Home Affairs and the Select Committee on Social Services:
(a) Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Electoral
Commission for 1998-1999, including the Report of the Auditor-
General on the Financial Statements for 1998-1999 [RP 11-
2002].
(b) Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Electoral
Commission for 1999-2000, including the Report of the Auditor-
General on the Financial Statements for 1999-2000 [RP 12-
2002].
(c) Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Electoral
Commission for 2000-2001, including the Report of the Auditor-
General on the Financial Statements for 2000-2001 [RP 13-
2002].
(2) The following paper is referred to the Portfolio Committee on
Housing and the Select Commitee on Public Services:
Strategic Plan of the Department of Housing for 2002-2004.
(3) The following paper is referred to the Portfolio Committee on
Public Works and the Select Commitee on Public Services:
Memorandum by the Minister of Public Works setting out particulars
of the Building Programme for 2002-2003 [RP 62-2002].
(4) The following paper is referred to the Portfolio Committee on
Education and the Select Committee on Education and Recreation:
Report of the Study Team on the Implementation of the National
Qualifications Framework.
(5) The following paper is referred to the Portfolio Committee on
Labour, the Portfolio Committee on Social Development and the
Select Committee on Finance. The Report of the Auditor-General is
referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts for
consideration and report:
Annual Report and Financial Statements of the National Development
Agency for 2000-2001, including the Report of the Auditor-General
on the Financial Statements for 2000-2001 [RP 28-2002].
(6) The following paper is referred to the Portfolio Committee on
Labour, the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and
Administration and the Select Committee on Labour and Public
Enterprises. The Report of the Auditor-General is referred to the
Standing Committee on Public Accounts for consideration and
report:
Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Public Service
Sector Education and Training Authority for 2000-2001, including
the Financial Statements of Auditor-General on the Financial
Statements for 2000-2001.
TABLINGS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
Papers:
- The Minister of Provincial and Local Government:
(a) Strategic Plan of the Department of Provincial and Local
Government for 2002-2005.
(b) Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Board for
Municipal Accountants for 2000-2001.
- The Minister of Public Enterprises:
Annual Report and Financial Statements of ESKOM for 2001.
- The Minister for Safety and Security:
Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Secret Services Account
for 2000-2001, including the Report of the Auditor-General on the
Financial Statements for 2000-2001 [RP 30-2002].
National Council of Provinces:
-
Report of the Select Committee on Public Services on the National Railway Safety Regulator Bill [B 7B - 2002] (National Assembly - sec 76), dated 10 May 2002:
The Select Committee on Public Services, having considered the subject of the National Railway Safety Regulator Bill [B 7B - 2002] (National Assembly - sec 76), referred to it, reports the Bill with amendments [B 7C - 2002].