TUESDAY, 12 JUNE 2007 __

          PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
                                ____

The Council met at 10:00.

The 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.

                          NOTICE OF MOTION

Mr M A MZIZI: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of this House, I shall move on behalf of the IFP:

That the Council -

1) notes with disbelief and sadness that two young girls, aged 10 and 11
   respectively, were raped by family members in two separate incidents
   at Ratanda Location in Heidelberg, Gauteng;


2) further notes that the 11-year-old girl was raped by her 27-year-old
   brother;
3) realises that older family members are supposed to protect and guide
   their younger counterparts;


4) calls upon the government, and the many communities in our country,
   to work together to urgently find ways of stopping the moral decay
   that is spreading through our society at a rapid pace; and


5) expresses the hope that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are
   brought to book and pay for their horrible actions.




                   WELCOMING OF MINISTER OF HEALTH


                             (Statement)

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, before I call the hon Minister, I wish to make a statement.

Hon Minister, on behalf of the National Council of Provinces, I would like to welcome you, Dr Tshabalala-Msimang, back from sick leave. As you are aware, the Minister, hon members, has been on leave due to ill health over the past few months. As from last week, she is now back in office to continue leading her department.

Minister, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a full recovery so that you can, once again, enjoy the good life you had enjoyed before. During the time of your ill health, we joined in prayer for your recuperation. We did so driven by the knowledge that in you we had a selfless and devoted leader, dedicated to making a contribution to the struggle for the betterment of the lives of our people.

We witnessed your great sense of commitment when you began returning to the office whilst you were still recuperating, insisting on regular briefings to keep abreast of the work of your department. Amazingly, I saw you at work again on Sunday this week.

We are, of course, heavily indebted, Minister, to your family and the medical doctors who took care of you so that you can once again be with us. Minister, the NCOP would like to thank you for your message of support to us, contained in your letter of 2 May 2007, on the occasion on which we marked the NCOP’s 10th anniversary.

In the letter, amongst other things, you wrote and I quote:

The road we have travelled together as partners, the legislature and the executive, in an effort to better the lives of our people, will always leave a long-lasting mark on the lives of our people, particularly the poor. Of great noting, from your perspective, is of course your great initiative of the programme of Taking Parliament to the People. The NCOP’s 10th anniversary celebration of the existence of the NCOP will not be complete and proper if we do not acknowledge this milestone initiative which is by far the most wonderful tool and innovation where our masses, even in the rural areas, are reached. I myself have always enjoyed participating in this programme, when invited, and it will always be an honour to me to do so in the future.

Minister, it is humbling to note, from time to time, your great appreciation of the work that the NCOP is doing, more especially our outreach programme. Your support and admiration of the work of the members of this House will no doubt continue to serve as an inspiration to all of us. We are looking forward to working with you again as part of our collective contribution to improving the quality of life of all of our people. We made this commitment when we declared our desire to establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.

With these few words, Minister, we would like to welcome you back and wish you great strength and prosperity.

Kwasengathi uNkulunkulu angakupha amandla, akubusise sonke isikhathi, usiphilele okudlula lokhu. [May the Lord give you strength, bless you all the time and may you live longer.]

I now take this opportunity to call the Minister to address us. [Applause.]

                         APPROPRIATION BILL

                           (Policy debate)

Vote No 15 – Health:

The MINISTER OF HEALTH: Chairperson, thank you very much for those kind words. Hon members, my colleagues the MEC’s for health, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Before I present the Department of Health’s budget speech, allow me, on a personal note, to thank the President and the Deputy President for their support during my recent illness. I also wish to thank hon members for their concern, support and good wishes during my illness. This has been a really trying period for me, my family and friends, as well as the Department of Health. I also wish to thank Minister Jeff Radebe for standing in as Acting Minister. He did a wonderful job.

As I said last week during the department’s Budget Vote in the National Assembly, I wish to thank all those health workers who, during the current industrial action, remained true to their calling and did not go on strike or intimidate others who indeed wanted to work. Whilst we would like our health workers to earn a decent living, it is important that they respect the needs of patients.

Health is an essential service. This is well known to all health workers. In addition, there is an ethical responsibility on all health workers to ensure that we put the interest of our patients before our own. I wish to call on all health workers to return to work immediately so that our people who need health services, can again access it.

We are grateful to the SA Military Health Services, the SA National Defence Force, the private health sector, the retired nurses and trainee nurses, as well as members of the community who are assisting to ensure that health facilities are open and are able to deliver a service.

June is Youth Month and to celebrate youth month, the department will be hosting a youth indaba in Kimberley, to which I invite all members.

The Department of Health has made significant progress in the past year. I wish to note the following, in particular, which were highlighted in some of the provincial budget speeches by the MECs for health. I thought it was important to include this, given that hon members need to get a national picture of how some of the provinces are doing. Given time limitations, I cannot speak about all provinces, but I am sure that MECs who are here will give significantly more information about their provinces.

To expand health services to rural and remote areas, the North West province has provincialised and extended services provided by health posts. At these health posts, preventive and promotive services are provided by nursing auxiliaries and it is where the mobile services stop to provide curative services. Also, in the North West province, a successful pilot project on removal and treatment of health care waste was conducted in the central district between the Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

The Free State has done really well in improving TB cure rates, as well as decreasing stillbirths and perinatal mortality. They have also achieved 90% immunisation coverage. The Free State is also doing well in implementing the Mental Health Care Act, in particular in the establishment of mental health review boards.

The Limpopo province has graduated more than 300 auxiliary nurses in March this year. Students were recruited largely from poor families and this is the contribution that the Department of Health is making to the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa and the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition.

In his budget speech to the provincial legislature, MEC Sekoati told the story of one of the students who passed with distinction. I am sure that he won’t mind if I quote him, and I quote:

Emmanuel Maluleke is an orphan who lost his mother when he was 18 months old and his father when he was in standard three. His grandmother who is a pensioner took responsibility for his education until he passed matric in 1999.

Until he was offered an opportunity to study to become an auxiliary nurse by the Department of Health, Emmanuel had no prospects of employment but now he has.

Next year we shall commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration from which the primary health care approach was born. The key principles of this approach are: equity in access to services and allocation of resources; community participation and involvement; intersectoral interaction; and decentralised management.

The MEC for health in KwaZulu-Natal reminded the provincial legislature that this approach really started in Pholela where the first primary health care centre was developed in the 1940s. It is therefore very important that KwaZulu-Natal and indeed the rest of the country remain the pioneers in health system development and showcase to the rest of the world next year the achievements we have made since the dawn of democracy in 1994.

7 July this year marks the midpoint of the 15-year period in which the international community, led by the United Nations in 2000, set a number of goals and targets in what has been called the Millennium Development Goals

• MDGs. We will use the next national consultative health forum planned for July to review South Africa’s achievements and the next steps in achieving these goals. We shall, of course, invite hon members to attend this event as well as our other key stakeholders, both in government and in civil society.

I have already provided some examples of what the department has achieved during 2006-07. Permit me to provide a few more examples before I inform members of the challenges and some of our priorities for 2007-08.

We made some advances with respect to preventive illnesses, especially those that affect children. These advances are reflected in our infant mortality rate. For example, in 1998, according to the SA Demographic and Health Survey, the infant mortality rate was 45 per 1 000 live births. In 2003, we conducted our second Demographic and Health Survey and found the infant mortality rate to be lower at 43 per 1 000 live births.

Hon members will know that in 2002 the department adopted the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses Strategy. This strategy tries to integrate all interventions relating to children to ensure that a package of care is offered to each and every child. In addition, 60% of health facilities that attend to children now have at least one health professional who has been trained in the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses Strategy.

One outcome of the implementation of this strategy is that our facility surveys show that our health professionals now use antibiotics more carefully. This is important as injudicious use of antibiotics leads to the development of resistance to these drugs.

I am happy to inform members that South Africa has been declared polio free. We need to work on strengthening our surveillance, as well as support our neighbours to ensure that we retain this status. As I mentioned earlier, our national immunisation coverage has also improved - it now stands at 83%. However, there are health districts in some provinces where the coverage is still low. We hope that the immunisation campaigns that commenced a few weeks ago, as well as the implementation of the Reach Every District Strategy, will assist these districts to improve on their levels of coverage.

Hon members, you too can assist by taking this message to your constituencies: All children should be fully immunised. Primary health care is free in public health facilities and clinics; our nurses are well trained, and the vaccine is available for free.

It is true, and this is part of the primary health care approach, that investment in health is an investment in development. What is also true is that healthy people are a product of many factors, many of which are outside of the direct control of the health care system.

Hon members, this means that integrated service delivery and individual responsibility are key to good health. We need to ensure that there will be full integration of services at community level.

One way to achieve this is to train and deploy community caregivers that are trained to help on a number of levels. If a community caregiver visits a family and finds a bedridden gogo, she should be able to assist. If a community caregiver comes across a child who does not have access to a social grant and is eligible for one, she should be able to assist. If a community caregiver comes across a family with no food she should also be able to assist.

This does not mean that we are expecting a community caregiver to be a super human but he or she should be able to link these vulnerable people to the resources that government provides. This is also true of health workers, regardless of where in the system they work. We must ensure that health service delivery becomes more holistic. This is a true measure of a well-functioning health system.

As we heard at last year’s International Diabetes Conference held here in Cape Town, non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are increasing at an alarming rate in Africa, and in South Africa as well. We can prevent many of these illnesses by doing simple things like eating right, taking part in physical activity and being responsible with respect to our sexual practices, not using tobacco products and using alcohol responsibly.

Again, hon members, as leaders in our communities, we need to take these messages to our people and I urge you to assist us in doing this. Let us know if you require assistance and I am sure that the MECs will be more than happy to oblige.

Good nutrition is vital for good health. The Department of Health has established a number of clinics and schools community gardens to assist in developing food security. We will be expanding our efforts in this regard. In addition, most infants and a large percentage of their mothers, who deliver at public health facilities, receive vitamin A supplementation. Furthermore, at least 490 000 patients with debilitating illnesses received food supplementation last year.

We also have a growing problem with injuries and trauma. We have worked with the Departments of Transport, Social Development and Education, in particular within the social cluster, to develop a programme to target road traffic accidents, alcohol abuse, drowning and suicides, in particular. These focus on the December and Easter period but need to be sustained throughout the year.

Over weekends and during vacation periods the casualty departments of our hospitals are often unable to cope with the victims of injuries and trauma. Besides the pain and suffering, the cost to the health system and the economy is large. We must work together to reduce the incidence of these avoidable injuries and trauma. In this regard it is very important for Members of Parliament to actively participate in this effort.

In summary, we need to deal decisively with non-communicable diseases and injuries. Hon members, therefore, are requested to assist the department and, more broadly, the social cluster, to mobilise communities around the need for healthy lifestyles, including eating nutritious meals, increasing physical activity through Vuka South Africa - Move for your Health, responsible sexual behaviour, stopping the use of tobacco products and responsible use of alcohol.

With regard to communicable diseases, we continue to battle against a large burden of diseases from this source. With respect to HIV and Aids the good news is that the prevalence of HIV amongst pregnant women who attend public health facilities is on the decrease. For the first time we are seeing a percentage point decrease in prevalence amongst this group. This means that our prevention programmes are beginning to show an effect. Clearly, we need to sustain and increase this effort and at the same time continue to expand access to care and support as well. The good news pertains to malaria. For the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period last year, we are seeing a decrease in both the number of cases as well as deaths from malaria. This is the result of indoor residual spraying with DDT in the three provinces in which malaria is endemic, as well as early diagnosis and treatment and our efforts to work with our neighbours Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

With some exceptions, TB control remains a challenge. We have health districts that are doing well in terms of the percentage of people with TB that are cured. However, the national average is less than 60%, with about a 10% default rate. This is a cause for concern, as it results in both multidrug and extensively drug-resistant TB. I wish to reassure hon members that the department, with the assistance of the World Health Organisation, has a plan to address this challenge, with the assistance of hon members, as well as community members.

Whilst we have a large network of clinics and hospitals, the key challenge is to improve the quality of care provided at our facilities. We have increased the number of clinics since 1994 and instituted a hospital revitalisation programme to improve the infrastructure, equipment and management of our hospitals.

Some of our detractors have pointed out that we are neglecting tertiary services. This is not true. We have two state-of-the-art tertiary hospitals in the form of the Inkosi Albert Luthuli and Pretoria Academic Hospitals.

In 2004-05, we completed three hospitals: Calvinia and Colesberg in the Northern Cape and Piet Retief in Mpumalanga. In 2005-06, we completed five hospitals: Lebowakgomo and Jane Furse in Limpopo, Mary Theresa in the Eastern Cape, Swartruggens in the North West and George in the Western Cape. Last year two hospitals were completed. These are Dikolong and Nkhensani hospitals in Limpopo.

We currently have 46 revitalisation projects with 30 already onsite and 16 in the planning stages. We hope to complete the following hospitals during this financial year: Mamelodi Hospital in Gauteng, Worcester Hospital in the Western Cape, Rietvlei Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal and Barkly West in the Northern Cape.

Whilst good progress is being made we need to accelerate this programme if we wish to complete the revitalisation of our public hospitals within the 15-year timeframe we set ourselves. We need to ensure that this programme is fully funded in the remaining timeframe.

Together with improving the staffing of the health sector, these are our major challenges to improving quality care. These issues were emphasised during the hearings held recently by the SA Human Rights Commission. Any incident of poor quality of care is regrettable. The department will continue to take all steps necessary to improve the quality of care that our people receive in both the public and private health sectors.

We have been able to reduce the cost of drugs over time, but the costs and therefore access to private health care are still a challenge. We hope that the Health Charter, which we hope will be signed by all parties before the end of the year, will provide the platform for a more equitable health care system, as well as a more affordable private health care sector.

One of the key challenges, which is receiving priority, is human resources for health. We need skilled and motivated health providers in adequate numbers in the public health sector. We hope that the new dispensation for health workers, once agreed to in the Public Sector Bargaining Council, will provide the necessary motivation for health workers to return to work, to provide quality care and to remain in the public health sector.

In addition to remuneration, the hospital revitalisation programme, as well as further training and management support, will be provided to incentivise health workers to remain in the public health sector. A further boost to the number of nurses working in the public health sector will be the commencement of community service in July this year, as well as the soon to be implemented clinical associate programme by our universities. As hon members know, there are two important pieces of legislation that will be discussed by this House this year. These are the Traditional Health Practitioners Bill and the amendments to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act.

It is very important that we institutionalise African traditional medicine. In this regard, the President has appointed a Presidential Task Team on African Traditional Medicine. In addition, I have been elected as the chairperson of the Bureau of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health in charge of conducting a midterm review on the progress the continent is making in implementing the Decade of African Traditional Medicines that was adopted by the AU heads of state. This House can therefore assist this process by passing the Traditional Health Practitioners Bill.

August is Women’s Month. This House can honour women by extending the choice of termination services provided by the public sector by passing the amendment to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act.

I wish to conclude by speaking about the total budget for 2007-08, as well as those areas in which we received an increase relative to the 2006-07 budget.

The budget of the national Department of Health consists largely of conditional grants, 88% of which we transfer to provincial health departments. The budget for the National Tertiary Services Grant increased by R100 million to fund the modernisation of tertiary services programmes. These funds will be used to modernise radiation oncology equipment, which will reduce the backlogs and improve the management of cancer patients.

The grant will amount to R5,3 billion in 2007-08. The amount grows by R200 million to R250 million in the outer years. A further R200 million and R280 million in the outer years has been added to this grant to fund additional remuneration for professionals at tertiary hospitals.

The budget for the Health Professions Training and Development Grant remains static in real terms for the year under review. This grant will be the subject of a review in order to bring funding in line with the requirements. This grant amounts to R1,6 billion in 2007-08.

The hospital revitalisation grant received an additional R200 million. The new total for 2007-08 is R1,9 billion. This grant also received a further R300 million and R500 million in the outer years. This grant will grow to R2,6 billion in 2009-10.

The allocation seems large, but it is still not enough to reduce the 15- year horizon to revitalise all the hospitals in the country. To give some idea of the shortfall this year, the department required an additional R1 billion, but only received R200 million. Funding for the Forensic Pathology Services Grant is static at R551 million in 2007-08. This grant is for the refurbishment of mortuary services that the provincial departments of health took over from the SA Police Services. It is envisaged that this grant will become part of the equitable share once the services have been established and have been institutionalised.

The HIV/Aids Grant received R300 million in the year under review and further amounts of R500 million and R850 million in the outer years. The grant will amount to R1,9 billion in 2007-08 and will grow to R2,6 billion in 2009-10. These funds will largely fund the continually growing demand for HIV/Aids-related services.

The department also received an additional R30 million allocation earmarked for LoveLife. This amount grows to an additional R50 million in 2009-10.

An amount of R10 million has been added to the budget of the National Department of Health to cover the cost of the department’s planned move back to the Civitas Building later this year.

The total public health budget grows to R59,2 billion in 2007-08. This constitutes 3,5% of the gross domestic product, GDP, and 11,08% of government expenses. However, I wish to bring to the notice of the hon members that the public health sector is underfunded and, unless additional funds are provided, the 15-year timeframe that we have set ourselves within which to revitalise our hospitals, for example, will not be met.

In conclusion, may I also thank other Ministers appointed as acting Ministers of Health by the President during my illness, as well as the Deputy Minister and the MECs for Health. We would not have been able to make the gains we have made, without the efforts of the MECs and their staff.

I also wish to thank the Chairperson and members of the Select Committee for Social Services. Your oversight role is critical to the achievement of a healthy nation. I also wish to thank the director-general and the staff in the Department of Health and my office for their support.

Finally, I wish to thank my family for their love and support. Without their concern, love and support I would not have been able to get well as soon as I have. Thank you very much for listening to me. [Applause.]

Ms J M MASILO: Modulasetulo, ke rata go amogela Tona ya Lefapha la Boitekanelo, fa a boile, a na le rona mo tirong. Masego le pholo e ntle mme. [Chairperson, I would like to welcome the Minister of Health back. We wish you good health, Ma’am.]

We welcome you back. Hon House Chair, hon Minister, hon MECs from various provinces, special delegates from our provinces, Chairpersons of Portfolio Committees on Health, hon members of this House, special guests, the Director-General and management of the department, it gives me great pleasure to speak on the Health Budget Vote No 15.

The aim of the Department of Health is to promote the health of all the people of South Africa through a caring and effective national health system, based on the primary health care approach. The department achieved its mandate through the work performed in four main programmes, which are: administration, strategic health programmes, health service delivery and human resources.

The human resource programme was included in 2005-06 to give voice to the greater emphasis on human resources for health. The National Health Act, Act 61 of 2003, provides a framework for a single health system for South Africa. It highlights the rights and responsibilities of health providers and users, and ensures broader community participation in health care delivery from health facilities up to national level.

The Act provides for the right to emergency medical treatment; the right to complain about services; and the right of health workers to be treated with respect, and also for them to respect the law and regulations of essential services. At the end of the day we will treat health workers with respect. The striking health workers undermine the policy of government on essential services. As the ANC, we support the hon Minister for taking decisive action on this issue; Batho Pele first, and 12% last.

The hospital revitalisation programme was launched in 2003-04 and was preceded by the hospital rehabilitation programme. Hospital revitalisation refers to the quality of care and hospital rehabilitation refers to the buildings. The focus should be on infrastructure, equipment, management and quality. There is a need to accelerate this programme in order for it to be completed within 20 years.

There is also a great need to expand all programmes to the rural areas. It has been noted that this programme is concentrated in provincial hospitals for now. There are clinics and hospitals that are dilapidated with very old equipment and as such they are of no help to the communities. In some cases, when the patient needs an X-ray, they cannot get help because the X- ray machines are too old to operate.

Concerning circumcision, our country and its Constitution appreciate and value our diverse cultural backgrounds. In his address at the annual opening of the National House of Traditional Leaders, His Excellency the President noted the importance of the preservation and promotion of our cultures and customs, which promote the values of ubuntu and the role of traditional leaders in development and in promoting the health, safety and wellbeing of our communities.

Taking this into consideration, one would have expected to see a policy proposal on circumcision. There has been a lot of discussion on circumcision, especially in relation to HIV/Aids, but up to now there is no clear policy. The current policy only touches on the safety regulations. There is a need for traditional policy on circumcision to control the rampant growth in deaths of young men who undergo this ritual.

The pharmaceutical industry is another part of the health system that has been neglected. One notes the increase in the cost of hospitalisation. This is totally against the promise to the people concerning the improvement of the health system.

Community health workers play a major role in home-based care. As the department is looking at strengthening the DOTS to improve adherence in TB treatment, mobilisation of community health workers is of vital importance in this regard. The national community health workers policy has been developed; we thank the department for that. The department will soon finalise the regulations for community health workers. The department is also finalising a remuneration framework for health workers, which we hope will also include community health workers.

Volunteering is well and good for someone who is financially and physically stable. Unfortunately many of our volunteers are desperate in their own right. This leads to some of them using what is supposed to reach the community for their own purposes. It would have been appreciated to see something in this policy debate which looks into giving salaries to the community health workers or standardised stipends, given to them by the NGOs and CBOs, to avoid exploitation by some of the service providers in our provinces.

With regard to legislation, the National School Health Policy requires the Department of Health to visit all provinces, especially those with a school health programme that provides children with health education and imparts life skills. The select committee wants to know about the progress report of the visit to all provinces, especially those in Grade R and Grade 1 with specific health problems.

There has been an expansion of health care to schools; as per the National Health School Policy, 72% of districts are already providing phase one of school health services. Concerning lifestyle campaigns, 1 500 primary schools were identified as health promoting schools. We thank the Ministry. Well done with the programme. According to the 2006-07 adjusted appropriation, the bulk of 72,4% of the department’s budget is allocated to this programme.

Parliamentary oversight of the Health budget during the course of the financial year remains critical in the light of some of the shortcomings identified by the Auditor-General over the past three years. The Department of Health received qualified opinions for three consecutive years. In this regard, Parliament needs to focus particularly on how conditional grants to provinces are managed and whether the department complies with the relevant Treasury regulations, the annual Division of Revenue Act, as well as the Public Finance Management Act of 1999.

In this regard, the internal audit function of the department becomes vital, because the function of the internal audit unit is to identify weaknesses in the internal control mechanism within the department and alert the accounting officer to these. An internal audit function must assess operational procedures and monitoring mechanisms over all transfers made and received, including transfers in terms of the annual Division of Revenue.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the hon members of this august House and you, the Chairperson, and the Minister of Health, for the role you play in our quest to improve the lives of our people through accelerated service delivery in the various constituencies.

Ms H LAMOELA: Chairperson, hon Minister and colleagues, allow me to welcome back our Minister of Health and wish her well.

One of the biggest challenges facing South Africa in the second term of democracy is a quality health care system, which can deliver sustainable quality health care to all our citizens. We are on track where the 2010 World Cup is concerned and in principle it is well and good to prepare for one’s visiting guests, but how prepared are we for the challenges threatening our citizens due to our failure to alleviate the plight for quality and sustainable health care for all our people?

The vision of the Department of Health is an accessible, caring, high quality system. Since 2004, the mission of the Department of Health has been to improve health status through prevention of illness and disease and through promotion of healthy lifestyles, and to consistently improve the health care delivery system by focusing on access, equity, efficiency, quality and sustainability.

My question now is: Are we really improving our health care system when our health budget is being cut; when target adjustments for cervical cancer screening for 2007-08 indicate a downward trend; when patient intake for hospital beds, such as, to name only one, Groote Schuur Hospital, are cut or minimised; when secondary health care is severely affected due to playing racial politics with patients’ lives; when HIV/Aids is still the worst terrorist in our midst; when hospitals have become overburdened with patients and understaffing is routine; when inequality for the masses has become the order of the day for people who cannot afford private sector care; when the Department of Health received a qualified audit opinion from the Auditor-General for three consecutive years; when no real inflation- related growth of critical importance for human resources regarding health is considered; when the new strategic plan for HIV/Aids requires a massive staff complement, particularly doctors, and the fact that the Department of Health has made no contingency plans to help hospitals cope with the impending problem of a reduced number of community service doctors, despite repeated requests to do so by many stakeholders?

Though we are succeeding in some avenues of Health, we still need to pull out all the stops to move forward to reach our mission and vision as set by the Department of Health.

Let me highlight why I say that secondary health care is severely affected due to playing racial politics with patients’ lives. [Interjections.] The DA’s warning earlier that race quotas will have hugely negative effects on Western Cape hospitals has been confirmed in the Sunday Times of 3 June

1. The newspaper reported that up to 10 operations per day are being cancelled due to an employment policy disallowing white and Indian doctors from being selected for essential senior positions.

I do not know if our hon Minister is aware of this situation as to why the vacant positions are not being filled. How many nominations have been received and why they are not being accepted? In both Groote Schuur and Tygerberg hospitals, the lives of patients are coming under serious threat as operation lists are being cut due to a shortage of doctors who are able to perform specific medical procedures. This situation amounts to playing racial politics with patients’ lives, and it is both morally indefensible and extraordinarily dangerous.

At a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult to find suitably qualified medical professionals to work in the public sector, and when morale in public hospitals is already dangerously low because of the number of vacant posts, the rejection of capable and appropriately qualified candidates makes no sense. It reveals a government that is increasingly unable to separate political objectives from its responsibilities to the people.

It must be remembered that the majority of the users of public hospitals are black South Africans with no or very limited access to medical aid. They are interested, first and foremost, in getting better rather than in the colour of their doctor’s skin. If patients die as a result of these decisions, the department may well find itself at the losing end of expensive legal battles, because there is no law that requires the state to keep critical posts vacant for months on end while a candidate of a suitable colour is found.

Furthermore, as word gets around that only black candidates need apply for such positions, the department may well soon find itself in a situation where it receives no applications at all, and soon find that our professionals are again lost to the international world.

Primary health care, as far as I know, needs to be affordable, accessible, available, effective, efficient, continuous, caring, comfortable, comprehensive, considerate regarding the condition of patients, scientifically advanced, and careful with the safety of patients.

Voorsitter, sover ek weet - en hier wil ek my eie kiesafdeling as voorbeeld noem, Witzenberg - besoek pasiënte die daghospitaal of kliniek daagliks, en bitter min of geen voldoen aan hierdie vereistes. En hieroor praat ek jaar na jaar en niks word daaraan gedoen nie.

Hoe kan twee dokters plus een gemeenskapsdokter plus-minus 48 000 mense bedien? Dit is ’n streek waar tuberkulose en motorongelukke ’n groot bron van kommer is. Toestande waarin verpleegpersoneel werk, is stresvol en uitputtend. Personeeltekorte, onderbetaling en onvoldoende fasiliteite vorm deel van verpleegkundiges se daaglikse werksomgewing.

Pasiënte word nog steeds weggewys en in ’n baie groot geografiese area moet hulle maar weer die volgende dag terugkom. In sommige gevalle kan medikasie slegs op ’n weeklikse, in plaas van maandelikse, wyse toegedien word omdat voorrade onvoldoende is. Sommige pasiënte moet nog steeds vieruur in die oggend opstaan om eerste in die ry te wees, anders word hul nie gehelp nie. Wat het dan van ons mobiele eenhede geword, wat tog gehelp het om die las te verlig?

Die baie lang, omslagtige proses van aanstelling van mediese personeel belemmer die kanse op gehalte gesondheidsorg in sekondêre en tersiêre gesondheidsorg. Hierdie instansies is veronderstel om die verwysings vanaf primêre hospitale te hanteer, en kan net nie die mas opkom met ’n besnoeide begroting en gefrustreerde gesondheidsbeamptes, wie se moraal reeds lankal veel te wense oorlaat nie.

Is dit nie miskien die rede waarom so baie professionele gesondheidswerkers die land verlaat of staak nie, omdat beloftes oor verbeterde omstandighede net nie bewaarheid word nie? (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[Chairperson, as far as I know - and here I want to mention my own constituency, Witzenberg, as an example - patients visit the day hospital or clinic daily, and very few or none of them meet these requirements. Year after year I talk about this and nothing is done about it.

How can two doctors plus one community doctor serve approximately 48 000 people? This is an area where tuberculosis and car accidents are a great source of concern. Conditions under which nursing personnel work are stressful and very tiring. Personnel shortages, underpayment and inadequate facilities form part of the daily work environment of nurses.

Patients are still being turned away and in a very large geographical area they simply have to return the next day. In some cases medication can only be administered on a weekly instead of a monthly basis, as supplies are insufficient. Some patients still have to get up at four in the morning to be first in the queue, otherwise they will not be helped. What has become of our mobile units, which had helped to lessen the burden?

The very long, cumbersome process of the appointment of medical personnel lessens the chances of quality health care in secondary and tertiary health care. These institutions are supposed to deal with the referrals from primary hospitals and simply cannot cope with a budget that has been cut and frustrated health officials whose morale already leaves much to be desired.

Is this not possibly the reason why so many professional health workers are leaving the country or striking as promises regarding improved conditions are simply never realised?]

In 2005 the Director-General of the Department of Health told our committee that a national team would be put in place to monitor and assist the infection control units in hospitals. Late last year, when visiting the Western Province, two prime hospitals were not even in the process of putting their infection control units or committees in place.

My question is: Who needs to monitor this very important issue in our hospitals? I tend to believe that organisms that cause infection can be controlled if dealt with in an appropriate manner. I therefore call on our hon Minister to attend to these critical challenges, as we surely do not want a repetition of the 22 babies that died in 2005 in the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital.

Although programmes and strategies are put in place regarding hospital revitalisation, implementation cannot proceed if budgets are being cut and funding shortages, avoiding completion of hospitals, are being experienced. Surely quality health care, as well as service delivery, is severely affected.

From 2004 to date, eight hospitals in different provinces have been completed and this has made a great difference in people’s lives, and we thank the department for this, but it is rather sad to say that the Eben Dönges Hospital in Worcester is still incomplete since 2005. Progress on site is dissatisfactory and work is far behind schedule. This morning I had an e-mail to say that insufficient skills are experienced - please see to that, Department of Health.

In conclusion, we owe it to our communities, our citizens and all our people to achieve our mission in health care. If there was ever a time to dare to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, it is now. So let us do it and let’s do it right. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr P UYS (Western Cape): Chairperson, hon members, I would like to welcome back our Minister of Health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. It is good to have the Minister back in our midst and well on the way to a full recovery. We need a steady hand in these trying times.

I want to congratulate the hon Minister for presenting a budget to us that continues to expand access to equitable, affordable and quality health services. And, I fully agree with the Minister that our public health sector can and does provide good care. There are millions of patients in our country who can testify to this fact.

In the foreword to the National Health Plan for South Africa, released in May 1994 by the ANC, we read the following:

Recognising the need for total transformation of the health sector in South Africa, the ANC initiated the process of developing an overall national health plan based on the primary health care approach.

With this historic document as our guide, we can now truly say that we have aligned our health policy successfully with that envisaged in the national health plan.

As mentioned by the hon Minister in her budget speech, our burden of diseases including tuberculosis, violence and other categories such as childhood illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and mental illness continue to put pressure on our health system.

Trauma and emergencies, in particular, continue to place severe strain on health services in our province with high volumes of attendance and a high acuity of illness amongst patients. Tuberculosis rates remain high and co- infection of TB and HIV has resulted in uncommon forms of presentation.

Lately, the addition of XDR-TB has significantly impacted on the workload in our tuberculosis and other hospitals. The incidence of TB in the Western Cape is 1 041 per 100 000 of the population for all TB cases. Tuberculosis remains a significant cause of premature death.

The Health budget of the Western Cape for 2007-08 is R7 billion. It is a budget focusing on tackling challenges we face head-on. I want to thank the Minister for the earmarked funding for specific allocations to services such as forensic pathology, emergency medical services, equipment in the central hospitals, the Expanded Public Works Programme, HIV and Aids, infrastructure grants, improvement of nurses’ salaries and community service posts.

Let me highlight some critical areas in our budget that will ensure better health care services for all people in our province: Strengthening our district health system will see around 13 million primary health care contacts at an average of R76 per visit. This is the level of care where most people in the Western Cape - 90% - access the service and where the pressure of numbers and the demand for services is the greatest.

Therefore, in line with national priorities, the budget focuses on the strengthening of district health services by providing the complete primary health care package of services and extended hours of services at key facilities. The assumption of responsibility for personal primary health care in the rural districts will be finalised this year.

With respect to HIV and Aids, we are committed to contributing to the successful implementation of the national strategic plan. A number of programmes will see improvements: Firstly, the peer education programme with 11 501 peer educators in Grades 10, 11 and 12 throughout the province trained to support and spread the message of prevention; and voluntary counselling and testing is offered at 441 facilities. Our voluntary counselling and testing target for this year is 484 000.

In response to the TB epidemic we developed strategies to accelerate and enhance the response in controlling tuberculosis in the province. Our programme in this financial year includes: An improved community-based TB control service with an improved tuberculosis medicine adherence support programme; an improved primary health care service for TB, with additional resources deployed in the 22 highest-burden tuberculosis clinics, to achieve better patient care; and an improved in-patient tuberculosis service with the provincialisation of all tuberculosis hospitals to be completed in this year.

The impact of the TB crisis plan implemented in 2006-07 is apparent in the improved TB cure rate in the Breede Valley and also in Khayelitsha. The average cure rate for the province stands at 71,3%, with a target in this financial year of 73%.

Women’s health remains a priority area. Focus areas are the management of rape victims, antenatal care and screening for cervical cancer. With regard to child health, specific target areas that also relate to the social- capital formation strategy are the integrated management of childhood illnesses, with an emphasis on diarrhoeal disease and immunisation. Improved immunisation remains a priority. Full immunisation coverage for children under the age of one remained above 90% in the last three financial years. The province is currently extending the school health services to the rest of the province in line with our national policy.

We must reach out in practical and compassionate ways to those who are struggling with mental illness. The introduction of the new Mental Health Care Act obliges the department to improve the access to 72-hour services within the general acute hospitals and we are committed to strengthening capacity in these hospitals to manage mentally ill people, which includes infrastructure and human resource measures.

Our central hospitals in the Western Cape are allocated R2,17 billion and that is 30,6% of the 2007-08 budget. Central hospitals receive the entire national tertiary services grant, as well as R220 million from the Health Professions Training and Development Grant plus an additional R578 million from the provincial equitable share. Given the pressures experienced in this sector an upward adjustment of the National Tertiary Services Grant becomes essential to the preservation of these highly specialised services.

Much has been said recently in the media about bed shifts from the Groote Schuur and Tygerberg hospitals. Suffice it to say that the bed shifts are marginal. Out of a total of 2 484 we are talking about 90 beds and it is not being cut; the beds have been shifted to a district level in Lentegeur, where they accommodate people in Manenberg, Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain where there is no proper facility at this stage to add an additional 100 beds. So, it is completely wrong and ignorant to say that.

We will be increasing staff training - there are 1 678 bursaries for nurse training; 532 bursaries awarded for health science training for categories other than nursing; 469 emergency care personnel to be trained; and 2 605 people to be trained as community-based health workers.

On infrastructure, the Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain District Hospitals remain critical and we are happy to say that by the next financial year we will start with the construction of these. Thank you, Minister, for approving our business plan for the following hospitals: Valkenberg, Brooklyn Chest, Tygerberg, Hottentots Holland, Victoria and Mossel Bay hospitals.

When hiring staff to provide these services, I want to support the Minister in her budget speech by saying that while we are committed — and that is important — to increase the pool of previously disadvantaged health professionals in our service, we will not exclude any qualified individuals from the process on the basis of race.

Speaking in support of this budget, allow me to comment on the unwavering commitment of our Minister, the management, together with the DG, and the dedicated staff in the health sector to providing a quality health service to all the people of our province and country. I thank you.

Mr S C SEKOATI (Limpopo): Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members and fellow MECs, it is a great honour for me to be given the opportunity to address this hon House. Chairperson, allow me to join other members in welcoming back the Minister and to wish her good health.

We can pride ourselves on the strides we have made through the provision of quality health care in the first decade of democracy in South Africa. As a province, we are continuing to build on the foundations laid in that decade. We remain focused in our efforts to improve the lives of our people by ensuring that there is improved coverage and access to health facilities.

Prior to 1994, the majority of the people in Limpopo were underserved, while the health services were characterised by inequitable distribution of health facilities, a lack of universal access to services, poor standards of facilities and insufficient allocation of resources in terms of managerial and technical skills.

When we took over in 1994, the province only had 256 clinics; most of which were dilapidated and some were operating for only eight hours a day. Some of the clinics were experiencing intermittent water supply and inadequate sanitation.

In our efforts to improve access to primary health care, the province has built 166 new clinics in the past 12 years, and 53 more will be completed in the current financial year. It is also public knowledge that when we took over, we also inherited a large number of hospitals, most of which were dilapidated, old buildings with equipment that had more than doubled their lifespan.

To address these issues in a holistic fashion, the department promulgated its position statement in 2001. This was subsequently reinforced by the enunciation of rationalisation measures, spelt out in the service transformation plan of 2006. Both documents clearly identify the challenges facing health care delivery and sketch out a systematic approach for prioritisation and funding of health care interventions.

The approach is driven by the imperative of satisfying health needs against the backdrop of economic considerations, such as sustainability, affordability and value for money. Two of our hospitals, namely Jane Furse and Lebowakgomo, spent their last year on the project in the previous financial year.

The Lebowakgomo Hospital was officially opened in March this year. This event granted a platform to showcase the hospital revitalisation programme, to increase its visibility and market the service offered by the hospital to the community.

The huge community interest it generated was a clear indication that our people draw inspiration from the good work that the government is doing, and they are continuing to support our efforts. This programme is very important and it is therefore critical for government to make more resources available for its sustainability.

Living a healthy lifestyle is indeed important to reduce the risks of contracting chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and hypertension. Therefore, by adopting a healthy lifestyle, we will improve our chances of living longer.

This programme has some benefits to both the communities and the department, as it is promotive and preventative, thereby reducing treatment costs at primary health care facilities, including our hospitals. Participation in the programme reduces chronic disease conditions and as a result, less funds will be spent on providing treatment and management of diseases of lifestyle.

Limpopo borders malaria-prone areas in the Southern African Development Community - SADC — region. The main malaria areas in our country are the low-lying north eastern parts, bordering Mozambique and Zimbabwe, which includes the districts of Vhembe and Mopani.

Indoor residual spraying is also making a serious impact in the fight against malaria in the province, and the reduction in the number of cases reported speaks volumes. We are continuing to build on the success of the comprehensive care, treatment and management plan for HIV and Aids. As a province, we have managed to increase the treatment sites from 24 to 37 in the previous year. The current year will see a total of 52 sites accredited and operational in an effort to provide access to treatment for those infected.

In implementing the new strategy, we will build on the foundation laid by the comprehensive care, treatment and management plan for HIV and Aids. In line with the national TB control plan, the department is implementing the TB intervention strategy in the high risk districts of Capricorn, Sekhukhune and Waterberg, despite the fact that we have not been declared a crisis province.

This initiative will go a long way in strengthening DOT support, awareness and TB management, and further increase the health safety of our people. The department has also entered into the second year of an emergency medical service expansion and optimisation plan. The main aim is to ensure that we increase access to emergency medical care by improving access through the reduction of response times. Through this programme the department has, in the previous financial year, built 19 new stations, provided 100 new ambulances, and employed an additional 840 new emergency care practitioners. This will go a long way in support of our efforts to strengthen access to emergency medical services, particularly in remote rural areas. As Limpopo, we support the Budget Vote as presented by the Minister. I thank you. [Applause.]

Nk N F MAZIBUKO: Sihlalo, ngibingelela amalungu kanye nezivakashi. UMnyango Wezempilo unguMnyango okuyiwo owenza sonke sihlale siphilile. UnguMnyango owenza sonke lapha emhlabeni sizalwe, sikhule, sigonywe ngawo wonke amakhambi asivikelayo ukuze singangenwa yizifo ezinjengomalaleveva, uzagiga, isifo sofuba, uvendle, isimungumungwane njalo njalo. Lona nguMnyango owenza sithathe izinyathelo zokuzivikela ezifweni ezithathelanayo njengokukhwehlela nezocansi. Ngaphandle kwalo Mnyango, ngabe azikho izibhedlela nemitholampilo. Ngisho nazo izibhedlela nemitholampilo ezizimele ngabe azikwazi ukusebenza uma imvume zingayinikwanga uMnyango Wezempilo.

Iningi labantu lahamba laya kofundela ukuba abahlengikazi, odokotela kanye nezinyanga ngenxa yokuthi babefuna ukwelapha abantu. Bakhuthazwa ukuba khona kwalo Mnyango. Ngamanye amazwi asilutho ngaphandle kwalo Mnyango Wezempilo. Ukuze lo Mnyango ube ngowezempilo, hhayi owezifo, ngempela nathi kumele sibambe iqhaza, siphile impilo engcono, ngalokho iphupho likaFlorence Nightingale likwazi ukufezeka.

Ngithanda ukucaphuna uNgqongqoshe wezempilo waseGauteng ngenkathi siseSebokeng, lapho sasihambise khona iPhalamende ebantwini. Wathi, ngiyamcaphuma:

Mina angiyena uNgqongqoshe wezifo, kepha nginguNgqongqoshe wezempilo …

[Ubuwelewele.] Waqhubeka wathi:

Uma sinikezwa ukudla, asibuzi ukuthi ngabe usawoti ukhona, utheliwe yini, kepha sithatha usawoti siwuthele ekudleni.

Wabuye wathi:

Thina bantu asizwani nokwelula imizimba yethu. Siyenqena. Sikhetha ukuhamba ngamalifti kunokuba sihambe ngezitebhisi. Asisadli imifino nokudla okunomsoco kepha sidla ukudla lokhu okuthiwa ngesiNgisi `deep- fried food’, okunamafutha amaningi. Yingakho-ke sikhuluphele, sinezifo zikashukela, izifo zo-high blood pressure, imizimba ebuthakathaka engenwa yizifo zonke lezi ezazingabaphathi ogogo bethu nomkhulu bethu nezifo zesimanjemanje ezenziwa yimpilo esiyiphilayo. Futhi thina singabantu sikhuluphele kakhulu, size sisinde nezinyawo zethu. [Ubuwelewele.] Kepha mina kuye kuthi uma ngikhuluma naye ngimtshele ngithi, “Ngqongqoshe, uyabona njengoba thina singaka, sondlekile … [Ubuwelewele.] Yifa esaliphiwa omkhulu bethu nogogo bethu. Uma ngingaka mina, njengoba ngingaka nje, uma ngehla laphaya ngomgwaqo, ngisho nezinsizwa ziyakhuzela. Ziye zithi: Dudlu ntombazane! Nongenabhasikidi uyangena emakethe! Nongenaso isikhafuthini uyabamba ngephepha!” [Uhleko.] Kepha uma uzacile, ungumabuthwanelondolo, bayokubheka nje bese bebheka le kube sengathi abakuboni. [Uhleko.]

UMnyango Wezempilo unemigomo noma amaphuzu ayishumi osebenza ngawo, lokhu okuthiwa 10-point plan ngesiNgisi. Lawa maphuzu ukuthuthukiswa kokuphathwa kwezempilo ngohlelo oluyilo; ukukhuthaza impilo enhle ebantwini; ukuthuthukisa impatho enhle kanye nokuhlonipha isithunzi sabantu; ukuthuthukisa ukuphathwa kokwelashwa kwezifo ezithathelanayo nezingathathelani; ukuqinisa nokuphakamisa izinga lezempilo ezigabeni eziphansi nokuthuthukisa ezosizo oluphuthumayo nezinga lezempilo; ukuthuthukisa nokuqinisa izinsiza ezikhona ezinjengezindawo lapho kugcinwa khona igazi nokunye; okubhekene nabasebenzi nokuhlela kahle ezempilo nenqubekela-phambili; ukuthola izinsiza kwezempilo ngokuthi kuhlelwe kahle, kutholakale nezimali; okubhekene nokushaywa kwemithetho elawula ezempilo.

Okokugcina, sonke siyazi ukuthi iNingizimu Afrika iyingxenye yezwekazi lase- Afrika kanye nomhlaba wonkana, manje kubalulekile ukuthi sibuqinise ubuhlobo.

Kuwo wonke lawa maphuzu ayishumi, mahlanu abalulekile uMnyango owasebenzisayo ukuze sikwazi ukuthuthukisa izimpilo zethu. Okokuqala, yimpatho yabantu; ukuqinisa ingqalasizinda ibe seqophelweni eliphezulu; izinhlelo ezikhuthaza ukuthi siphile kahle, kwelashwe isifo sofuba, abantu bazivikele ezifweni zeNgculazi; izinhlelo ezibhekene nomame kanye nezingane.

Iningi lomame abakhulelwe liba nezinkinga. Lokhu kwenza kube sengathi amanani aphakeme omame nezingane ezishona ziya kobelethwa. Angiyena-ke udokotela noma umhlengikazi, kodwa uma ngimi, ngibuka, ngikhumbula ngenkathi sivakashele umtholampilo waseDawn Park, Ekurhuleni, kulawa masonto edlule lapho sasinesonto lokuvakashela izifundazwe. Kwakusemini bebade. Emabhentshini kwakuhlezi omame abakhulelwe, abanye babelokhu bengena bezishayela nje kancane. Kwathi uma sibuza ukuthi kwakungani befika emini, bachaza bathi kwakukaningi, uma befika, abahlengikazi bavele bahlole nje ukuhamba kwegazi; bahlole nezingane; babhale phansi emakhadini; babanike amaphilisi, amavithamini kanye no-iron, kulabo abathandiswa ukudla umlotha kanye nomhlabathi, bese bebuyela emakhaya.

Kudalo, omama bethu uma bekhulelwe kwakuthi uma beya emtholampilo kushaye ihora lesishiyagalombili ekuseni sebefikile lapho emtholampilo. Bebefike bagqokiswe kahle izingubo zabo zasesibhedlela bese beya “kokukha amawolintshi”. Sasithi baya kokukha amawolintshi ngoba babefike bame laphayana … njengalokho ningakhumbula nani ezikoleni lapho izingane zazisho umlolozelo zibe zilingisa zithi: Sikh’amawolintshi Siwanik’uthisha Simgabisele Siwabeke phansi. Ngaleyo ndlela ngithi kuNgqongqoshe ezinye izinhlelo kungenzeka kube kuhle ukuthi sizibuyise ukuze omame bethu abakhulelwe nabo bazithole bekhuthele, bekwazi ukuzivocavoca imizimba yabo.

Uma ngibheka udaba lwamajazi omkhwenyana kanye nomame, Ngqongqoshe, uma siqaphelisisa kahle, abesilisa banikezwa amajazi amaningi uma kuqhathaniswa nabesifazane. Kepha ngokwenani sibaningi thina bantu besifazane kodwa sinikezwa amajazi athi awabe yizigidi ezine kanti abesilisa bona banikezwa ayizigidi ezi-475. Ngithemba ukuthi kule minyaka ezayo nathi sizobona amajazi esimame nawo andiswa, eba maningi.

Enkulumeni yakho Ngqongqoshe kuleli sonto elidlule uye waphawula ukuthi imitholampilo nezibhedlela ezizimele zizithathele umthetho zawubeka ezandleni zazo. Bakhokhisa izimali ezinkulu bajike bangabanikezi kahle abantu imithi, kepha bababhalele uhla lwemithi lokuthi baye kothenga ngalo emakhemisi.

Nami ngiwufakazi. Ngike ngakubona lokhu ngenkathi ngiphelezele ingane kadadewethu sisemtholampilo waseMalberton. Bafuna imali yediphozi, bathi uma leyo mali ingakhokhwa babengeke balivule ikhadi. Ngaze ngatoyiza, ngashinga ngabethembisa ukuthi ngizobabizela uNgqongqoshe. Babe sebesidabula isitifiketi, baphuthuma bavula ifayela base beyelepha-ke ingane.

Ngithi ngalokho sikushayela ihlombe Ngqongqoshe uma usuthatha izinyathelo ezinqala ukuze labo abazimele kucace ukuthi ngabe bazokwenza imali noma bazosiza ngokwelapha abantu. Ngithi viva kuleyo ndawo: Bathathe!

Maqondana nezosizo oluphuthumayo, nakhona kudinga bakhuthazwe. Nalapho angikhulumi ngenzwabethi, Ngqongqoshe, ngoba izinqola ezithwala iziguli azanele. Ngisho nabo laba abasebenzayo sebeyadikibala ngoba bathi labo abasha abasanda kungena manje nje kulo msebenzi bahola amaholo alingana nawabo. Ngisho namaqhuzu abo awasabonakali kahle, yingakho bengasawafaki nakwinyufomu yabo. Ngithemba ukuthi nendaba yabo uzoyisukumela kahle, ubasize ukuthi nabo bangatholi umsebenzi omningi.

Kwesinye isikhathi ugesi uyawa, ngoba ezinye zeziteshi azinawo ama- generator bese behlala ebumnyameni, namasango angavuleki ngenxa yokuthi ugesi usuke ungasebenzi. Besicela nalokhu kusukunyelwe, Ngqongqoshe, ukuze babe nawo ama-generator.

Uma sengiphetha, ngithi iqembu likaKhongolose liyaseseka isabiwomali sezempilo ngoba ngaleyo mali sizokwazi ukuphucula izimpilo zabantu bonke, njengokusho kukaSomqulu Wenkululeko othi “Izimpilo zabantu zizothuthukiswa.” Amandla! [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)

[Ms N F MAZIBUKO: Chairperson, I greet the members and visitors. The Department of Health is the department that keeps us healthy. It is the department that allows us to be born, to grow, to be immunised with all types of vaccinations that protect us so that we may not be affected by diseases such as malaria, mumps, tuberculosis, cancer, measles, etc. This department makes us take measures to protect ourselves against transmitted diseases such as coughing and sexually transmitted diseases. Without this department, we would not have hospitals and clinics. Even private hospitals and clinics would not be able to operate without permits from the Department of Health.

Most people went to study to become nurses, doctors and traditional healers because they wanted to heal people. They were encouraged by the existence of this department. In others words, we are nothing without this department. In order for this department to be for health, not diseases, we really also have to play a role. We need to live healthy lifestyles and in that way, we will fulfil Florence Nightingale’s dream.

I would like to quote the Gauteng Minister of Health, when we were in Sebokeng, during the Taking Parliament to People campaign. He said and I quote:

I am not the Minister of Diseases, I am the Minister of Health …

[Interjections]. He went on and said:

When we are offered food, we don’t ask whether there is sufficient salt in the food, but we simply add salt.

He also said:

We are reluctant to exercise our bodies. We are lazy. We choose to use lifts instead of using stairs. We no longer eat vegetables and nutritious food, but we eat what we call in English “deep-fried food”, which has a lot of oil. That is why we are obese, diabetic, have high blood pressure, unhealthy bodies, are affected by all sorts of diseases which never affected our grandmothers and grandfathers as well as modern diseases that are caused by our lifestyles. We are so obese that even our feet cannot carry us.

[Interjections.] But whenever I speak to him, I always say: “Minister, we are so fat because we are well fed … [Interjections.]… and we inherited this from our grandfathers and grandmothers. If you are a hefty woman, like me, when you go down the street, the would-be suitors shout appreciatively and say:” Dudlu ntombazane! Nongenabhasikidi uyangena emakethe! Nongenaso isikhafuthini uyabamba ngephepha!” [The African way of courting a girl: Ahoy, young lady! Even when one does not have a basket one still enters the market place. Even when one does not have a lunchbox one can use a newspaper!] [Laughter.] However, if you are skinny, as though you could be mistakenly collected with the laundry, they take one look at you and look the other way and pretend they don’t see you. [Laughter.]

The Department of Health has ten principles or points that they are working with - which are called the 10-point plan. These points are: to improve the governance and management of the National Health System; to promote healthy lifestyles; to contribute towards human dignity by improving the quality of care; to improve the management of communicable and non-communicable diseases; to strengthen primary health care and hospital service delivery systems; to strengthen support services such as blood banks, human resource planning, development and management, planning, budgeting and monitoring and evaluation; and to prepare and implement legislation.

Lastly, we all know that South Africa is part of the African continent and the whole world. It is therefore important to strengthen international relations.

Of all these points, there are five that are more important, which are used by the department to help us improve our lives, namely: human dignity; strengthening the quality of infrastructure; promoting healthy lifestyles; curing tuberculosis; educating people to protect themselves against Aids; and programmes that cater for women and children.

The majority of pregnant women are experiencing problems. This tends to paint a picture that the incidence of women and children dying during labour is high. I am, however, neither a doctor nor a nurse, but when I analyse the situation, I recall the time when I visited the Dawn Park clinic, in Ekurhuleni, a few weeks ago, during Provincial Week. It was during the day. There were pregnant women sitting on benches. Others were also arriving, walking slowly. When we asked why they were arriving so late, they said that most of the time when they arrive the nurses only examine their blood pressure, examine the babies, fill in the cards, give them vitamin and iron tablets, for those who crave ash and soil during pregnancy, and send them back home.

A long time ago, when our pregnant mothers visited hospitals, by eight o’clock they were usually at the clinics. They used to be dressed in neat hospital gowns and they would go and “harvest oranges”. We called it harvesting oranges because they would go there and stand in a line - as you will remember that at school children used to recite limericks, using their hands, saying: Sikh’amawolintshi Siwanik’uthisha Simgabisele Siwabeke phansi. In that way, I am saying to the Minister that it would be better to reintroduce some of these programmes so that our pregnant women may be able to exercise their bodies.

When I look at male and female condoms, Minister, when we look carefully, we note that males are supplied with more condoms compared to females. But statistically, we outnumber males and yet we are only supplied with 4 million condoms while males are supplied with 475 million. I hope that in the coming years, female condoms are also going to be increased.

In your speech, Minister, last week, you made a comment to the effect that clinics and hospitals should not take the law into their own hands. They ask for huge amounts of money and yet they don’t supply medicine to the people properly. Instead they prescribe medicines so that people can go and buy them from pharmacies.

I am also a witness to this. I witnessed this when I was accompanying my sister’s child to Malberton clinic. They wanted her to pay a deposit. They said that if the deposit was not paid they were not going to open a file. I had to toyi-toyi. I told them that I would call the Minister. They then tore up the certificate and rushed to open a file and they treated the child.

With those words, I am saying that we commend you Minister for the major steps that you have taken to ensure that it must be clear whether private health care providers are here to make money or to heal people. I say Viva for that! Take them on!

With regard to emergency services, they also need to be improved. I am not talking about rumours, Minister, because ambulances are not adequate. Even the paramedics are discouraged because they are saying that those who are new in the profession are earning the same salaries as them, the older paramedics. Even their epaulettes are no longer meaningful. That is why they are not putting them with their uniforms. I hope that you will address their concerns and help them so that they are not overloaded.

Sometimes, electricity trips and some stations don’t have generators and they stay in darkness. And the gates too don’t function because of blackouts. We request that this be addressed so that they can have generators.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the African National Congress supports this Budget Vote because, with this budget, we will be able to improve the lives of all people, in accordance with the proclamation of the Freedom Charter which says: “People’s lives shall be improved.” Power! [Applause.]]

Mrs J N VILAKAZI: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon MECs and hon members, the IFP welcomes the Minister back in office and hopes she will regain her strength and energy soon. There are major shortcomings in public health services. The ongoing strike is disrupting the already crippled service delivery in many hospitals. The strike action has now affected the emergency medical rescue services in many areas such as Manguzi, Mseleni and eThekwini.

The IFP has constantly urged the government to negotiate in good faith and do all it can to terminate the strike, and to pay particular attention to the working conditions of nurses and health workers in general. Health employees complain about working under stressful conditions and getting poor salaries.

The shortage of staff and failure to fill vacant posts exacerbate the situation. The shortage of equipment and poor maintenance all add to their burdens. The high rate of infections, including HIV/Aids, TB, etc is haunting health workers.

Angikusho nje ukuthi isimo asisihle neze kwezempilo. Ngisho isilima bandla esathunywa ugwayi sabuya nenhlaba siyazibonela. Okufike kube lukhuni kithi esimi lapha, njengoba sikhuluma njengamanje, ukuthi phandle akwenamisi neze. Ngeke ngathanda nje ukuvakashela esibhedlela ngoba ngizothola isikhwili, ngikhafulwe noma ngixoshwe ngingakwazi ngisho ukungena. EThembeni, laphaya emaphandleni, asikwazanga ukungena kukhona omunye wethu efa, ngoba kwathiwa: Akungenwa, bala ukhasha.

Ngakho-ke isiZulu sithi, uma kunengxokozelo nengxabano, akuhlalwe phansi kucutshungulwe isimo nezinto, kusengelwane ilala, kubuyiswane, kuxhawulwane bese kuqhutshekwa kuyiwe phambili. Thina be-IFP sisho njalo. Isabiwomali sihle uma sizosetshenziswa kahle. Ngiyabonga kakhulu. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[Let me just say that conditions are really not good as far as health care is concerned. Even an imbecile can see that. The most difficult thing for us standing here is that, as we are talking here, nothing is really right out there. I wouldn’t like to visit the hospital because I will get a hiding, be spat on or even be chased away - not be able to go inside. At Thembeni, in the rural areas, we couldn’t go inside whilst one of us was dying there because they said: Nobody goes in. They won’t allow it.

Therefore, as we say in isiZulu, if there are troubles and squabbles, sit down, analyse the situation, talk things through, reconcile, shake hands and move forward. As the IFP we say that the budget is fine if it is going to be used correctly. Thank you very much. [Applause.]]

Mr S T BELOT (Free State): Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members.

Modulasetulo, batho ba Freistata bare ba itumetse fa o boetse tirong o fodile, mme ba go laletsa gore o tle Freistata otle go opela le bone gape … [Chairperson, the people of the Free State are happy that you are well and back at work. Therefore, they are inviting you to come back to the Free State to sing with them again …]

… impilo iyasetshenzelwa. [… you work at achieving good health.]

Chairperson, our efforts as the Department of Health in the Free State this year will be aimed at giving effect to the call by the President to move forward as quickly as possible in building a South Africa defined by a common goal, having acknowledged that heath is labour-intensive. In the Free State we are very proud of our contribution to human resource development.

This year we welcome 214 community service health professionals and they fall in the following categories: 53 medical practitioners; 26 dentists; 46 pharmacists; 20 physiotherapists; 13 radiographers; 21 occupational therapists; 14 dieticians; 4 speech and hearing therapists; and 17 environmental health officers.

I must mention that the department at present is supporting 164 medical students; 12 dental students; 499 nursing students, and 213 other students. These are all full-time bursary holders and this gives a total of 888 full- time bursaries in all. As a province we continually create an environment to retain these students once they have qualified.

The Health and Welfare Seta approved a total of 158 learnerships and of these 93 are 18.1 learnerships and 65 are 18.2 learnerships. Leanership programmes are offered at various institutions. The learnership programmes are, among others, auxiliary nursing, with 69 learners entered in the enrolled nursing programme and 40 learners are doing the Post-Basic Pharmacy Assistant programme.

In terms of the Pharmacy Assistant training, the department enrolled a total of 161 basic and post-basic pharmacist assistant learners of which two are disabled learners. About 53 learners completed the Post-Basic Pharmacist Assistant course and 70 learners completed the Basic Pharmacist Assistant course last year. The latter are currently busy with the Post- Basic Pharmacist Assistant course and 38 learners with the Basic Pharmacy Assistant course. These efforts are aimed at improving our resource pool.

The Free State has made very good progress in the implementation of our new Mental Health Care Act. Already, three mental health review boards have been established and are functioning well. These boards are responsible for ensuring that all mental health users are admitted legally in all health establishments and that the care, treatment and rehabilitation of users is done appropriately.

The two designated facilities for the Free State are the Free State Psychiatric Hospital and the Mofumahadi Manapo Mopedi Regional Hospital. They continue with the admission of involuntary and assisted users, state patients and mentally ill prisoners, and 72-hour assessments are done at identified district hospitals. We have also trained 25 oath officials to administer oaths when patients are admitted.

The Department of Health in the Free State has spent a total of R3,4 million to purchase 1 365 wheelchairs, and on 1 270 repairs, 543 walking aids and 7 706 hearing aids. This means that assistive device banks have been established and are fully functional in the districts and in the hospitals. This makes assistive devices immediately available to clients in need and it prevents long waiting periods for disabled people to receive assistance. A database system was also developed and reviewed to register people with permanent disabilities in order for them to receive free health care services.

To reduce the backlogs for hip and knee replacements, which is an expensive service, an additional theatre for patients has recently been introduced at the National Hospital in Bloemfontein and creative ways are being investigated to render these services at other regional hospitals. I am pleased to share with this House that the service has commenced in Bethlehem, at Dihlabeng Hospital, and will commence in due course in Welkom at Bongani Hospital. We are committed to reducing the waiting period for our replacements.

We have successfully taken over the responsible forensic pathology service from the SA Police Service from 1 April 2006. We have filled 92 posts out of the 108 planned posts and eight additional mortuary vehicles have been purchased, which has brought the fleet total to 37 vehicles.

We have also achieved the immunisation coverage for the expanded programme on immunisation for children under a year old. This is in excess of the national target of 90% and we want to commit ourselves that we will improve on this target.

Following the National Minister of Health’s announcement, we have kept our promise to improve the condition and the situation of our home-based carers, our volunteers and DOT supporters, and we have also put in place a programme to improve their service rendering and making sure that they do not become volunteers for life.

The management of TB was strengthened with the development and implementation of the TB Crisis Plan, which was launched in July 2006. Operation Kgutlela, as it is known, has assisted in bringing back a total of 1 760 TB defaulters; we have managed to attract them back and they are back on their treatment.

We will also concentrate on improving our emergency medical services this year. We will procure 50 new ambulances and 20 response vehicles, and also equip these vehicles to the amount of R500 million. We will improve our response time; we also have a new patient booking system for patients who are being referred to reduce the waiting and pick up times, and delivery of patients to their respective destinations. We will also liaise with the specialists in clinics to expedite clinic times to accommodate our clients.

To reduce the burden of tuberculosis, the department has responded to the challenge and strengthened infection control. I need to assure members that our programme on infection control is a programme that will make sure that we do not have unnecessary adverse situations.

I need to conclude by saying that the expanded programme on immunisation will improve our rate of children under the age of five years that have been immunised and the department will implement a six monthly follow-up programme through a vitamin A campaign to improve vitamin A coverage for children between the ages of one and five. We are looking at improving our cataract record and we intend giving sight to more than 2 500 people this year.

Chairperson, I wish to support the Budget Vote of the hon Minister.

Mrs A N D QIKANI: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members and hon MECs, firstly I would like to welcome the Minister back.

Siyabulela, Mama uMphathiswa. Yanga iNkosi ingakugcina. Sihlalo, iingxaki zisekhona kwizibhedlele zethu. Oku sikufumanise ngethuba besikhe saphuma, saya kwiveki yephondo okanye i-provincial week, ngabula makhumsha.

Sihambe, saya kwisibhedlele saseCecilia Makiwane, apho sifumanise ukuba ukunqongophala kwabongikazi kubaphethe kakubi. Enye into esikhathazileyo kukuba ugqirha wakhona usixelele ukuba ngokwezakhe izibalo zokukhutshwa kwezisu, singaphaya kwama-500 ngenyanga. Loo nto ibonisa mhlophe ukuba abantu baphaya bafuna ukufundiswa ngocwangciso-ntsapho, hayi le yokucwangcisa iintsapho zabo ngokukhupha izisu.

Sikwafumanise nokuba izigulana zeSibhedlele i-Frere zisalaliswa ebhedini enye zizibini, ezinye zisandlalelwa phantsi. Loo nto ke ayifanelekanga. Isifo sofuba okanye i-TB, isifo sorhudo okanye i-diarrhoea kunye nenyumoniya zifuna ukujongwa ngeliso elibanzi kwiphondo leMpuma Koloni, ngoba bayatsho ukuba zibaxakile eMakiwane.

Abantu bethu abanazo iimali zokuya kwizibhedlele, ngoko ke langa isebe lingaphakamisa ngamandla ukubeka izibhedlele zethu emgangathweni, kwaye lizakhe kufutshane nabantu. Umzekelo, kwisibhedlele saseNgcobo akukho namanqwanqwa la okuphatha umntu xa ophukile. Izitulo zezigulana ezinamavili okanye ii-wheelchair zabo zaguga kudala.

Mandibulele kwisebe ngokuba likwazi ukuthi lithathe abantwana libenze abanonopheli okanye ii-caregivers ezibhedlele. Loo nto ithi isuse ikati eziko kuloo makhaya.

Bekunokuba ngcono kakhulu ke ukuba bekunokwandiswa inani labo bathathwayo ngoba baninzi abantwana abahleli emakhaya nabaphumelele ibanga leshumi abangakwaziyo ukugqithela kwizikolo zemfundo ephakamileyo.

Besicela kwakhona ukuba aba bantwana banikwe uqeqesho. Siyavuya ngoba simvile uMphathiswa xa ebesithi baza kunikwa uqeqeso olungundoqo.

Xa ndigqibezela, mandibulele kuMphathiswa ngokuthi abonelele eyona ndawo ixhwaleke kakhulu kwela phondo leMpuma Koloni, uPhahlakazi, eNqadu phaya e- Port St Johns, apho abantu bebehamba imigama engasuka kuma-20 ukuya kuma-30 eekhilomitha ukuya ezibhedlele, besiya kufuna unyango; ngoku kukho ikliniki esemgangathweni eyakhiweyo phaya. Siyayibulela loo ndawo. I-UDM iyaluxhasa uhlalo lwabiwo-mali. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)

[Thank you, Madam Minister. May the Lord take care of you. Chairperson, our hospitals are still faced with numerous problems. This we discovered when we went out during a provincial week. We went to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, where we came across an acute shortage of nurses. One other issue that was of concern to us was when one doctor at the hospital told us that, according to his estimates, the rate of termination of pregnancy – Tops – is more than 500 per month. This clearly indicates that people out there need to be taught about family planning, so as not to use termination of pregnancy as a family planning measure.

We also discovered that patients at Frere Hospital still share a bed, and that others sleep on the floor. That is unacceptable. There is a need to pay serious attention to diseases such as TB, diarrhoea and pneumonia in the Eastern Cape province, because, as they admitted at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, these are getting out of hand.

Our people do not have the fare to go to hospitals; therefore, we appeal to the department to work harder to improve the standards at our hospitals, and to build them closer to the people. For example, the Ngcobo hospital does not even have stretchers to carry patients. Their wheelchairs look very old.

Let me thank the department for employing youths as caregivers at our hospitals. This helps in eradicating poverty in their households.

We appeal that the intake of these youths be increased, because there are many of them that have passed Grade 12 that are sitting at home, unable to proceed to tertiary institutions to further their studies.

We also make an appeal for those young people to be provided with training. We were happy to hear the Minister say that they will be provided with intensive training.

In conclusion, let me thank the Minister for having provided for the most disadvantaged area in the Eastern Cape province, Phahlakazi at Nqadu, in the Port St Johns area, where people used to walk 20 to 30km to get to hospital; there is now a clinic there. We are grateful for that. The UDM supports this budget. [Applause.]]

Mr M S GININDZA (Mpumalanga): Chairperson, hon Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, hon MECs from our sister provinces, hon members of this august House, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honour and a privilege for me to participate in this important Budget Vote debate on behalf of the MEC for Health and Social Services in Mpumalanga, MEC Lubisi.

Colleagues, let me take this opportunity to welcome the hon Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, back to work after her long absence due to illness. I am convinced that she is more energetic and spiritually strong to continue with her excellent and outstanding work of improving the health of our people, especially the poor and marginalised individuals, and that she will further contribute towards a better life for all.

This year we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the “Three Doctors’ Pact”, which was signed in 1947 by Dr A B Xuma, the then President of the ANC, Dr G M Naicker, the then President of the Natal Indian Congress, and Dr Y M Dadoo of the Transvaal Indian Congress. They called for co-operation among all democratic forces for the attainment of basic human rights and full citizenship for all South Africans.

We commemorate this milestone, not only because it has played a significant role in shaping our movement and our people, but also because it reminds us of the difficult path we have travelled and it further urges us to act with the same resolve and determination whenever we confront any challenges ahead.

Addressing the World Health Organisation’s Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, Prof Jeffrey Sachs of the Harvard University said:

… let me say that I hope we keep our voice clear and strong on the central task of raising the health of the poor. I can be “realistic” and “cynical” with the best of them - giving all the reasons why things are too hard to change. We must dream a bit, not beyond the feasible, but to the limits of the feasible, so that we inspire. I think we are an important voice speaking on behalf of the world’s most voiceless people today - the sick and the dying among the poorest of the poor. The stakes are high. Let’s therefore speak boldly so that we can feel confident that we have fulfilled our task as well as possible.

I make this reference to Prof Sachs because I believe that the message is more relevant to us as we gather here today to consider and debate the Health budget. And it further reminds us that we carry the enormous responsibility of speaking and acting to change the lives of the poor. He also correctly articulated the assertion that our people correctly have faith and trust in us to realise a better life for all.

The fight against the spread of HIV and Aids is on course. I believe we should continue against all odds with our comprehensive national operational plan against the pandemic, because it remains the most relevant strategy that equally covers all aspects that relate to the pandemic.

We are pleased with the new national strategic plan for HIV and Aids for 2007 to 2011, which, as was announced by the Minister, builds on the gains of the strategic plan for 2000 to 2005. It is really a best response to the major challenges of HIV and Aids. In Mpumalanga, the province from which I come, most municipalities have launched their local and district Aids councils and will also be reviving the provincial Aids council to intensify the fight against the HIV and Aids pandemic.

We further agree with the Minister on the matter relating to TB control in that it remains a challenge. We are, however, encouraged that we shall overcome due to the seriousness of the Department of Health, through the sterling political leadership of our Minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, in approaching this matter and the achievements gained so far, as outlined.

We believe that the promotion of healthy lifestyles is the cornerstone in the prevention and fight against many diseases, including HIV and Aids. In Mpumalanga, the Department of Health and Social Services will be intensifying programmes for the promotion of healthy lifestyles to address the triple burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as violence and trauma.

Writing in the ANC newsletter, ANC Today, on 30 July 2004, the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, had this to say:

As we celebrate our achievements of the first decade, we are dedicating ourselves within the health sector to ensure that the fruits of the second decade exceed those of the first.

There are priorities from the first two terms of the government that remain top of the agenda even now. These are programmes related to the goal of ensuring that all South Africans enjoy the fruits of our freedom and democracy.

We have achieved much in the past 10 years. Our major gains have been in relation to vaccine-preventable illnesses, better management of malaria, improved reproductive health services, a more focused approach to disability, reducing tobacco use, and the gradual achievement of a truly comprehensive response to HIV and Aids.

I am quoting these words of our wise Minister, firstly, to remind members to acknowledge the road that has been travelled so far in addressing some of the disparities in terms of infrastructure, human and financial resources, many of which service our poor communities that cannot afford private health care; secondly, to remind members that the government has not diverted from its long-term plans as well as the political ideology of a better life for all.

Any member speaking here as an important voice on behalf of the world’s most voiceless people today - the sick and the dying among the poorest of the poor, as mentioned by Prof Sachs - must always bear in mind that in a short space of time, the ANC-led government has achieved so much, as the Minister articulated in ANC Today and again in her 2007-08 Budget Vote speech. We welcome this budget because we believe that it not only shows that we are on track, but, importantly, that we are on the right road of advancing the cause of providing accessible, equitable and affordable health care services to our people. And we say bravo to the Minister and everything of the best. May the Almighty God give you strength, power and wisdom and complete recovery so that you discharge your responsibilities accordingly, as you have done before. I thank you. [Applause.]

Ms Z LUDIDI (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, hon Minister of Health, Dr Tshabalala-Msimang, Chief Whip, hon members, friends and comrades, we thank God for the comprehensive wellbeing, compassion and love in restoring the health of our hon Minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. That is what hon MEC Nkonyeni would have said if she was here.

To you, Mama wethu, we are saying that we remain indebted and forever grateful for your sterling guidance as espoused in your Budget Vote speech delivered on Thursday, 7 June, this year.

The people of KwaZulu-Natal expressed their will and commitment to seeing their province prosper and grow. This they did by voting the ANC to lead the growth and development trajectory in the province. They were also demonstrating their commitment to working with government, through the people’s contract, to create work and fight poverty.

Guided by the RDP, we promised the people of KwaZulu-Natal that we would build a society that is truly united, nonracial, nonsexist and democratic. Central to this is a people’s contract that is expressed in our motto: Masisukume Sakhe.

In line with Vision 2014, we committed ourselves that we would, amongst other things, ensure that all South Africans, including and especially the poor and those at risk, children, youth, women, the aged, and people with disabilities, are fully able to exercise their constitutional rights and enjoy the full dignity of freedom.

We are committed to massively reduce cases of TB, diabetes, malnutrition and maternal deaths, to turn the tide against HIV and Aids, to work with the rest of Southern Africa to strive to eliminate malaria, and to improve services to achieve a better national health profile and reduce preventable causes of death, including violent crime and road accidents. These commitments form the cornerstones of the mandate that the people of KwaZulu- Natal gave this government.

Since May last year, 75 mobile clinics have been launched and three new Community Health Centres, namely Turton, KwaMashu and Ezakheni, have commenced operation. Since taking over the mortuary services from the SAPS, remedial work to the tune of R10 million has been undertaken in order to make the mortuaries functional. Refurbishments commenced on six mortuaries which cost around R16 million. This is ongoing and should be completed during this financial year.

Thirteen clinics have been built and officially opened and 47 primary health care projects are currently under construction in the 2006-07 financial year. These include 15 new clinics, 10 replacement clinics, five additional residences, three upgrading projects, seven Prevention of Mother- To-Child-Transmission projects, four Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy projects, one crisis centre, and two health stations. The infrastructure development component has spent approximately R800 million in improving the health infrastructure over the 2006-07 financial year.

Under the hospital revitalisation programme, I am happy to announce that the Presidential - lead project in KwaHlabisa Hospital is well on track. Phase one of this project is complete, which included the development of 146 staff accommodations in the form of flats, single residential and nurses’ homes; a recreational facility has also been developed and additional wards have been upgraded, a new pathology laboratory, physiotherapy and central sterilising supply department have been built.

Other projects include R135,3 million being spent towards the upgrading of King George V Hospital into a new district hospital. This project involves the construction of a kitchen and dining facilities. The expenditure is estimated at R241,9 million in the 2007-08 financial year and R237,6 million in the 2008-09 financial year. The project is due for completion in March 2008. Rietvlei Hospital is 95% complete and is scheduled for final completion on the current phase this year.

In view of the current backlog coupled with the slow development of conventional buildings we have investigated the construction of buildings using the glass fibre reinforced concrete method. Our focus here is the provision of clinics, residential accommodation, emergency medical rescue service bases, EMRS, and forensic mortuaries.

There are standard plans available for all these structures that can be converted into the glass fibre reinforced cement style of building. The cost will be less than a conventional brick and mortar building but the biggest advantage will be that these buildings can be manufactured in a factory, transported to the site and erected in a fraction of the time it would take to construct a conventional building. By the end of this month we ought to have an agreement in place with the consortium that will see this work through. By all accounts the first construction has to commence in the 2007-08 financial year. This will involve an amount of approximately R100 million.

I have the pleasure of reporting that we have been able to improve people’s access to health care. Most of our clinics are now providing extended hours and 24-hour primary health care services.

We are also proud to announce that most of our institutions have hospital boards in place. This will ensure that the department and the people it serves are in constant contact. This will deepen our democracy and ensure that the goals of the RDP of a people-centred and people-driven development are realised.

Our province has been in the spotlight in the media following the discovery of MDR-TB and XDR-TB in our institutions. We have maintained that strengthening the TB control programme in general will address MDR-TB and XDR-TB problems. The establishment of a dedicated TB directorate in 2006 has ensured focus on TB and the same structures are being replicated in the 11 districts. A total of 403 beds for MDR-TB have been installed in the province. We have 227 additional dedicated TB staff.

We have also, for the first time, established seven decentralised MDR sites to relieve the pressure on King George V Hospital, which has 160 designated TB beds and is currently hosting 47 XDR patients from all over the province.

Other designated TB institutions are the Formula One Supporters Association with 215 beds, as well as the Greytown Hospital with 28 beds. Our province has purchased 40 dedicated TB vehicles that have been handed over to the districts.

We have also increased community mobilisation through a number of TB blitzes in different communities with more focus on crisis TB districts, namely Uthungulu, eThekwini, Umzinyathi and Umgungundlovu.

We have further struck partnerships with taxi owners through which we are placing TB messages in the taxis in the eThekwini and Umsinga areas. On that note we support the budget. Thank you. [Applause.]

Ms B L MATLHOAHELA: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon MECs, and hon colleagues, I will start by saying that the ID is disappointed at the treatment of nurses in this country. This is a noble service and therefore deserves noble treatment. For the same reason our nurses leave this country, they are now on strike: low salary levels and bad working conditions – these are facts. How long do we expect them to hold out? They are human beings like all of us here.

If MPs are not satisfied with their increments how much more so the nurses. With this, the ID does not say that it is right for nurses to strike but put yourself in their shoes and have empathy. The ID does not oppose everything the ANC-led government is doing, like the DA, but positive criticism is constructive.

The IFP is in the shade, and that is why the ID considers itself the third largest party in this country. That is why we talk about the ANC, DA, ID and others.

The HIV crisis is still a crisis due to the ignorance of some of our people on the ground, in which alcohol plays a major role. We need to intensify our campaigns and with this the ID means all parties are included.

When people are unemployed they have no income to provide themselves with good food. The dietary needs of HIV-infected persons need to be closely monitored to enable these persons to be strengthened. Our communities are looking forward to seeing their hospitals rising up. We request the Minister to deliberate on this issue.

At Victoria West we have the situation - this is in the Northern Cape - where the hospital is clean on the outside but not on the inside; what can be done about this? Last, but not least, the ID welcomes the hon Minister back and wishes her well. The ID supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.] Ms N JAJULA (Eastern Cape): Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, officials, ladies and gentlemen, today is a great day and a privilege for the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape to outline its programme of action to this august House for the 2007-08 financial year.

The National Executive Committee of the ANC declared that this is the year to intensify the struggle against poverty as we advance in unity towards

1. Again, it indicated that we should fight poverty, prevent crime, ensure that social cohesion is intensified on all fronts, including the health sector, to ensure that we do not only treat diseases, but prevent them. More importantly, we need to contribute effectively to the restoration of the social dignity of our people, in partnership with our communities. Social cohesion is key to the preservation of health.

As the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape, we are committed to the country’s vision for 2014 and the Provincial Growth and Development Plan. We are also committed to reducing the child mortality rate by two-thirds, improving maternal and neonatal health and combating the scourge of HIV/Aids, and preventing malaria and other infectious diseases by 2014.

It is important to ensure that all these goals are achieved within the framework with an incremental approach from this year onwards. The total equitable share allocation for the current budget is R8,1 billion, which is also inclusive of the Conditional grant of R1,2 billion.

Primary health care is key to the continued implementation of service delivery and its platform through the district health system, based on the primary health care approach and the seamless referral system. To this end, during this financial year we will continue to implement the project of transforming clinics as centres of excellence.

This year, the department has therefore identified 50 clinics as benchmarks within the province for primary health care services, which are of a high- class level, and 20 community health centres to operate as centres of excellence in the province as a basis to ensure that primary health care is well equipped with enough resources to run the service effectively.

With regard to district hospitals, the department has identified 25 district hospitals to be assisted to perform at a higher level. We are also mindful that whilst we are constructing our clinics at this rate some of the roads to our clinics are a challenge – the weather is very cruel to our province, and that cannot be denied; we are not in control of the weather.

In partnership with the Department of Roads and Transport we gave them the list of clinics, 98 of which need proper roads and electrification in order to achieve our goal. And with a promise from both departments - Minerals and Energy for electrification, and Roads and Transport - we are hoping that this will be accessible.

As a department we will also be resuscitating school health services to the best of our ability. We are going to provide mobile clinics to visit schools in line with the promotion of health programmes in schools and all villages. We have set aside a budget of R4,2 million to ensure that school health services and health promotion are effectively implemented in our communities.

And, once again, we need to target the primary school services in order to detect all congenital defects which were not detected during births, and to ensure that these children are afforded a chance to learn effectively. We have set aside R17,5 million to ensure that school health care services and health promotion are effectively implemented in our communities.

As a department, we have a turnaround strategy to improve the emergency services in the province. And we need to ensure that the vehicle tracking system and monitoring system are put in place during this financial year. This will cost the department an amount of R1,7 million.

We need a single integrated and multi-disciplinary computer-aided dispatching control centre in order to avoid sending two ambulances to the same patient. This will improve and fast-track the emergency services with a well-trained staff complement of approximately 72 in the province. We are going to ensure that we put a service centre around Alfred Nzo, the district that is the farthest, and the stations around Port Elizabeth will be increased in order to be ready for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Last year, we purchased 91 ambulances and, this year, we are going to add 100 ambulances. The disaster management programme is going to be improved in the province since of late we are being attacked by the weather; the Indian Ocean is very cheeky these days. [Laughter.]

We’ve got too many ships that are sinking around our coast and therefore to save those people we need to increase the number of sea rescue personnel. For that service, we are going to increase the staffing levels by 220 this financial year at a cost of R30,5 million.

For the human resources area, hon members, we have requested R2 million for the next three years, but we were given R1 million this year in order to reach our target of Project 5 000, which is looking at appointing specialists, medical officers, pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, nurses, clinical support health personnel, health caregivers and emergency services. But, with the amount that we have, we are going to take strides to ensure that critical areas for the service are put in place as urgently as possible. Once again, we have put aside R45 million as a bursary in order to assist those who have science as a subject to join the department and this is going to help us to ensure that the recruitment and retention of staff in the province is achieved. By the way, we are recruiting other specialists from all over to ensure that we get quality service for our people.

We have 550 young people for the learnership programme, which includes pharmacy assistants, nursing assistants, hospital maintenance, customer care, human resources, and functionaries, and we are going to increase the number within the next few months by 200. Some 200 unemployed graduates will be put in place in order to ensure that we accede to the call to eradicate poverty.

An auxiliary service will be provided by 1 050 young people. This is a key support service to the professionals. We are doing away with all the non- nursing duties; they need to concentrate on observing the patients and not doing things that can be done by other nonprofessionals.

With regard to infrastructure development, we know that the province has a history of having many hospitals that were constructed by missionaries. These are now old, and therefore, to reconstruct them we need R2 billion. But, we are not waiting for that; with the support of the national Department of Health and the hon Minister’s backing team that will give us the resources, this year the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital is going to be revamped into a world-class Level 1 modern hospital with 600 beds.

Hon members, this is not a clinic; it is a hospital and therefore people must not go around and say we are creating a clinic at Makiwane. No one has ever heard of a clinic with 600 beds with all the specialist fields and with all the services that are there. Tertiary services of a high class are going to be housed at Frere Hospital, which is within the policy of the ANC to ensure that we have a good base of primary health care and good service for the people who need it. Besides the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital there is a bigger health centre in the west of Mdantsane to ensure that people do not have to travel long distances to Makiwane at the far end.

We are going to revamp Dora Nginza, PE Provincial, Livingstone Hospital and Mthatha General. These are the base centres for 2010 by which want to ensure that people get the right services.

Regarding HIV, TB and psychiatric services, we have increased the number of services and the number of beds. We are going to be assisted by the national department on the TB issue.

To round up, Chairperson, whilst we gracefully handed over the psychiatric hospital to KwaZulu-Natal, we are going to reconstruct another psychiatric hospital at Mount Ayliff to ensure that people in the east do not cross over to the centre. In conclusion, I wish to thank the Minister for her support and to ensure that whatever we do as a team we are going to support each other to ensure that the lessons we are learning from other provinces will improve the health care and the cross-boundary care of our people.

Thank you, Chairperson. [Time expired.][Applause.]

Mr N D HENDRICKSE: Chairperson, hon Minister, welcome back and God bless you. Hon MECs and hon members, today it cannot be business as usual. Rome is burning.

Health services in South Africa are in a state of collapse. It is unfortunate that the current Public Service strike has further crippled the health system. Sacking people will be fanning the flames of discontent. It is ill-advised to sack people whilst they are striking.

The quality of care and treatment is sub-standard relative to the large amounts being spent to improve the system. The poor working conditions in most hospitals have led to a brain drain of medical professionals, including nurses, who opt to work in developed countries.

I want to commend the department for the U-turn as far as the HIV/Aids policy is concerned. It’s never a bad thing to say we were wrong. And we commend you for that.

Hospitals are turning away very ill patients because of a lack of equipment such as kidney dialysis machines and others. Often there are long waiting lists to perform operations, meaning that some patients are sent home to die. That’s a fact. In fact, many patients are being denied their basic human right to adequate health care.

The manner in which hospital cuts have affected service delivery has led to doctors at Groote Schuur being at loggerheads with the MEC and with you, Minister, on the impact of the R30 million cut – or 90 beds as we heard - to the budget. Lack of transparency and openness of dialogue reflects poorly on the political management of the issues.

And I want to disagree with the MEC as far as saying it has gone to districts. It’s absolutely poor management. We are not saying it mustn’t go to the districts, but it can’t be cut from the tertiary hospitals. The hospitals are serving not only South Africa but the whole of Africa. These are teaching hospitals and it’s ill-advised to do this.

The situation in day hospitals in community areas is disastrous. Lack of medicine stock, long queues for the elderly and the frail, and doctors under stress have led to gutter service delivery.

Hon Minister, although TB is a curable disease, there are still too many deaths caused by TB, especially those linked to HIV/Aids. And here I want to say, I think it’s time that HIV/Aids becomes a notifiable disease. This not wanting to tell people, not wanting people to know that they have Aids is impacting badly on the purse; it’s impacting badly on those people themselves, because they find later on that they have the disease and they cannot be saved and it’s impacting on the people that they infect. So, we need to make this notifiable. When people go to any doctor for anything, doctors need to notify central command that here is another HIV-positive person.

We hope that there will be an improved working relationship between the department and civil society formations at large. The SA National Aids Council representivity issues have been sorted out.

We support the Budget Vote. Thank you, Chairperson. [Time expired.][Applause.]

Mr B HLONGWA (Gauteng): Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, on 8 June 2007 I tabled the Gauteng Health Budget Vote of R12,52 billion in the Gauteng legislature. This is a 15,8% increase compared to the allocation of the previous financial year.

I would like to highlight the progress we have made in the past financial year, as well as share plans for the current financial year by focusing on some of the key programmes. Indeed, the expansion of basic health services has also presented us with immense challenges in terms of ensuring that quality health care is delivered in all our facilities.

According to Census 2001, 23,9% of households in Gauteng live in informal housing as compared to 16,4% for South Africa as a whole. The percentage of Gauteng households without toilets is relatively low, at about 3,6%, as compared to the country as a whole, which sits at 13,6%. Improved access to running water, sanitation and health services has indeed helped to reduce infectious diseases as a major cause of death in childhood.

However, there remains a relatively small area with poor sanitation and limited access to clean and sanitised water located in the mainly rural Metsweding District Municipality, which is part of our province of Gauteng. This poses a potential threat for outbreaks of waterborne diseases and other health crises, and is an issue which we hope will receive priority attention in the coming financial year.

According to the SA Health Review 2006, the medically uninsured population in Gauteng in 2005 stood at 77,5%. This was an increase from 73,1% from the estimated figure provided by the 1999 household survey. The increase in the uninsured population invariably results in additional pressures on the public health care system in the province as these sectors of the population are the main users of public health facilities.

In addition, when one considers the escalating costs of medical care, we are likely to witness greater numbers of the population turning to the public sector for their health needs. A review of the health status of the population of Gauteng shows a complex and wide scope of conditions or illnesses related to poverty, malnutrition, emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases such as HIV and Aids and tuberculosis.

One of the key strategic objectives of the Gauteng provincial government is the production of healthy and skilled people. We believe that productivity cannot be achieved as long as our people suffer the burden of illness that is either as a result of poverty or in some instances of ignorance, but also of self-indulgence and wrong lifestyle choices.

Most of you would note that Gauteng has the fourth largest economy in Africa, of course, after South Africa itself, Egypt and Tunisia. But we would want to hope that the health profile of our people must be able to reflect that indeed there are resources that are available in the province.

The budget I tabled last Friday took cognisance of the policy imperatives that will impact on how we deliver our services. The following policy imperatives had an impact on our budget: Firstly, the demarcation of provincial boundaries, the transfer of TB beds to the provincial department, the transfer of emergency medical services and primary health care facilities from municipalities to the provincial department of health and the transfer of mortuaries and forensic pathology services from the SA Police Service to the Department of Health.

We allocated R426 million to facilities and services affected by the demarcation of provincial boundaries. We ceded Carltonville Hospital to the North West government with effect from 1 April 2007. We have also taken over Odi and Jubilee Hospitals, and 17 clinics and community health centres, which were in the North West and are now in Gauteng. This also includes two community health centres that were formerly administered by the Mpumalanga provincial government. We have provincialised TB beds and allocated R31,8 million in support of this policy decision.

In April 2006, 12 forensic pathology mortuaries were transferred to our department. During the financial year, our medico-legal investigation unit conducted over 14 897 post mortems, which were performed at these mortuaries. We have also developed a body identification website that will become fully operational within the next six months.

The allocation of R83,7 million will also address some of the infrastructure backlogs that we inherited and ensure that high-tech information technology is employed in order to bring these services in line with modern service requirements.

The decision to transfer primary health care and emergency medical services is not only a policy one, but is also in line with the National Health Act, particularly Schedule 4 of the Constitution.

Schedule 4(A) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa determines health services as a concurrent competency of national and provincial government. Schedule 4(B) of the Constitution determines municipal health services as the competency of local government.

The National Health Act of 2003 defines municipal health services as a list of environmental health services. Section 25 of the Act lists the general functions of provincial departments, including comprehensive primary health care services. An amount of R23 million has been allocated in order to bridge the funding that will result from our taking over full funding responsibility for these services at the level of district councils. In line with the Gauteng government’s decision, we started the process to transfer primary health care and emergency medical services from municipalities to the provincial department. Due diligence studies and thorough consultation with affected parties were undertaken. This transfer process will be phased in, in order to ensure that there is minimal disruption of services for the public, and that the interests of employees are protected.

With regard to the provision of primary health care in metropolitan municipalities the status quo remains in terms of joint funding and joint provision of these services in the interim phase until the process is finalised. The mandate of our department is helping to improve the health status of our people, helping to develop a healthy and productive Gauteng.

I have been told by experts, and indeed my own observations confirm this, that up to 70% or even more of the people who present themselves at our clinics and hospitals are indeed suffering from some type of lifestyle disease; it might be heart problems caused by obesity, which might be as a result of wrong eating habits; it might be high blood pressure caused by stress; it might be some form of cancer caused by smoking; it might be some other illnesses caused by alcohol abuse, but it might also be any number of illnesses caused by lack of exercise.

Clearly, this goes to the root of our problems. If we can fix the issue at the level of healthy living and ensure that individuals are able to make informed and responsible lifestyle choices, we will start fixing the entire health care delivery system.

In Gauteng we do not believe that building more hospitals, on its own, will make the lives of people better. The issue is to get the lifestyles of the people fixed. So, we do not believe that being hospi-centric, on its own, translates into a healthy population. [Laughter.]

Clearly, if we can manage people’s lifestyles, provide them with correct and practical information, and support them to make the right choices, this will have an effect on the rest of the system. This will make queues at our clinics shorter; this will reduce the waiting time for treatment at hospitals; this will mean fewer people occupying beds and staying for shorter periods; and this will free up the valuable time and experience of our health care professionals to attend to the very serious cases.

According to an article I recently read in The Star, chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes are on the increase. [Time expired.] Thank you very much. [Applause.]

HON MEMBERS: Smoking!

Mr M A SULLIMAN: I don’t know why people are screaming “Smoking”! [Laughter.]

Chairperson, hon Minister, director-general, officials from the department, NCOP members, comrades, as far as Health is concerned, I think South Africa is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The department has up to now introduced systems and measures to make health services not only more affordable, but also more accessible to our people.

Despite the doomsayers, Minister, your department is at the very edge of the government’s efforts to create a better life for all, but we also need to take cognisance of some of the areas in which we can do better.

The current strike by public servants has exposed many shortfalls in our operations. Although medical professions in the Public Sector had been declared essential services, we saw doctors and nurses striking openly, some even in their uniforms.

This House has yet to pronounce itself on the issue, but we urge all the parties concerned to sit down and find a mutually acceptable settlement to the hostilities, as South Africa cannot afford the socioeconomic effects this strike has on our country.

The SABC News broadcast a story on Thursday, 7 June 2007, about a scuffle that broke out between police and medical staff at a hospital in KZN. The footage showed women in nursing uniforms being shot at by police officers. This picture reminded one of the often-televised scenes of the anti- apartheid protests during the 1980s, but one can clearly hear the police asking the crowd to disperse before the shooting started. I also take note of Cosatu’s call to the police to investigate the incident. But the department needs to be vigilant in its application of internal policies on this particular matter, should any of its staff be found to be in the wrong. We would also like to know from the Minister, what exactly the department’s strike management plan is, so that similar incidents can be avoided in future.

The Northern Cape was not so long ago hailed as a sterling example of how the hospital revitalisation programme is supposed to progress. My province was leading the way with good buildings, proper facilities and the satisfaction of the people using those facilities.

Meanwhile, the new Barkley West Hospital is on track and will be completed in August 2007. However, the new mental facility in Kimberley is under construction and progress is slow due to the performance of that particular contractor. The expected completion date will be in November 2008.

However, the new hospitals for De Aar, Postmasburg and Upington have been postponed owing to fund allocations from the national Department of Health. Bulk earthworks for the Upington and De Aar hospitals have, however, been completed. Seven additional clinics will also be built in the new year at an estimated cost of about R20 million.

The hospital revitalisation programme is thus moving forward and facilities are being beefed up in terms of quality and numbers, bringing in the strong winds of change, not only within the health facilities and provincial points, but more importantly within the communities that we serve. I just want to pause here.

Every weekend when I go home to De Aar, people ask me about this particular hospital, and I don’t have answers for them. I hope and trust that the Minister, in her reply, will shed some light on this particular matter. Are we going to start with this particular process, because people are really looking forward to those particular facilities?

During the latest provincial week of this august House, which took place from 14 to 18 May, the Northern Cape delegation also went to the Kgalagadi District where we saw hospitals that really did not deserve the name. It was somewhere near Bathlaros, hon Minister. To say that the building was dilapidated is not nearly strong enough. There are almost no windows or doors, nothing whatsoever. People are treated in open spaces, with no partitioning whatsoever.

One could clearly see that the facilities used in that particular hospital were never maintained. Hon Minister, you will recall that that particular area was previously in North West and is now part of the Northern Cape. We would like to appeal to the hon Minister: if you visit Northern Cape, please go to Bathlaros and see for yourself.

Almost two years ago, the SABC News programme, Special Assignment, broadcast a programme called “Scoop and go” which focused on the state of emergency services. According to the programme, the Western Cape had the best emergency services in the country. Nevertheless, in the Northern Cape, we are lagging behind.

According to the Northern Cape health department, an unspecified number of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans were bought to be used as ambulances. While we applaud these efforts, one should realise the importance of certain facts highlighted by this particular programme. One is that a normal Sprinter van would perhaps be unsuitable for use considering the infrastructure in a province such as ours. Our provinces do have some rural areas and some of these areas are not accessible.

However, what we perhaps need to do in future is to make sure that there is an allocation made available for 4x4s to reach some of these areas as well. We must also ensure that we have adequate personnel in our emergency staff, as the Northern Cape currently has many vehicles with only one paramedic who also has to do the driving, leaving no-one to observe the patient being transported, unless the driver makes regular stops on his way to the medical facility. There is also a problem with regard to the time response of emergency services. Although, as I’ve previously said, the Western Cape is hailed as the best performing province in terms of emergency services, there are also serious shortfalls. The Western Cape paramedics receive training; they are taught about something called the “Golden Hour,” which is the time they are supposed to take from an accident scene to actually getting the patient to the nearest medical facility.

Ambulance personnel are taught that they have to respond within 15 minutes in urban areas and 40 minutes in rural areas in order to get a patient to hospital within the “Golden Hour”. The problem is that public sector urban paramedics achieve this only 12% of the time, whereas rural ambulances achieve this target about 63% of the time. The biggest problem cited is the lack of resources, including personnel as well as vehicles.

The last issue conerns the problems relating to the 112 national emergency number - it is simply not working very well. People are queuing for a long time before being able to speak to an operator. By the time they get through, a house could have burnt down, somebody could have died from their injuries, or an accident could have escalated beyond being an emergency.

Because emergency services fall under your department, Minister, I think it would be a good idea if you took this project over from the Department of Communications, which is clearly struggling to fully implement this essential service. Please also make sure that the operators are divided into different language groups, as people are complaining that they can’t get through to operators who can speak their languages and they themselves cannot communicate their emergencies to the operator in the language spoken by the operator.

Lastly, I would like to speak briefly about the medical brain drain. We have been told that South Africa has an agreement with the United Kingdom with regard to our medical people migrating there. I am not sure what the specifics of this agreement are, but we are still seeing scores of doctors and nurses leaving our country, especially to the UK and Canada. What is being done to curb this, and to what extent does the agreement protect us from losing too many health professionals?

Having said that, maybe it is also time that we revisit our policy that has closed down some of our nursing schools, to see if this could not be the solution to the medical personnel shortages that we are experiencing.

Despite the above challenges I have highlighted, we are sure that South Africa is not really as bad as we are being portrayed. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. Enkosi yam! [Thank you, sir!][Time expired.]

The MINISTER OF HEALTH: Sihlalo, ngiyabonga kakhulu ngaleli thuba lokuphendula. Ngicela ukubonga amalungu oMkhandlu Kazwelonke Wezifundazwe … [Chairperson, thank you very much for the opportunity to respond. I would like to thank members of the NCOP …]

… for participating in the debate on the Department of Health’s budget. It is always a pleasure to come and debate or answer questions in this House. I thank the MECs, provincial MPLs, and hon representatives for giving insights into the work of the provincial departments of health. Thank you very much for that.

The hon chairperson of the select committee, hon Masilo, referred to male circumcision and HIV prevention. To her, I would like to say, we note the emergence of the body of scientific evidence on the efficacy of male circumcision and the prevention of HIV. We also note the recommendations of the WHO and UNAids in this regard, that male circumcision should be regarded as one of the preventative tools for the spread of HIV.

Whilst we are considering these important contributions to the fight against HIV and Aids, our view is that we should not ignore our own experiences regarding male circumcision. It is culturally important. There were recent reports of complications and the fact that we have a high prevalence, in spite of high rates of traditional male circumcision in communities at risk. Communication on this matter would need to ensure that South Africans are not misled to believe that male circumcision prevents the risk of HIV infection. We should not communicate that message because you can’t just base it on a few studies that have been done, for example, in Orange Farm in this country. What about the other parts of the country that practise male circumcision and yet have a high prevalence of HIV and Aids.

I think we must communicate this message with caution. This message is passed on to us by other developed countries. Always consider the approach to the prevention of HIV as being comprehensive; beginning to reduce the vulnerability of the poor and the underdeveloped, and gender imbalances. We shall carefully consider this evidence guided by the principles. I would want to urge this House to continue to have the confidence in the department’s ability to deal with this matter.

I would also be very cautious to start saying that the community caregivers must be given salaries. I think this government and the world at large have a principle that community caregivers, in fact, get stipends and not salaries. Even as we initiated our primary health care approach, that was the approach and the principles on which primary health care were based: Volunteerism, giving stipends by the communities themselves and not government. I think we have gone a step further in the fact that we as government now give stipends of R1 000 per community caregiver. It might not even be in all provinces but we are moving towards ensuring that all our community caregivers do get the necessary stipends as had been agreed upon.

Let me turn to comments made by hon Lamoela. I take it that the DA in this House supports the budget, because you did not say anything contrary to that. Thank you very much for supporting the budget … [Applause.] … unlike what happened in the NA. I thank you very much for supporting the budget. You have also put the question: Are we improving the quality of health care of and services for our citizens? I am sure the response would be a resounding “yes”. I don’t think if you talk to the historically marginalised, if you listen to them, if you look at what is happening in the communities, you would refute that point.

Maybe you don’t visit the communities. Maybe you don’t communicate in the languages that the historically disadvantaged understand. I beg you: Please go to the communities, with the members of the ANC and other parties, and not the ID, and then you would know what is happening in those communities. [Interjections.] I don’t think you do.

On the question … I wasn’t heckling when you were talking, you know. I was listening very carefully, so that I would be able to answer you. [Interjections.]

You also continuously accused government of racial politics and yet your whole speech points to who actually upholds racial politics. It is obvious that your party is not interested in caring for the majority of the people but is only interested in selected groups, both in the communities and amongst the professionals themselves. The MEC has clearly pointed out that births have been shifted to other services, closer to the people who are the historically disadvantaged. You have a problem with that. Yet your party wants, once again, to take the services further away from the people. That, to me, is racial politics, which you as a party must correct. [Interjections.]

Yet again, hon Lamoela, with regard to community service issues for 2008: We have planned for that and the provinces have developed and are developing plans to deal with this matter of community health service doctors. It must be understood that there will be no reduction either in the number of posts or the young doctors employed. The difference is that those who would have made a transition to community service will still be doing their last year of internship.

Please don’t misinform South Africans about what is actually happening. The national department is - as you know and I thought you would say so and acknowledge it - supplementing the provincial efforts through recruitment of health professionals from other countries like Iran, Tunisia and we also have doctors from Cuba.

Just two, the DA and ID – and I am not surprised, because of the unholy marriage there – referred to the low salaries and not so ideal conditions of employment of health professionals, which has lead to the brain drain from our country. This is not a very simple matter. It is a very complex matter even for the developed countries themselves. I will not go into that but I would like to invite you to come to my office so that I can educate you about these matters, if you haven’t been reading our speeches, or also following the international debates on this issue.

May I remind hon members that it was I who first talked about and bemoaned the low salaries of our health professionals. It is also I who announced last year that we would improve the salaries this year. I wish to inform the House that among the matters on the table in the negotiations is a proposal to allow sectors to conclude details of sector specific improvements. In our sector we have proposals that in some cases would improve the salaries of nurses by up to 39%, even before the addition of whatever percentage is agreed upon. [Applause.]

I hope the hon Vilakazi is listening to that. I hope that you have been listening and also following information about the package that the Minister of the Public Service and Administration is putting on the table. If you had, you wouldn’t have made the statement that you did on this podium about the salaries.

The unions also know this and that is the reason why there is such intimidation in the health sector. Nurses cannot strike for 12% when they are likely to get more than what they are asking for; even the conditions of employment through the hospital revitalisation programme, in particular, are also being improved.

I have also spoken about the community service, so let me speak to the issue raised by hon Mazibuko.

Angithembe dadewethu ukuthi awuzukuqala umkhankaso wokuthi abantu bakhuluphale ngoba phela ufuna izinsizwa zikwazi ukuthi, “Dudlu!” nokuthi zikwazi ukuyolungiselela ilobolo. Kungaba nengozi lokho. Angithembe ukuthi ngeke ukwenze ngempela lokho. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[Let me hope that the hon member - my sister over there – is not going to start a ‘get fat campaign’ just because she wants suitors to flirt with her ans say “Dudlu!” and then come with lobola. That could be dangerous. Let’s hope that you really won’t do that.]

Hon Matlhoahela, I also thought you’d be following the developments around the UK agreement and I am surprised that the hon Sulliman also suggested that he did not know what the agreement was all about. When I came here the last time I articulated in very clear terms what the UK agreement was all about. I hope that the members of this House are following the developments. Indeed that is one of the best agreements the world over that has, in fact, ensured that, at this moment, our nurses are returning to South Africa. They do understand that the greener pastures that they looked for are not there. Home is always the best. [Applause.]

To hon Hendrickse, I just want to say one thing: Hospitals are certainly not collapsing. Also, against the backdrop of the evaluation of our hospitals in 1996, which indicated that we needed R10 billion in order to revitalise the hospitals, we are in the process of revitalising our hospitals. As you know, we have increased budgetary allocations for this purpose.

When you come to this House and you have a prepared speech, you honestly need to adjust it once you have listened to the report by the Minister and the MECs. Don’t just read what you had written yesterday before you had the necessary information. It just doesn’t sit well. You really must be able to quickly adjust your speech so that it reflects the reality and not what you thought yesterday. I would have hoped that you would have read everything before you prepared your speech, in any case.

Let me address the hon Sulliman from the Northern Cape. My comrade, what we are saying is that the health professionals have a right to actually campaign for the improvement of their salaries and also their working environment. We cannot exchange that for the respect of human life. We cannot do that. We can calculate what it is going to cost the government but we cannot put a cost tag on the suffering of our people. We therefore have to protect them.

This is why we issued the ultimatum on 3 June, indicating to all the health professionals that within two hours on 4 June they should have returned to their duties. Our understanding was that at that point in time, during the first two days, there was no evidence of intimidation. We expected our health workers to be at work. They didn’t do so and therefore we had to take these measures. All of you will agree with us that it was a corporate measure.

We have to teach our people what democracy means. We have to teach our people that when you don’t do this, then there will be disciplinary measures. We have to uphold the interdict of the courts because we have to respect the law. The interdict says: No work, no pay. It says: Go to work. As of 15 June we are going to be deducting from their salaries, because they have violated the interdict issued by our courts. Now you say: Do we have a plan? Yes, we do. We do have a plan. The national and provincial joint operation committees meet on a daily basis.

Firstly, it was to put in place a plan and then to review the plan as the events unfolded. We have a plan. The heads of departments have daily telephone conferences to review the situation in the provinces. We are in charge as government. We are in control. It will take time to stabilise the health services, but stabilise after the strike we shall. Trust us. We are in charge as the Department of Health.

Having said this, Chairperson, I think it is now time for me to say, once again, thank you for a lively and robust debate and I now invite all of you, MECs, hon members and provincial MPLs, including provincial representatives, to join me for lunch in the New Wing of Parliament. You can save a few cents. [Applause.]

Debate concluded.

The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr B J Tolo): Thank you.

Hon members, I now want to take this opportunity on your behalf to thank the hon Minister for her participation in this debate today. I am sure I am expressing your views when I say that her presence here is always a pleasure and it is also an honour to us. I also want to thank the MECs that are here, as well as all special delegates here today. You have all enriched this House. We are honoured by your presence.

Business suspended at 12:57 and resumed at 14:01.

                          Afternoon Sitting

                         APPROPRIATION BILL

                           (Policy debate)

Vote No 18 – Sport and Recreation South Africa:

The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Chairperson, good afternoon to you and the hon members. Hon Chairperson, hon members of the NCOP and esteemed ladies and gentlemen in the gallery – I can see a few heads at the top there – this is the second time over the past three years that this House has decided to schedule a debate on sport in its programme.

We are very grateful for this opportunity and I would like to repeat what I said in my first address as Minister of Sport and Recreation on 15 June 2004: Sport is a very important part of society. It is also a very important barometer of how a particular society is organised. For that reason, our country too has a responsibility to use sport to assist the country and our people to move in a particular direction, that of a deracialised South Africa, which is also sensitive to gender and disability issues.

The government’s Vision 2014 goals include the above ideals. These ideals are also enshrined in our Constitution. Section 7(2) of that Constitution even enjoins government to promote the values of equality and protection of human dignity. So, indeed, we must use sport as a tool for nation-building and social cohesion, and for the reconciliation of our communities. We must use it to build self-esteem and national pride. We cannot continue with paradigms that perpetuate apartheid stereotypes of some who are destined for greatness while others are destined for mediocrity and inferiority.

The public debate occasioned by the passing of our Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill by the NA last month was about how we think sport should be run in this country. Some believe it must be used to contribute to transformation. Others believe things should be left as they always have been. The first group believes that a developmental state must play a role in the transformation which must take place in society. The second group believes that market forces and pure chance should be allowed to dictate the route and pace of change.

We are pleased to report that the international federations also have now acceded to the fact that, at least on the African continent, governments are vital to the success of sport. As a matter of fact, they concede that without governments’ contribution, no sport would take place on the African continent.

This is the product of two very important occasions – the International Olympic Committee Conference of October 2006 and the Fifa Congress of three weeks ago. Also, the AU Council of Ministers, which sat in Addis Ababa last week, all came to this conclusion, and for that reason, they all agreed that we must now establish a tribunal which strives to manage the relationship that must exist between governments and these international federations.

No government of the people can abdicate its responsibility to transform society through chance and market forces. A developmental state must intervene to make sure that the goals of a nation are attained, and the values espoused in our Constitution promoted. Our President correctly points out that market forces are not sympathetic to the poor. By the same token, we must resist the temptation to ride roughshod over other sectors of our society in our attempt to attain these ideals.

“Affirmative Action” or “Regstellende Aksie” need not be hostile to some groups whilst it is assisting others to catch up. “Catch up” is a phrase we used in 2004 already. We want all our children to start from the same line: Who finishes first must not be predetermined by the disparities of where they individually started. Merit selection cannot be achieved if the playing field of the participants is not level. To pretend otherwise is only to be overhopeful or to be simply mischievous.

Let me come to the programmes of the department. We have chosen, for this debate, to use this opportunity to give members and our people a cursory view of what we have been doing with public funds. Of course, we also mobilised some private funds to drive some of our programmes, because what we get from this august House is not anywhere near adequate to what we need.

These programmes have been delivered in close co-operation with many provincial colleagues and their departments. Our provinces play a critical role in delivering our mass participation programmes, and we have increased the allocation to the provinces from R9 million in 2004, when we started, to R194 million for this financial year. It will further increase to more than R400 million in 2009-10 financial year, God willing, inshallah.

Our provinces must internalise these programmes as their own, and address the challenges of slow spending in the way we have proposed them, because slow spending results in slow delivery.

Regarding mass participation, when we launched the Mass Participation Programme in July 2004 in Upington, we committed ourselves to taking sport to all our people. This was informed by the observation of how sport had died in most of our communities. We travelled to the rural and desolate areas such as Machadodorp in Emakhazeni Municipality and Belfast in Pixley Ka Seme Municipality in Mpumalanga, as well as the dusty villages of Jozini in northern KwaZulu-Natal. We visited the mountainous areas of Namaqualand right up to the “ghost coast”. We visited many other areas.

Whilst we were confronted by extreme poverty and severe scars of infrastructure deprivation, we were also inspired by the enthusiasm of the locals, especially teachers, students and sports veterans. The legendary “Sugar Ray” Xulu leads a formidable squad of dedicated football masters in KwaZulu-Natal in response to the call we made in 2005.

The old ladies of the Mafarana-Jamela football club of Limpopo, together with others from the Vhembe and Capricorn districts, as well as from Mpumalanga, all play football. The 60-year-old Elisa Mhlarhi of Mafarana, nicknamed Jabu Pule, avers that she no longer takes treatment for hypertension since she started playing football. The 58-year-old Agnes Mushwana passed a fitness test and got a job as a fruit packer. She says this is all because sport has improved her health. It has also inculcated a sense of hope in her and our people. It is exciting to see community leaders and non-governmental organisations, as well as the private sector, getting involved in the revival of community sport. The old Easter tournaments are back, and we are elated to see them go right into the rural areas. Remote villages like Qugqwala in the Eastern Cape hosted a tournament of rugby, soccer, netball and horseracing during Easter.

An amazing 32 rugby teams participated in the tournament organised by Adv Dali Mpofu of the SABC. A similar tournament was organised in Alice for rugby, netball and soccer. A team from the remote town of Qobo-qobo or Keiskammahoek walked away with the spoils in a rugby tournament held in Cape Town.

After watching a school’s Easter tournament for rugby in Johannesburg, Mr Ferreira, president of the Gauteng Lions, was moved to express the hope that the demographic mix of the teams that he witnessed would be reflected in future Springbok teams. We share his hope, and we will be watching and monitoring progress.

Sport is back in our townships and villages and our Mass Participation Programme is a resounding success. They now need our moral support as well as our logistical support.

Various mayors have introduced mayoral tournaments. Allow me to brag, Chairperson, and mention that yours truly started this project in 2003, in his previous life in the dusty areas of Cofimvaba and Tsolo in the Eastern Cape.

These tournaments are spreading like wildfire across the country and the idea is to deepen participation and organisation to the ward level, and then we can say all the corners of South Africa are involved in sport and recreation and that we are true to the UN declaration of sport as a basic human right.

Both development and social integration will be assured when we reach that level. I want to challenge all our MECs responsible for sport to take the mayoral tournaments one step further by inviting the winners of these tournaments to provincial MECs’ Cups.

This programme is giving life to latent and dormant talent and enthusiasm for sport and physical activity. We have seen some facilities that have been “white elephants” hitherto being changed to “workhorses” as they get almost overutilised. We need more facilities and we need more equipment. We have seen this in Namaqualand. It’s unbelievable when you go to O’Kiep and all those little platteland [rural] places, the ground without a blade of grass is simply being overutilised because the children are excited and they want to play.

Mr Thembinkosi Biyela represented us in KwaZulu-Natal for a facilities’ hand over. He visited Gamalakhe in Port Shepstone under the Ugu District Municipality and handed over an Olympic-size swimming pool. He also visited KwaNzimakwe and KwaCele, also under the Ugu District Municipalities, and handed over, on behalf of our department, a multipurpose sports facility with change rooms and ablution blocks.

Although the physical handover took place at Ugu, there were many other facilities, a total of 34, throughout the province of KwaZulu-Natal, that were handed over on that day and 27 municipalities were beneficiaries. Of the 34 facilities, 16 were built by Sport and Recreation SA at a cost of R25 million and the balance were erected by the provinces and the local municipalities themselves.

The excitement on the faces of our parents and their children and the enthusiasm of all was most impressive at Gamalakhe when we handed over the Olympic-size swimming pool, a much-needed facility in an area which is bedevilled with drownings and floods.

We have now trained 8 000 young volunteers in administration, coaching, refereeing, and events management, as well as first aid. The SA Gymnastics Federation has given a lot of support to this programme. They have also become the biggest beneficiary. Many young people from our hubs participated in the SA Gymnastrada Championships in Tshwane last year. Some 510 of these young people will now participate in the July World Gymnastrada festival at Dornbirn, in Austria. Children from Calvinia in the Northern Cape, Taung in the North West, Seshego in Limpopo, Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, Gugulethu in the Western Cape, Soweto in Gauteng and some from the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, will join a host of other children from the rest of the world to be part of this world festival.

This afternoon I received a letter from Port Alfred, from a single mother who is lamenting the fact that her champion Eastern Province gymnastics girl-child is unable to travel, because there is no money. So, our children are getting excited and they are getting involved, but the resources continue to be elusive.

The sports leaders of Namaqualand spoke very proudly of the Calvinia boys who will be in Australia and in other very important areas where Gymnastrada is involved. Indigenous games like rope-skipping have also seen our children participate in the World Rope-skipping Championships in Canada where they had never been before.

I must report that during the NA debate, I was introduced to another sporting code, which I’ve never seen before; the Driestokkies of the Khoi people. That also is beginning to take shape across many parts of our provinces.

So, you see, hon members, South African sport is not just rugby and the selection of the Springbok teams. Yet, those events also play a very important part in the building or undermining of our national spirit. Our mass participation programmes also contribute to the National Youth Service by recruiting and training more than 2 000 unemployed young people who are running programmes in communities.

Research done by the University of Johannesburg indicates that 42% of these children use their stipends to feed up to eight destitute people. Some of them have since found permanent jobs with sports federations and provincial departments. This is our humble contribution to Jipsa and the Millennium Development Goals.

Some of those youngsters who played in the street football tournament last year have since been taken up by professional teams and they are earning an income, going from being street children to being professional players. Others have found full-time jobs.

The introduction of the club development programme last year has to be seen against this background, the background of the mobilisation of our people for sport and recreation, but also the background of the humble contribution that we make towards a better life for our communities.

Federations are performing way below par in organising community clubs. This in turn has a negative effect on the retention and development of school athletes. Latent talent gets lost and federations go for ready-made talent. We try to bridge the gap between school sport and community sport. Human resource development, infrastructure provisioning and initiating local leagues are key components of our club development programme. It tries to mobilise the Mass Participation Programme to organisation, which means club development. Local interests inform us how to do it, because you can’t go to Alice and introduce baseball, when they predominately play football and rugby there. So, we start where they are and move them to the next step.

This initiative has triggered off a huge cry for resources like sports kits, equipment and technical staff. We have to redouble our approaches to the private sector for sponsorship, but we also need our own resources, so that we can build viable partnerships.

School sport is the Deputy Minister’s favourite topic and he will deal with that himself. We just want to say in passing that when we started in 2004, we lamented the fact that school sport was an orphan. It belonged neither to Sport and Recreation SA, nor to the Department of Education, but since signing the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, with my colleague, the Minister of Education, things are getting better.

We have been impressed with the response to the school mass participation programme. We launched this in KwaZulu-Natal last year. KwaZulu-Natal continues to lead in this respect, with the Western Cape province following close on their heels.

We urge provinces, parents and teachers to put their shoulders to the wheel as regards school sport. Sport federations have both an interest in and a responsibility to school sport. Educators must work under the guidance of federations, which are the ultimate custodians of sport in any country. It is the federations that must finally account for what is happening to the children within their codes.

Our children are participating in various international events in Greece, Italy, Namibia, Botswana, Argentina, Ethiopia and elsewhere. Our department has assisted with some costs and so have the provincial departments and companies like SuperSport, Nike, Cadbury’s and others, but the provinces have made a very minimal contribution, because the allocation to the provinces for sport and recreation is very meagre. It is just not there! So I am not only pleading for an increase in our own budget, but I think we are also pleading for the provincial budgets to be increased.

Let me finish off by quickly reporting that the restructuring process of the department has now been completed. Remember we integrated the Sports Commission into the department. We have completed that process and, in completing it, we have been able to meet the deadlines of the government. We have met the gender deadlines, the national question and we have even met the people with disability deadlines. All these have been possible because we had a very helpful Department of Sport and Recreation. Some are still crying, but others have been very helpful in helping us to integrate our department.

I see that my time has expired, but I must apologise. May I finish? Thank you, very much Chairperson.

I was going to say that our transformation, like all other transformations, has not been easy, because transformation invariably creates anxieties for some, whilst it creates hope for others, but it has been able to recruit into the department a lot of very good quality personnel. We are confident that with these people we should be able to make South Africa very proud.

The 2010 preparations are on track. With all the noises in the world, including the British Broadcasting Corporation, the truth of the matter, and this is empirical evidence, is that we are not only on track, we are in fact, in some cases, ahead of schedule.

I’ve received again, MEC from the Western Cape, a letter from the City of Cape Town saying we shouldn’t listen to anybody who says we are late. We are five weeks ahead of schedule with the Green Point Stadium. [Applause.]

So, everything is up to scratch as far as we are concerned. All the cities are co-operating without exception and there are no budget overrides and there is absolute excitement. The Council of Ministers of Africa has again given South Africa their total support and they have pledged their own support for broad-based broadcasting, which must take place to broadcast these events to the rest of the African continent.

Everything is on track and we are now pleading with members to take this message to their constituencies and to come back with ideas of what kind of shirt they are going to produce, to be an identifying attire for a South African man. I know there is a lot for ladies, but there is nothing for us that distinguishes us as South Africans. Nothing distinguishes us as South Africans - our scarves - for the 2010 event. There is a lot for Cosatu, the ANC, and all the other parties.

So, it is a challenge to us to be creative entrepreneurs and participate in this event, because the next one will only come to this continent long after we have gone. It will not come back before 2032. I thank you very much, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Mr J B TOLO: No grace? I thought because there was grace for the Minister, there would be grace for me too. [Laughter.] Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, special delegates and hon members, experience has shown how in some countries sport can be used to build a common love and deep feeling for one’s country and social cohesion.

After the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the people of that country are now forging ahead in building national unity and cohesion between the Hutus and the Tutsis. Their roll-out in sport, in general, and soccer, in particular, in this endeavour is immeasurable. In 13 years the people of that country no longer see themselves as Tutsis and Hutus but mainly as Rwandans united in purpose.

In our country, too, sport is playing an important role in negating tribal and ethnic consciousness and on the ruins of these will emerge one common South African consciousness. This has to be strengthened if our rainbow nation is to gel and indeed usher in a non-racial South Africa, where the colour or ethnic origin of a person plays no role in the general, social and economic lives of the people. This is the lofty ideal that our national democratic revolution hopes to achieve and sustain.

Sport and Recreation SA has a responsibility to implement and further elaborate ANC policies and programmes which will see to it that our people participate in sport and recreation. It has the role, together with the provinces, to expand mass participation in sport.

As a committee we had, in the past, visited several provinces to acquaint ourselves with what is happening in relation to mass participation in sport. Provinces have established different hubs and have employed hub co- ordinators, but the challenge is that there are still areas without these and especially the far-flung areas in the rural areas. We are aware that in their equitable shares, provinces are not making enough provision for sport and recreation. We are saying that this is an important priority that needs to be given its fair share by the provinces.

While in some areas, especially in towns and cities, there is an oversupply of certain sporting facilities and an underutilisation thereof, the same cannot be said of our rural areas and many of our townships. The shortage in these areas is glaring. How many times have we seen children playing soccer in a street at the risk of being knocked down by a moving vehicle or just in the open veld in the case of rural villages? It is our belief that a latent talent is being destroyed in its infancy due to this shortage we are talking about.

Sport and Recreation SA used to have a programme of building sports facilities called building for sport. During that time, the department built more than 100 sporting facilities in the previously disadvantaged communities. This programme was discontinued when government introduced the Municipal Infrastructure Grant - MIG.

The money for building sports facilities was lumped together with other infrastructure money in that programme. The intention was good in that municipalities were expected to also build sporting facilities as part of the infrastructure with that money. The reality is that since the introduction of the MIG not a single municipality has built a sporting facility. All the money was used by the municipality for other pressing needs.

It is therefore clear that we need to delink the money for sports facilities from the MIG if we want to see sports facilities built. We either have to revert to the building for sport programmes or if we give the municipality this money as a conditional grant it must be used to build sports facilities only.

School sport is a shared responsibility between the Department of Education and Sport and Recreation SA. In their MOU these two departments have agreed that through Sascoc, Sport and Recreation SA will deal with competitive sports while Education deals with the rest. It is our considered view that Sport and Recreation SA has played and continues to play its part to honour that MOU. I am not sure if we can say the same about the Department of Education in the provinces.

This House would be shocked to learn that all the provinces combined have spent only R60 million on sport in schools in the previous financial year. School sport is an important aspect in a didactic situation; it enhances learning and also helps unearth talent. It is often said mens sana in corpore sano – a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Sport and recreation contributes in many ways to the economic development of any country. Today there is a shortage of skills to take our economy to another level. Asgisa and Jipsa are the watchwords in our economy today. If our children and people are not mentally well due to lack of participation in physical activities we cannot hope to produce well-developed personalities who will be equal to the task of providing us with the necessary skills to upgrade our economy.

As a country, we are preparing ourselves for the greatest event that has ever taken place in our country – the Fifa World Cup. Sport and Recreation SA is responsible for the co-ordination of all other government departments so that we host a successful World Cup to shame all the doubting Thomases. We must work in such a way that the legacy of that World Cup lives with us for many years after 2010.

So far, we are happy that it seems most if not all hiccups have been ironed. All the host cities are beehives of activity as the construction of the stadia is in progress. One was happy to hear the other day that Cape Town is five weeks ahead of schedule in terms of construction. This is an indication that our country will be ready for both the Confederations Cup in 2009 and the World Cup in 2010. What I cannot vouch for is whether Bafana Bafana will be ready to win the World Cup or not. [Laughter.]

However, the challenge is whether our people, ordinary people, are benefiting on the building of these stadia. Are skills being transferred to our people, so that at the end of these big projects they can boast of having acquired skills that they will use elsewhere in the country? Sport and Recreation SA should monitor if these skills are transferred to our people.

It will be a sad day if, at the end, we discover the people, especially those in host cities, had not benefited anything. While we all agree that there will be lot of spin-offs for the country due to the Fifa World Cup, we lament that only a tiny minority of our people will be able to view the matches live. We are reliably informed that there will only be three million tickets produced for the entire World Cup and out of these only one million will be available for local fans.

As if this is not enough, we further learned that even those million tickets will be shared with other African bodies like CAF. We are about 48 million in this country and therefore one million is far from enough. One would have thought that the fan courts would be our answer but we have heard that these will also be regulated. We hope that it will be taken into consideration that our people will not want to travel long distances in order to access a mere fan court.

Last but not least, is the question of transformation in sport. My colleagues will speak at length about this, but suffice it to say that 13 years into our democracy we have not seen real transformation and just window dressing, in sports like rugby. But, we take solace in the fact that there is a Bill before this House that will actually … It looks like I have addressed this problem.

Just last night, it was announced that Jake White has selected six black players out of a squad of 30 for the Tri-Nations and we are saying that this is not enough. That team does not yet represent the demographics of our country, regrettably.

And I want to say in conclusion that the department must now look at appointing an HOD - Head of Department. It is about a year now that this department has not had a Head of Department and we are saying that a ship cannot sail properly if it does not have a head or a navigator. The HOD and some other senior officials have not yet been appointed there. We are calling upon the department to do so as a matter of urgency, and we support the Budget Vote of the department. Thank you. [Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Tolo, you have finished speaking. Don’t disturb other people. I hope you are not implying that hon members must apply for the position of director-general in sport and recreation. We need them here to do political work.

Mrs J N VILAKAZI: Chairperson, hon Ministers and department, hon MECs, hon members, this department has an important social role to play in South Africa’s development and its work can have a positive impact on the lives of many. There are many important issues and challenges currently facing this department in South Africa, including the 2010 World Cup, transformation in sport, and the use of sport as a vehicle for community and social upliftment and development.

The violent and criminal behaviour of learners in our schools as well as unruly behaviour and attitudes of many young people in our country are very worrying and have to be addressed. I believe that sport and sporting activities can play a leading role in addressing these critical issues. Our youth need guidance and discipline, and I believe structured sport can provide this. The department must place more emphasis on the promotion of and participation in sport and sports activities at schools as an after- school activity in communities.

The state of the sporting facilities in many rural areas and schools is definitely not beneficial and conducive to the development and promotion of sport. Providing adequate facilities in rural and disadvantaged areas will not only provide an outlet for the youth to constructively use their energy and time, but will also serve to assist with the discovery and development of new sporting talent. Our future sporting stars could be waiting to be discovered in these areas.

There are many challenges facing this department but I do believe that it can change many people’s lives for the better, and have an overall positive impact on South Africa, especially the youth.

Kwezinye izikole, njengoba ngikhuluma ngabadlali abavelele balaphaya kwanjakayiphume, emakhaya, kwagcwigcwigcwi impela, uthola ukuthi uma uya lapho kulezo zikole ayikho inkundla yesikole yokudlala. Kusho ukuthi alikho ibhola elidlalwayo, izingane ziyafunda nje kuphela. Kwesinye isikhathi uthola ukuthi inkundla ikhona kodwa alikho ibhola, alikho ijezi, awekho amakhokho, ngoba phela iyona le nhlobo yomdlalo ovamile emakhaya. Angiyiphathi-ke eyenkundla yentenesha, lokho-ke izulu, nokunye nokunye.

Ake nibheke khona laphaya ehlanzeni, ehlathini, kwanjakayiphume, mhlawumbe yilapho kulele khona umpetha enizophumelela ngaye ngo-2010 ebholeni lomhlaba. Ngiyabonga, Sihlalo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[In some schools, as I am talking about outstanding talent from the remote rural areas and villages, there is not even a playground. This means that football is never played, but that children only learn there. And because football is the only common sport in the rural areas, one sometimes finds that the playground is there but there is no soccer kit and no soccer boots, not to mention a tennis court - that is a luxury. There are many other facilities that are missing. Turn your eyes to the bushveld, the forest, the remote rural areas. Maybe that is where you will find the star of the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament. Thank you, Chairperson.]

Mrs S K MNUMZANA (Free State): Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members of the House, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen, the Budget Vote on Sport and Recreation presented by Minister Stofile gives us hope as provinces. It gives us hope in terms of the direction we are taking as a country in as far as sport and recreation matters are concerned.

Despite the challenges arising from some quarters regarding our strategic direction, with regard to sport, we have to keep on stressing that ours is a developmental state and we are duty-bound to make the kinds of interventions that will ensure equity, representation, participation and performance by the masses of our people in all sporting codes that they feel competent and interested in.

As the Free State province we presented our 2007-08 budget vote on 16 March

1. We want to say that without the support and direction of the national Department of Sport and Recreation, particularly with regard to the conditional grant, the milestones reported in the budget vote statement and the strategic direction that we set for ourselves for the next financial year would not be easily realisable. We are happy that the milestones that we have reached as a province in the last financial year contribute towards the national mandate of delivering sport and recreation to our communities.

The Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme, for which the department received a conditional grant allocation of R6,38 million for the past financial period, has achieved the following: Firstly, 60 job opportunities were created for activity and hub co-ordinators within the Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme. Secondly, the total number of participants in the programme to date is 223 839 of which 3 230 are elderly, 1 547 disabled, 220 286 youths and 125 831 women.

Thirdly, in recognising and observing the International Day of the Elderly, and the contribution made by our senior citizens to the struggle for our freedom, a recreational programme for senior citizens was held throughout the province in five districts under the theme: “Active Senior Citizens Do Make a Difference”. The programme culminated in the provincial event which had approximately 1 000 participants, and fourthly, we also hosted the O R Tambo Games.

From the conditional grant allocation of R7,7 million for the 2007-08 financial year for the Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme, we intend creating 90 more job opportunities for activity and hub co-ordinators, amongst other things.

Through the conditional grant of R3,4 million we received for the financial year, we have managed to realise the following strategic objectives: Firstly, 50 schools were identified in collaboration with the Department of Education and the school governing bodies to ensure that the schools meet the set criteria for participating in the programme. Secondly, 56 jobs were created for assisting provincial co-ordinators, cluster co-ordinators and sports assistants.

Thirdly, 900 educators were involved in the programme and 13 200 learners took part. Two hundred and three educators and volunteers were trained as coaches in athletics, volleyball and cricket. One hundred and ninety-six educators were trained as referees and 55 were trained in sports administration and event management. Fourthly, the department held two district festivals, one in Motheo and another in Fezile Dabi in February 2007.

With this financial year’s R6,8 million conditional grant allocation for the School Sport Mass Participation Programme, we intend to increase the number of schools involved in the programme from 50 to 90 across the province; increase the number of educators in the programme from 900 to 1 440; increase the number of learners from 13 200 to 21 100; and create 90 jobs within the programme.

The other project under the Sport and Recreation programme is the club development project. Under this project we have so far managed to establish 39 clubs within the province, of which 12 are male soccer clubs, 14 female soccer clubs and 13 netball clubs identified in consultation with the local sports council and local sports association. The club development programme has received an allocation of R1 million for the 2007-08 financial year. With this allocation we intend, among other things, to establish 30 more clubs which will be identified and spread to other municipalities in the province. The purpose is to ensure that they are sustainable, functional and participate in formal league structures.

I am proud to indicate that through the directorate of the Free State Sports Science Institute, the only government-supported high performance and wellness facility in the country, we have moved mountains in our quest to take sports science to our communities. Over a period of nine months, 7 212 athletes were assisted with sports science and exercise rehabilitation services in the institute. The department is in the process of setting up two satellite centres of the institute in Thabo Mofutsanyana and Fezile Dabi districts.

Chairperson and hon members, these are just a few milestones of the past financial year that I have an opportunity to present to this House. May I indicate in conclusion that as the Free State we are confronted with a challenge but also an opportunity, that of the hosting of the Fourth SA Games in September this year. We are going to use these games as a dry-run for our hosting of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. Your support will be appreciated during these games.

The Free State supports the Budget Vote. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Ms N M MADLALA-MAGUBANE: Sihlalo, ngibingelela uNgqongqoshe kanye nePhini lakhe, abahlonishwa, nalabo abaphuma ezifundazweni ngokuhlukahlukana kwazo, ngibingelele nabasebenzi boMnyango. [Chairperson, greetings to the Minister and his Deputy, honourable guests, as well as those who have come from the different provinces and greetings to the officials of the department.]

We are quite aware that one of the objectives of Sport and Recreation SA is to increase the number of participants in sport and recreation from the baseline of 30% participation through activities that support mass sport and recreation, with the emphasis on increasing participation by disadvantaged and marginalised groups, including women, youth, persons with disability and people living in rural areas.

Mangiphawule kuwena ukuthi laphaya phansi emphakathini akukabonakali, Ngqongqoshe. Kusekhona izingqinamba, uma umuntu ebhekisisa. Angithi uMnyango unikeze izifundazwe nomasipala igunya lokusingatha ezemidlalo, kodwa akukacaci kahle ukuthi uMnyango udlala yiphi indima kulokhu.

Lo Mnyango wasungula iSiyadlala Mass Participation Programme ngonyaka ka- 2005 ukuze phela kuhlomule umphakathi. Mangisho Sihlalo ukuthi nokho akukabonakali lutho. Izifundazwe ngokwehlukana kwazo zinezinhlelo ezihlukile. Ezinye zezifundazwe zithatha ezemidlalo njengento ebalulekile kakhulu kanti kwezinye akunjalo.

Mangiphawule ngesifundazwe saseGauteng. Yisona esaqala ukusungula imidlalo ebizwa ngokuthi yiMasakhane Games lapho kuncintisana khona izikole ngokwehlukahlukana kwazo ukuze phela kubonakale ikhono phakathi kwezingane zesikole. Lokhu sikwenza yonke iminyaka. Zonke izifundazwe zidinga ukusekelwa, zifukulwe yiwona uMnyango Wezemidlalo Nezokungcebeleka.

Esikunxusayo ukuthi kusekwe ngisho imidlalo yomdabu. Lolu hlobo lwemidlalo malungacekelwa phansi. Siye siyibone imidlalo ehlukahlukene edlalwa yizifundazwe ngokwehlukana kwazo. Lokhu kukhuthaza intsha yakuleli kanti futhi kufukula ezokungcebeleka kubantu abadala, ikakhulukazi maqondana nemidlalo efana nomlabalaba.

Sibonile emasontweni amathathu edlule khona lapha ePhalamende lapho kwakunenkulumo-mpikiswano laphaya eMkhandlwini Kazwelonke. Iningi labantu besifazane babedlala ngaphandle, bedlala le midlalo engikhuluma ngayo. Kwabonakala ukuthi le midlalo ibaluleke kangangoba iningi labantu lalimile libukela, lihlabeke umxhwele ngalokho okwakwenzeka.

Nabo abesimame mabacatshangelwe phela Ngqongqoshe emidlalweni. Mabakhuthazwe ukudlala noma iyiphi imidlalo edlalwa ngabesilisa. Mababonelelwe ngezimpahla zokugqoka futhi kube yizingubo ezifanele bona, ikakhulukazi uma befuna ukudlala imidlalo eyingozi, ngani ngoba asidalwanga ngokufana nabesilisa. Makubonelelwe ngisho nezaguga zethu. Mabakhuthazwe futhi. Lokhu kungaba yinto enhle kakhulu, ngani ngoba bavocavoca imizimba yabo.

Mangize kwezemidlalo yasezikoleni. Kunesivumelwano esasayinwa phakathi kwalo Mnyango kanye noMnyango Wezemfundo ngonyaka ka-2005. Lokhu kwenziwela ukuthi izingane zesikole zikhuthazwe kwezemidlalo. Ngonyaka ka 2006-07, lo Mnyango wabelwa isamba semali eyizigidi ezi-R85. Lesi samba sasiqondene nokuthi izingane zizilolonge imizimba yazo. Ngokunjalo futhi lesi samba sasibhekene nokuthuthukiswa kwezinga lezemidlalo ezikoleni ezi-798. Angazi- ke Ngqongqoshe ukuthi zonke lezi zidingo zifezekile yini eMnyangweni wakho? Asizibone-ke izimpawu, ikakhulukazi emalokishini, ezindaweni zabampofu noma emakhaya.

Kukhona izikole ezingenazo izinkundla zezemidlalo. Lezi zikole ziyakhokha, zikhokhela iziphathimandla uma zinesifiso sokudlala. Izikole azinayo imali yokukhokha. Ake nicabange nje ukuthi ezinye zezikole zisuke zingaphansi kwe- quintile 1 ngokwezifundo. Kusho ukuthi lezi zingane azinayo ngisho imali yesikole.

Ngqongqoshe, siqondeni ngempela? Sithi lezi zingane zishonephi uma zifuna ukudlala? Phakathi kwazo kukhona amakhono ahlukahlukene esingawazuza. Kwenziwa yini ukuthi singaziboneleli? Useshilo umhlonishwa uMama uVilakazi ukuthi bakhona esingabasebenzisa ku-2010.

Mangize kwezokwesekelwa ezemidlalo engenazo izidakamizwa. Siyawuseka uMnyango ngokuthathela izinyathelo labo badlali abasebenzisa izidakamizwa. I-S A Institute for Drug-free Sport iyisigungu esibambisene noMnyango ekulweni lesi sihlava. Lesi sigungu sinegunya lokuhlola abadlali. Sifundisa abadlali ngengozi yezidakamizwa, sibuye futhi senze ucwaningo. Konke lokhu siyakuthakasela ngoba izidakamizwa ziyingozi empilweni yabadlali kanti futhi ziyingozi nasemphakathini.

Make sibhekisise isifo uMashayabhuqe. Umkhankaso wokulwa nalesi sifo awucacile neze kwezemidlalo. Makubonakale izifundo ukuze phela kucace kubadlali ubungozi balesi sifo, futhi mabakwazi ukuzivikela. Makwenzeke lokhu phakathi kwemidlalo emikhulu, kucaciswe ngalesi sifo.

Ngqongqoshe, lo Mnyango awuyeke ukwandisa ukukhuluma kodwa mawenze phela okubonakalayo ukuze siphumelele siyisizwe saseNingizimu Afrika. Siyaleseka leli Voti Lesabiwomali 18. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[Let me point out to you that in the communities, at the grassroots, there is nothing that is tangible, Minister. When one looks closely, one sees that there are still obstacles. The department has given provinces and municipalities the authority to control sport, but it is not clear what role the department is playing here.

In 2005, this Department established the Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme for the benefit of communities. But let me say, Chairperson, that nothing is tangible yet. Different provinces have different programmes. Some provinces regard sport as the most important matter, whilst it is not the same with others.

Let me refer to the Gauteng province. It is the one that started the competition known as the Masakhane Games, where different schools compete against each other so as to discover talent among the scholars. We do this every year. All the provinces need to be supported and uplifted by the Department of Sport and Recreation.

What we are asking for is that indigenous games must also be supported. These type of games should not be overlooked. We usually witness these different games when played by different provinces. This encourages the youth of this country and uplifts recreational issues in adults, especially games like the African board game. We have seen, here in Parliament, in the last three weeks, during a debate in the NCOP, most women playing outside, playing the games that I am talking about. It was evident that these games are so important because most of the people who were watching were impressed by what was happening.

Let women also be considered in sport, Minister. Let them be encouraged to play any sport that is played by men. Let them be provided with appropriate clothing which will suit them, especially when they want to play dangerous games, because we are not created the same as men. Our elderly people should also be catered for, and be encouraged too. This can be a very good thing because they are exercising their bodies.

Let me come to sport in schools. There is an agreement that was signed between this department and the Department of Education in 2005. This was done so as to encourage scholars in sport. In the 2006-07 financial year, this department was given an amount of R85 million in its budget. This amount was particularly meant for children to exercise their bodies, as well as to develop the standard of sport in 798 schools. I don’t know, Minister, if all these needs have been met in your department. Let us see some signs, especially in townships, destitute areas or rural areas.

There are schools which do not have playgrounds. These schools pay rent, they pay it to authorities when they want to have games. Schools do not have money to pay rent. Just imagine that some of the schools happen to be under the quintile 1 at the educational level. This means that children do not even pay school fees.

What, actually, is our objective, Minister? Where should these children go if they want to play? There are different skills which we can find amongst them. Why don’t we look out for them? Hon Vilakazi has already said that there are some that we can use in 2010.

Let me come to the support of drug-free sport. We support the department for taking steps against players who do drugs. The SA Institute for Drug- free Sport is the council which is co-operating with the department in fighting this epidemic. This council has the authority to test players, educate them about the dangers of doing drugs, and also conducts research. We are grateful for all this because drugs are a danger to the players’ lives and also a danger to the community.

Let us look closely at Aids. The campaign to fight this disease is not really clear in sport. Let there be education about this so that players can have a clear message about the dangers of this disease and know how to protect themselves. Let this happen at the big games. Everything must be in the open about this disease.

Minister, let this department talk less and do something tangible in order for us to succeed as the South African nation. We support Budget Vote 18. Thank you. [Applause.]]

Mr F A WYNGAARDT (Northern Cape): Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, MECs, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a privilege to address this august House on the occasion of the policy debate on Budget Vote 18 - Sport and Recreation S A and to specifically brief the hon members on the state of sport in the Northern Cape.

The Northern Cape Department for Sports, Arts and Culture is challenged to execute its mandate in an environment where the allocation for sport and recreation has seen a dramatic decline since the termination of the building for sport and recreation programme.

This financial year, for example, our budget for sport and recreation only constitutes 5,8% or R6,5 million of the total vote of R111 million. For sport, arts and culture in the Northern Cape we recognise that this remains our single biggest priority and we are certain of the fact that we have to grow our proportional allocation to sport and recreation in the coming financial year.

Although we are grateful for the Mass Participation Programme conditional grant of R9,5 million in this financial year, and the tremendous impact it makes in the province, we have to increase our own equitable share allocation to sport and recreation. Despite the limited funding, we have managed to register some significant achievements in 2006-07 in the sport and recreation programme.

This included identifying more than 1 480 potential athletes throughout the province to be developed and nurtured through the high performance programme; successfully strengthening sports councils in districts; conducting 36 accredited education and training courses for a number of beneficiaries in coaching, technical officiating and sports administration throughout the province; financially assisting struggling and excelling individuals from rural and farm communities to enable them to participate in provincial and national tournaments; assisting ten football clubs in the Pixley Ka Seme District and 10 netball clubs in the Namakwa District through the club development programme benefiting 450 athletes; extending the Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme to all local municipalities in the province; and creating more than 150 temporary jobs for youth.

Hon Chairperson, we intend to spend our R5,2 million for sport and recreation, augmented by the budget of R5,4 million for the Fifa 2010 World Cup, and further supported by the R9,5 million mass participation conditional grant in such a way that we create optimal opportunities for all the people of the Northern Cape and especially the sportspersons to excel and enjoy the benefits and joys that sport and recreation undoubtedly bring.

A number of programmes are in place and are receiving additional attention. This financial year we will take the House through some of these programmes.

Firstly, we draw the attention of the House to the high performance programme, a programme that is linked to the academy of sport with the aim of establishing a Sports Science Institute in the province, where our selected and talented athletes are developed and nurtured for major national and international tournaments.

As part of the high performance programme the Sports Science Institute in the province, which will unfold within the next three years, starting this year, will be based at the Mayibuye Centre. Already talks have been held with nationally and internationally acclaimed sports scientists who are willing to assist the province with this venture.

This initiative is set to accommodate elite athletes of all existing federations in the province and thus creating a solid partnership with the sports federations, sports councils and sports academy. The Northern Cape is ready to participate in the South African Bames scheduled to be held in Bloemfontein in September 2007.

The province has already selected 400 athletes through an intensive elimination process at district level. The selected athletes will be placed under the sports academy where they will receive both sport specific and scientific assistance. Training camps will also be held to further prepare these athletes for the games.

Thirdly, there is the Mass Participation Programme, which focuses on the promotion of physical activity and participation in sporting activities by the general public. At club development, for this financial year, an additional 16 clubs will be added to the 10 clubs already participating. These clubs will be drawn from the Siyanda District and Kgalagadi District to participate in the club development programmes.

In this current financial year 40 additional activity co-ordinators and five hub co-ordinators will be employed on a yearly contract. The entire programme will create 182 jobs in the province, thus contributing to the eradication of poverty. The number of hubs will be increased from 30 to 35 and additional activities such as dance sport, table tennis and hockey will be introduced.

On the School Sport Mass Participation Programme, the programme started with 35 identified schools and has increased to 45 schools. Some 35 code assistants were employed and the number will increase to 60. The programme is also extended to all districts in the province and accommodates rural and farm schools. Training programmes will be conducted for educators, volunteers and sports assistants such as sports administration courses, events management, life skills, first aid and code-specific coaching and technical officiating courses.

As regards the indigenous games, the province will select a provincial team to participate in the National Indigenous Games Festival, which will be held in the Eastern Cape in September 2007. Currently the province is busy with the elimination games starting from the municipal level up to achieve a provincial team. The competitive school sports, in line with our collaborating agreement with the Department of Education, at least, will jointly be developed and assisted during the various school sports tournaments.

The department has budgeted for the following school sport programme tournaments from district and provincial level - all ages, athletes, cross- country and the South African Schools Games. It is from this programme that learners can be identified and selected for high performance programmes and be placed under the sports academy programme.

We clearly recognise and understand that in a province that will not be hosting any of the formal matches in 2010, we must leave a legacy of a different kind before and after 2010. Our primary responsibility is to ensure that the entire Northern Cape benefits from the massive event and that football in the province in particular is the prime beneficiary.

To this effect we will this year, in partnership with Safa in the Northern Cape, conduct football administration courses, football coaching clinics and referee and instructor courses benefiting a total of 130 officials, as well as coaches and referees in the province. In order to ensure that all our far-flung towns and municipalities begin to position themselves for the spectacle that will take place in 2010, we will transfer R100 000 to each of the 20 smallest municipalities to support clubs and leagues in these towns.

We further support this venture by meeting quarterly with all municipal mayors and managers to ensure that matters of sport and recreation remain on the agenda. In addition, we have just concluded an in-depth analysis of each IDP in the province and have informed each of the municipalities of the gaps in their planning and budgeting for sport and recreation.

We have successfully met with our neighbours, the Free State, and the Free State has included the Northern Cape and Kimberley in particular in the World Cup 2010 plans. We are very grateful to them as our neighbours, because we have a number of sports coaches working together. It is, however, sad and we are not expecting that Nationals should build a new stadium because of the many reasons provided by them, because we are not hosting, though we do believe that we qualify for some of the practice methods which were given by the Free State.

We also thought that it is important to mention in this House that we should have a city to city train, from Kimberley to Bloemfontein, because both cities are very friendly to women. Kimberley is the “City of Diamonds” and Bloemfontein is the “City of Roses”. We want to do that very fast.

Hon Chairperson, as everywhere else in the country, we too are faced with mammoth challenges in the delivery of sport and recreation programmes in our province. We must concur with the Deputy Minister and bemoan the termination of the Building for Sport and Recreation Programme. Since this function was moved to MIG funding, three years ago, not a single sport or recreation facility has been built or upgraded in the Northern Cape. We submit that this matter must be subjected to a serious rethink.

A further challenge to the growth and development … [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr O M THETJENG: Chairperson, hon Minister, and colleagues, I want to start by congratulating all sportsmen and women in this country who continue to represent us well in various sporting codes, whether they lose or win. The recent Super 14 final between the Sharks and the Blue Bulls has done South Africa proud internationally and I want to congratulate both teams for their participation. Well, let me hasten to say: Well done, Blou Bulle!

The South Africa of today should and must be different to that of yesteryear. The Minister of Education has set a trend by reminding us not to blame apartheid for all our failures. Resources are available and we only need skill power and not manpower. Manpower is available in many government departments and institutions yet the skills are lacking.

The 2010 Fifa World Cup should be used to skill our nation on many fronts so that we become participants in the planning and execution of the World Cup activities. The Local Organising Committee and the SA Football Association cannot do it alone without the contribution of the Department of Sport and Recreation.

I am not referring to interference, as the department is commonly known to be fond of interfering in sport, but intervention.

A recent paper on the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition, Jipsa, indicates that labour and education should work together on skills. It clearly shows that there is a degree of disjointedness between most of the government departments in assisting this country to achieve the required skills and therefore this department cannot be different.

Let me send a warning to the Minister about the Bill that is before us now. It has a clause that intends to allow the Minister to interfere with the administration of sport in the country.

Apartheid ministers did that and now the Minister in the new South Africa plans to do the same in the name of transformation. Yes, we all need transformation, but it must be based on skills and the ability to execute the required mental and muscular dexterities that are necessary in the particular sport. [Interjections.]

Where are we going as a country? Sport skill is a relative term. We can have twenty prolific goal scorers in soccer with varying degrees of ability.

Let me give an example: a team like Kaiser Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or Omponekeitlakae [thingamajig] FC will be interested in player A instead of player B because of particular attributes. There are many coaches that have managed Bafana Bafana but not all of them were successful until the federation felt that Mr Carlos Alberto Parreira is a relevant person to take this country forward.

Are you proposing that if they have to import a player, coach or administrator, they must first apply to you and show that our country does not have such a skill? These teams are run and managed by individuals that have invested a lot of money to make them what they are today. Be warned, Minister, through you, Chairperson; it is unacceptable.

The majority of South Africans were and still are disadvantaged and the department has to redress these imbalances in an appropriate way. Some of the appropriate ways are the following: establish particularised sports academies to which learners can be sent to do sport on a full-time basis. In a few years’ time the country would have a pool of able sportsmen and women to represent the country anywhere in the world.

Revive, earnestly, amateur sport in the villages and townships so as to unearth more talent. The pace at which this is being done now is very slow. Provide more bursaries to the previously disadvantaged, hardworking and willing learners to pursue sport-related professions at institutions of higher learning.

Do not just become an agent to transfer money to other institutions, also be a full participant in the democratisation of sport in South Africa. Introduce those sports that are not common within the villages and townships as a deliberate intervention to improve representation in those unfamiliar sports.

Lamenting cannot help us but providing visionary solutions will go a long way to make this country a better place to live.

It is reliably reported that the Springbok coach, Jake White, is planning to meet with hon President Thabo Mbeki. We heard this morning how some of the high-ranking officials are objecting to this. There is no smoke without fire. If everything is well and good why worry about Mr White meeting with the President? Why is it an issue when certain individuals are to be selected when we can get down to working to unearth talent? [Interjections.]

The preparations for the Fifa World Cup stadia seem to be getting on without major problems. Particularly reference should, of course, be focused on Cape Town as the progress is reported to be well ahead of schedule. Where else in the host cities can you find such progress, except in the city of Cape Town? [Interjections.] I hope those that are a little behind will catch up quickly because the President of Fifa, Sepp Blatter, is impressed, together with the Local Organising Committee. [Laughter.]

Most of the rural municipalities are failing to provide recreational facilities which are critical to the development of our society. It is indeed correct to provide essential services due to backlogs but then it is a disgrace to find that money on capital projects could not be spent and that there are roll-overs year in and year out. Where such facilities are available, there is no maintenance, they are either underutilised or neglected.

In Limpopo, Minister, I will give you a situation and I can take everybody in the department with me if they want to - in my own village called Indermark, there are tennis and netball courts that were built but they have not been utilised since and it is about 15 years now. Is the community interested in using them? Yes, but equipment is very expensive to purchase for the poor. Can the department do something? Yes it can, by providing assistance to the community in procuring the equipment and seconding trainers or coaches to unearth the talent that we have. A country needs to have healthy citizens. They do not only have to take medicine to be healthy but should be encouraged to do sport.

Will we ever unearth good sportspersons in cycling and other expensive sports under the current circumstances? The answer is no. Until intentional interventions are initiated by the department, it can never be realised. Stop any plan or intention to interfere in those federations that are trying their best.

I would also like to urge this department to ensure that a head of department is quickly appointed because we always have an acting director- general. I would really appreciate it if today we hear from this podium when we are going to have a DG of the department.

I really appreciate the time you have given me and I hope the Minister will respond to some of the challenges I have given him, so that this country can go forward, and go forward, and go forward so that we will be winners. I know that South Africans are the winners and we shall win.

One speaker said he is not sure whether South Africa will do well and I can assure him that South Africa can do well in soccer only if nobody interferes in the selection. [Applause.][Laughter.]

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Chairperson, hon members, as Sport and Recreation SA, we are renewing our pledge to the people of South Africa – a national partnership to build a better life for all in this wonderful country of ours.

The year 2007 is yet another year that presents South African sport with opportunities to bring our nation together in a way in which only sport can do. Our football team, hon Thetjeng, Bafana Bafana, is scoring goals again and is well on the way to qualify for the African Cup of Nations. Our cricket team became the number one ranked One Day International team in the world, but unfortunately stumbled at the World Cup in the West Indies. Our rugby teams have already made history when two South African teams reached the finals of the Super 14 rugby competition.

This feat has given us the hope that the Springboks can once again do us proud at the Rugby World Cup to be held in France later this year. Our athletes are hard at work preparing for the World Championships and there are indications that we could be one of the few countries to win medals at that level. The biggest event on the African continent, the All Africa Games, takes place in Algeria next month and one of the biggest teams ever to leave the shores of our country will attempt to win back the number one position in sport on the continent.

We have, on many occasions seen how success at the highest level of sport can lift the spirits of our nation. We have also seen how it can bring our nation together as proud South Africans. This, in fact, is the power of sport. Sport is accomplishing what we had always known it had the potential to achieve, namely normalising our society, albeit in tiny steps, sometimes.

I will be the first to admit that we still have a lot of work to do before our sport is fully transformed. Not enough black players are coming through the ranks in most of our sports. Let us be clear. If our development programmes are not producing the desired or expected numbers of black players, then we must establish what their shortcomings are and rectify them. What I am convinced about is that we need to follow a different approach to addressing these challenges, other than the ones we are currently pursuing, where, often in the media, we put politicians and officials against selectors and coaches.

Some of our federations have ploughed millions of rands into development programmes, but have relatively little to show for their investment, especially at the elite level. Of course, simply throwing money at a problem will not solve it; the programmes must be designed to deliver the desired outputs and outcomes and, if they don’t, they must be reviewed and revised in order that they do so.

If our programmes are adequate, by the law of averages, the representivity of our teams will normalise naturally. That is not to say that the process must not be speeded up. On the contrary, I am extremely agitated by its relative slowness. We must ensure that we turn things around in the shortest period of time, but not at the expense of any of our athletes.

Last month we passed the very important Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill in the NA, which seeks, amongst other things, to address the lack of transformation in sport. I want to urge federations to closely study the contents of the Bill.

Die aanvanklike dreigemente om ons by internasionale liggame te gaan verkla omdat ons kwansuis toelaat dat die wet in meng in sport het nou stil geraak. Ek vertrou dat diegene wat hulself aangestel het as die hekwagters oor sport in Suid-Afrika nou besef dat mnr Jacques Rogge, die Voorsitter van die Internasionale Olimpiese Komitee, en die Suid-Afrikaanse sportleiers in die land nie probleme met die wysigingswetsontwerp het nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)

[The initial threats to report us to international bodies because we are ostensibly allowing the Act to interfere in sport have now died down. I trust that those persons who have appointed themselves as the custodians of sport in South Africa now realise that Mr Jacques Rogge, the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee, and the South African sports leaders in the country do not have any problem with the amending Bill.]

We take the task of transforming our sport seriously; as I have already mentioned, it is non-negotiable and sports federations would be wise to heed the call for transformation. These measures must be seen as imperatives for federations to increase access to their sport by bringing all our people on board. They should improve their development programmes to ensure greater representivity in our teams at all levels. In this regard, we must redouble our efforts. In fact, it is based on the fundamental principles that were agreed to when sport was unified in South Africa 15 years ago.

We sincerely hope and trust that it will never be necessary for government to intervene beyond the level of laying down guidelines. The ball is now squarely in the court of the federations. Whilst we have made some progress with our school sport initiatives, I believe that we are only just scraping the surface in this regard. School sport constitutes the nursery of all sport in our country. We have launched two school sport programmes; one is designed to ensure access to the masses of our learners. This programme should serve as the entry point of the development continuum for sport in schools.

The second programme is aimed at a smaller group of elite performers who participate in regular tournaments that channel them to the next level of participation. It constitutes the link between school and senior sports programmes. In this regard, our call to the national federations is that they include these competitions on their rosters and in their planning. Federations must assume greater responsibility for these programmes in their capacity as the custodians of their sport in our country.

School sport must be played on a massive scale throughout South Africa and must be led by educators who are trained to provide quality coaching, given the state of disrepair in which community sport structures currently find themselves. They constitute the sites where, in disadvantaged communities in particular, we have the best chance of ensuring that young people have an entry point to formal sport in our society.

It can also serve as a basis from which new community sport structures can grow and must link up, organically, with our community club development programme. The department has now established a Directorate for School Sport and their priority must be to ensure that it flourishes. Our School Sport Mass Participation Programme has had an injection of more than R10 million in the current financial year. This will hopefully ensure that regular sports programmes in seven codes of sport are taken to the poorest of the poor schools in the country.

The co-operation of our colleagues in the Department of Education and the provincial departments responsible for sport and for education is critical for the success of this programme. As Sport and Recreation SA we know that physical education as a subject is high on the agenda of the Department of Education.

I do not think that we fully comprehend the damage that was caused by the demise of physical education in our schools and by the continuing lack of sports programmes in some of them. A task team appointed by the Minister of Sport and Recreation to examine South Africa’s poor performance at international level reported that the root of the problem can be found, amongst others, in the dearth of physical education programmes in our schools.

I think that we must pay particular attention to the plight of the girl- child in sport in South Africa. Here again, physical education and school sport can serve as a catalyst to unlock the potential of women’s sport in our country and, at the same time, help to counter the challenges that we are facing with schoolgirl pregnancies, in certain parts of our country.

We want to encourage our colleagues in the Department of Education to press ahead with the implementation of physical education in schools. Whilst they do that, they must know that Sport and Recreation South Africa is fully supportive of that initiative.

Another area in which where we cannot claim spectacular success is the area of women’s sport. I do not know of one sports programme that specifically targeted women’s sport that stands out as a huge success other than the Spar Women’s races. We all know that it is an aspect of our sport that needs special intervention, hon Thetjeng - not interference, but intervention. I want to challenge the department and our national federations to come up with sustainable programmes or visible campaigns that will increase the number of girls and women that participate in sport.

We have always contended that even with the best programmes we will make very little headway if we do not have appropriate facilities. Their availability remains a major problem in areas where the majority of our people live. The lack of facilities has a debilitating effect on transformation in sport that, in turn, impacts negatively on our ability to achieve our higher order outcomes for the broader society. Government in the three spheres has the responsibility to build facilities. Nobody else will build, upgrade or maintain them for our communities.

The termination, which we have heard this afternoon, and we agree, of our Building for Sport and Recreation Programme had a devastating effect on facility provision especially in areas where the need is the greatest. We are currently working on a norms and standards blueprint for facilities. Through this document we will attempt to outlaw the development of new human settlements or the building of new schools without including sport and recreation facilities. At the same time we will lobby for the building of facilities in areas where there are none.

We have already started to engage some of our sister departments on this issue. To be blunt, a school is not a school without sporting facilities. A sustainable human settlement is not sustainable without sport and recreation facilities. Like it or not, those are the facts. The 2010 Fifa World Cup could provide the impetus for a vigorous legacy programme, including the provision of basic, multipurpose sports facilities as was the case during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

I am aware of private initiatives and others that are already under way in this regard and trust that more stakeholders will come to the party to exploit the opportunities presented. The 2010 Fifa World Cup, we believe, provides our country, the region and the continent with a golden opportunity to boost our sports tourism industry. It can help push our economic development to a higher lever and fast-track the attainment of elements of the 2014 Millennium Development Goals and of Asgisa.

The 2010 Fifa World Cup and the extent to which much of the development taking place in our country over the next few years will be centred around it, provide an indication of the power of sport. I trust that this event will make us realise this potential and allow us to understand why internationally there is so much competition to host major events. Hopefully it will encourage us to bid for the biggest prize of all, the Olympic Games, in the not-too-distant future.

In the past two years there has been an international upsurge in the realisation of the potential of sport and recreation as a vehicle for development and peace. Even the UN has recognised the potential. You may recall that the global organisation designated 2005 as the year of physical education and sport. This articulates the significance that has been afforded to sport and recreation. In the past, the focus tended to be on the development of sport and recreation.

Sport and recreation is inextricably linked to health and the fight against HIV and Aids, education, sustainable development, including economic and social development, environmental protection and volunteerism, peace, communication and partnerships. Well-designed sport-based initiatives are practical and cost-effective tools to achieve objectives in development and peace.

It can be argued that by its very nature sport is about participation, about inclusion and citizenship, bringing individuals and communities together, highlighting commonalities, bridging cultural or ethnic divides, and inculcating a sense of belonging.

The extent to which our national flag has become one of the best known brands, internationally, demonstrates the power of sport. [Time expired.] What a pity. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr G S GININDA (Mpumalanga): Chairperson, Minister of Sport and Recreation, Rev Stofile, Deputy Minister Gert Oosthuizen, members of this august House, hon members, I think the perception of Sport and Recreation as the Cinderella of our national priorities has passed.

It is time to completely remove sport and recreation from the periphery of social development to the mainstream of our social economic development so that it can regain its rightful place on the throne of our national priorities.

It is evident that whenever we discuss social cohesion, nation-building and unity, sport and recreation becomes an obvious choice and therefore its importance is immeasurable and indispensable for our country to move forward. Despite all this, one needs to acknowledge the good work that has been done by both the national Ministry and the provinces in advancing sport development. However, one also needs to emphasise some of the challenges still facing our quest for better sport and recreation deliverables.

With regard to 2010, fast approaching, much emphasis is being placed on the country and host cities’ readiness and capability to ensure that the event will be successful and that all the necessary infrastructure will be in place.

With the Mbombela Local Municipality in the province of Mpumalanga being identified as one of the host cities, the Mpumalanga provincial government created a 2010 Office to ensure and oversee that the province takes advantage of the benefits that 2010 presents.

The provincial 2010 political and technical task teams that were set up last year are and have been actively involved in ensuring that the active participant, the centre forward or striker of the city that is hosting, the city team, which will enable Mbombela Local Municipality to successfully host this showcase event, is in place and vibrant.

In order to ensure that this is achieved, the provincial executive council has endorsed the establishment of an integrated 2010 Office which would see all functionalities of the 2010 processes, that is the host city, province and other stakeholders, working under one roof to perform and oversee all the 2010 projects and processes.

This office is expected to be up and running by the end of June 2007. With regard to stadium development, the Mpumalanga province, through its 2010 Office, participates in the fortnightly stadium meetings to monitor the progress made.

As of 7 June, developments at the Mbombela Stadium can be recorded, as follows: Bulk earthworks of three zones are 100% complete, with the fourth zone 25% complete; the piling is 25% complete and that piling process has commenced in all areas of the stadium; various tenders for the roofing and steelworks will be finalised shortly; there are no approved delays to date and the contractors are still within the set deadline of 15 March 2009 for the completion of the stadium; so we are on course.

The 2010 event is not just a South African initiative, but an African initiative and the province has made great strides in involving neighbouring countries such as Mozambique and Swaziland in its preparations.

In fact, both countries are permanent members of the 2010 provincial technical committee. To date, the province has been instrumental in assisting Swaziland in the drafting of its 2010 plan. Later this year and in the years leading up to 2010, there will be continuous interaction between the province, Swaziland and Mozambique on all facets linked to 2010, which includes a one-stop border post between South Africa and Mozambique to facilitate tourism and accommodation.

Plans have also been developed, highlighting the role of district and local municipalities in the 2010 processes, which is linked to the provincial growth and development strategy. The province is also at an advanced stage in finalising an agreement with Safa to stage this year’s Cosafa Championships, an event which will support its football development drives that are linked to the 2010 process.

One of the many challenges facing sport structures and development teams is access to municipal-owned facilities. We have to ensure that there is free access to these facilities so as to enable all the teams to play and be in a state of readiness.

We need to revisit our strategy if we really want to promote the levels of development and sustainability, and increase the numbers of women participating in sport programmes. Black women in rural areas and villages are the hardest hit by this prejudice. The numbers of South African women representing our country at the Olympics versus the world average is a typical example.

We need to persuade corporate conglomerates to prioritise sport, recreation and wellness programmes in their social responsibility budgets with dedicated personnel and clear objectives to be achieved. By so doing, they will be helping government to eradicate the root cause of illness and unnatural deaths, and in so doing, they will be contributing positively to the economic growth of the country and the wellbeing of its citizens.

Legislation of such an obligation should be considered for consistency, monitoring and evaluation processes. The fact that most of our objectives and goals are not tangible should not be a reason to consider the department as secondary and inferior in status.

Sport and recreation are indispensable contributors to social transformation and pioneers in the enhancement of our democracy and promotion of social cohesion, reconciliation and nation-building. We often tell our communities to form structures, participate in sport and recreation, transform their structures and produce world-class athletes.

Yet, our contribution is so insignificant and often not recognised because of the meagre budget we receive to meet these objectives. [Time expired.] Thank you very much.

Mr S MKHIZE (Gauteng): Hon Chair, hon Deputy Minister, hon MECs, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, the Gauteng province rises in support of the Budget Vote. It is a great pleasure to stand in front of you to talk on the conditional grants on sport and the recreation that the provinces, including Gauteng, have been receiving for the last three years.

In line with the Millennium Development Goals, Vision 2014 and the national contract that the ANC government entered into with the people of South Africa when it was voted into power again in 2004, the Gauteng provincial government adopted a five-year strategy plan of action to ensure that it delivers to the masses during this term of office and beyond.

Flowing from the Gauteng provincial government strategic priorities, one of the strategic priorities was promoting safe, secure and sustainable communities, and healthy lifestyles through the delivery of community-based recreational and mass participation programmes of sport, arts and culture, and by encouraging communities’ involvement in heritage management.

Whilst we were still reviewing budget allocations of the 2004-05 financial year immediately after the elections, we commenced with the implementation of our way of fulfilling the mandate and were all fortunate as provinces to receive from the Department of Sport and Recreation a conditional grant for the Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme.

From this national pool of conditional grants, the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation was allocated an amount of R1 million with a specific emphasis on implementing activities in communities, such as aerobics, general gymnastics, fun runs and walks, street handball, street basketball, junior dipapadi, rugby, volleyball, cricket, baseball, netball, swimming, boxing and indigenous games, such as dibeke, diketo, ncuva, iintonga, kgadi, morabaraba and juksei.

Through its stakeholder meetings, the department found that many recreational centres do not have organised sports activities freely available for historically disadvantaged communities. The challenges included, amongst other things, a shortage of facilities; user-free facilities where there are facilities; and nonexistence of certain sporting codes, as they were not accessible to the poor sections of our communities.

As one of the Mass Participation Programmes, MPPs, to implement activities in highly depressed areas in our communities to create a culture of mass participation in recreational activities in order to minimise antisocial behaviour, we identified and established eight recreational centres or hubs in 2004-05 in Westbury, Moletsane, Munsieville, Mamelodi, Onverwacht, Sebokeng, Katlehong and Diepsloot.

In addition to the staff members who were deployed to those eight new hubs, 32 volunteers from the respective communities were recruited and trained through a national programme for the recruitment of participants and implementation of the MPP activities. About 65 500 people collectively participated in one or more of these hub activities in the 2004-05 financial year.

Critical in the implementation of MPP activities is the establishment of partnerships with local government and sporting bodies in particular. Municipalities should provide facilities and sports federations should run sport, and government in general should create the environment for sport to prevail. A MOU has been signed with many of the municipalities and what is being finalised currently is the service level agreements.

In the 2005-06 financial year, using the conditional grant funding of R2,6 million, as well as a supplementary amount from within the department, the number of recreational centres was increased to 22 hubs across the province. In addition to the departmental staff, 92 young people in the surrounding communities where the 22 hubs are located were employed as contract workers or volunteers. As contract workers they are also able to benefit from other training and development programmes which will also empower them for opportunities beyond the MPP.

Of the staff complements in these hubs, 22 were also trained in soccer administration, 22 as aerobics fitness instructors and 22 as general gymnastics instructors. This means that each hub has three people accommodated in these three disciplines. Beyond this, basic training was given in the areas of coaching handball, football, basketball and athletics. Three people were trained per hub in these disciplines. We also purchased some equipment for the hubs which has also increased the participation levels of community members to around 270 000 by March 2006.

In the 2006-07 financial year we saw an increase in the conditional grant for the Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme to R9,02 million. Ten new hubs were added to increase them to 32. There was also an increase in contract workers to 140.

In raising the bar on the issue of training and development, the department entered into a joint venture with the University of South Africa and the local government Seta to provide training to the hub complement on areas such as events management, project management, fitness training, first aid, coaching and mentoring, community development worker learnerships, office management, Public Finance Management Act and minute-taking.

This training is also necessary in that hubs are also a centre of school holiday activities which take place in March and April, June and July, September and October and December to ensure that young people are kept busy during the holidays.

In addition to this training, a number of people in the hubs were trained in coaching in the areas of swimming, athletics, football, gymnastics, aerobics, netball, volleyball and table tennis.

The number of participants is increasing significantly. By March 2007 approximately 590 000 participants - young, old, women and people with disabilities - have appeared in all activities in the hubs.

In addition to the Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme, another amount of R7,8 million was set aside for the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation for the implementation of the school sport mass participation programme.

As this was the first year of the introduction of the School Sport Mass Participation programme, many of the activities conducted pertaining to the recruitment of sports assistants and the identification of educators who should assist in the implementation of programmes. This was also coupled with research on which schools to target for the implementation.

In partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education, 121 schools were targeted where 128 educators, sports assistants and young people were trained in the areas of leadership, events management, life skills and first aid. With the assistance of Sport and Recreation SA and the British Council we are also engaged in international exchange programmes.

In essence this budget is used for the payment of sports assistants; the purchase of equipment for the identified sporting codes such as cricket, football, chess, netball, volleyball and athletics; the implementation of these sporting codes; capacity-building for educators and sports assistants; and intra-school, inter-school, regional, district and provincial school festivities.

In the 2007-08 financial year an amount of R12,61 has been allocated to Gauteng as a conditional grant for the Siyadlala MPP. The department has added eight new hubs to increase the number to 40.

To significantly increase the number of participants, the department is targeting a number of people in the hubs to be trained in sports administration, refereeing, umpiring, first aid, life skills, events management and learn-to-swim programme. Furthermore, people will be trained in coaching for football, athletics, netball, handball, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, boxing, rugby, cricket, volleyball, swimming and indigenous games.

A budget of R14,48 million has been allocated to Gauteng for the school sport MPP. To the 121 schools targeted in 2006-07, in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education, 83 more will be added with an intake of 90 new educators targeted. For the 2007-08 budget, the department has also received an additional amount of R1 million for club development. This budget will be used for the strengthening and development of identified old and new clubs that cater for a number of sporting codes in administration, technical skills such as coaching, development of a database and also the provision of equipment and attire.

Together with the Gauteng Department of Education and soccer legends, the department will be reviving the school leagues which are renowned for producing famous footballers such as the legendary Jomo Sono, “Teenage” Dladla, Andries Maseko, etc.

From the beginning of the Siyadlala MPP, the department identified the programme as a key pillar of the integrated sports strategy. In addition to the national conditional grant funding and in consideration of aligning the programme to the 20 townships prioritised by the Gauteng provincial government, the total budget for the MPP in the identified recreational centres has been increased from R32 million in 2006-07 to R36,3 million for 2007-08.

The department has the following challenges: Finalisation of service level agreements with municipalities; finalisation of the revised memorandum of understanding with the Gauteng Department of Education; provision of and access to facilities; full-blown participation of sports federations in the MPP; purchasing and storage of MPP equipment; a high number of participants in MPP activities and seamless linkages between the academic and roll-out of the school sport MPP activities.

The department has already put in place mechanisms such as regular stakeholder meetings to plan, implement and monitor activities, identification of storage facilities and management of equipment hubs, upgrading of facilities and engaging community-based organisations in an effort to increase the number of participants in the activities.

The department has also created an opportunity for the participants in the hubs to participate in events such as Human Rights Day and Freedom Day fun runs, the City to City Heritage Race, the Soweto Marathon and Radio 702 Walk the Talk. In these events the MPP participants have also received medals of participation which have been seen as incentives for continued involvement in the hub activities. Hon Chair, I thank you.

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: Madam Chair, three years from now South Africa will be hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Not only sport enthusiasts in South Africa, in fact almost all South Africans and the soccer fraternity worldwide are looking forward to this event. More than 30 teams are going to compete with one another to determine which team will be world champions in the soccer world.

In 1995 South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup and in that year was crowned as world champions. All true South Africans rejoiced with the Springboks at the time and have the same good wishes for Bafana Bafana. The Soccer World Cup is destined to be the greatest sporting event ever in Africa and South Africa’s reputation in various respects is at stake.

The question is: Is South Africa able to provide the transport, accommodation, security, safety and the like? These are all questions which, I am sure, will be positively addressed as South Africa proceeds towards the event.

However, I am concerned about one matter, and that is the intervention by government in the organisation of sport. The Soccer World Cup is to take place from 11 June to 11 July 2010. In Germany these matches were played practically every day. In South Africa it is going to be very similar and 16 June, Youth Day, is destined to fall on a Wednesday.

This year the Comrades Marathon and the Bainskloof and Napier long-distance races were cancelled because they were to take place on 16 June. The question is whether the government is going to interfere this coming Saturday in regard to the kick-off of the Tri-Nations Rugby Cup here in Cape Town? I am sure that they won’t, because I think the Deputy Minister may have a ticket and the Minister may have one too. Another question is: what is going to happen in the World Cup? Will government interfere and yield to pressure to stop soccer games on 16 June 2010 - obviously not. Why interfere with alternative races, in particular Bainskloof and Napier? Interference in the Comrades was a sad enough event. Further interference in other alternative races disrupts social cohesion and national pride.

Dalk speel die Minister sokker en die Adjunkminister rugby. Dit is heel waarskynlik die rede waarom hulle nie gaan inmeng in Saterdag se “Tri- Nations” [Drienasiereeks] nie. Baie duidelik is nie een van hulle twee Comrades-drawwers nie.

Ons hoop dat die inmenging in alternatiewe wedlope op daardie dag werklikwaar sal stop. Baie dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[Perhaps the Minister plays soccer and the Deputy Minister rugby. This is most likely the reason why they are not going to interfere with Saturday’s Tri-Nations. Quite clearly neither of them is a Comrades runner.

We hope that the interference in alternative races on that day will really cease. Thank you.]

Mrs N ABRAHAM-NTANTISO (Eastern Cape): Chairperson, hon members of the NCOP, hon Minister of Sport and Recreation, in absentia, hon Deputy Minister, MECs from other provinces, senior government officials and chairpersons of portfolio committees, especially my chairperson, hon Litho Suka, I greet you all.

I would like to salute the Ministry for the leadership and passion demonstrated through their efforts towards building a united, active and winning nation through sport and recreation. I know I am representing fellow MECs when I say that we take up the challenge posed by the Minister to advance the Mayor’s Cup towards MECs’ cups.

Today I stand here to share with this House the experiences that we have on the delivery and management of sport and recreation in the province of the Eastern Cape. First and foremost, I believe it will be important for me to mention that the working relations between us, as a province, together with the national department are sound. Our foot soldiers at implementation level are always working together in ensuring that all that has to be delivered to the masses of this country is done efficiently.

Sport is no longer about fun and enjoyment but is a vehicle to address problems that face our youth and channel those that excel to make a living from it.

In support of the plans tabled by the Minister, I will share with this House the successes and challenges that we still face. I am pleased to say that our province is this year taking up to 100 children to Austria to participate in the World Gymnastrada 2007 and that the Eastern Cape has more qualifying children. What is pleasing is that the majority of these children are from the very rural Alfred Nzo District. [Applause.]

With regard to the MPP, this programme made us, as a province, reach out to all the municipalities in our province, and as of now we have 61 hubs in 240 schools that implement the programme. Through this programme we have created 620 jobs and the beneficiaries are the unemployed youth. This programme also managed to attract people in numbers to participate in sport and recreation and is therefore contributing towards the call of getting the nation to play.

Through the regular interaction with federations as a means to plan and evaluate the programme, the relations with the sporting structures have greatly improved. The schools MPP is further strengthened by the South African and UK linkage that the national department initiated. The participating schools, which are drawn from the disadvantaged communities, are fully committed to this programme.

In terms of school sport, the province has a sound collaboration framework on the management of school sport with the Department of Education. The co- ordinating committee, which involves educators, is fully operational. All provincial code structures are led and managed fully by educators, meaning that they are indeed not sidelined.

The two departments are sharing the funding responsibilities from the grassroots to the delivery of the provincial teams. These programmes have managed to produce players that are selected to national teams.

With regard to 2010, we all know that our host city is Nelson Mandela Bay and we have two Bay cities, King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality and Buffalo City, and we trust that the rest of the province will experience 2010 through fan parks, pubs or public viewing areas.

The provincial 2010 unit is working together with a directorate of sport within the department to build capacity for all football structures. District forums are being established in all seven districts and the local football associations are participating in the process.

Working with Umhlobo Wenene, there is a slot every Saturday on 2010 updates and we have made use of the build-up programmes for Youth Month to create hype towards 2010 amongst our youth. The purpose of this is to have everybody involved and active towards 2010. Our host city has been labelled as the best in the Host City Forum.

Boxing is one of those codes that the province is proud of because it has continued to produce world champions for the country. With effect from 2006, we started to invest more at the amateur level for obvious reasons. We have, however, started to reap the fruits of our efforts by attaining the national trophy in November 2006 and winning seven gold medals in the National Cadets’ Tournament.

Lastly, the province believes that the national department working together with the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation, should engage the South African Confederation and Olympic Committee – Sascoc – on relations with provinces and the academy system.

It is our strongest belief, as the Eastern Cape, that should the above be clarified there would be great progress in sport and South Africa would indeed be a winning nation. The Eastern Cape is there to support the Department of Sport and Recreation and will even go the extra mile in ensuring that all that is planned for 2007-08 is successfully implemented.

The Eastern Cape supports the Budget Vote. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Mrs A N D QIKANE: Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister, hon MECs, hon members, special delegates and staff of the department, I welcome the fact that the department has undertaken a programme for the construction of sporting facilities at grass-roots level in all communities in co-ordination with other infrastructure programmes.

We therefore also welcome the realignment of the department’s internal structure with the major focus on mass participation in school sport. In particular, it is pleasing to note that the department intends to create sports facility hubs in each of the municipal wards in the country. This is a major first step in providing the youth with constructive recreational opportunities and thereby reducing the lure of gangsters and hoodlums.

Sihlalo, ibhola yombhoxo ayikaqini kakuhle emaphandleni okanye ezilalini. Ndisuka phaya ezantsi, eMampondweni, apho izinto zifika kade kakhulu. Andazi ke Mphathiswa okanye Sekela Mphathiswa nokuba sigqwaliswa yile nto yokuba singabantu beha(n)gu nezigwamba, ngoku izinto ezibhetele azikhawulezi ukufika kuthi. Baninzi kakhulu abantwana abanezakhono ezifuna ukuphuculwa ezilalini. Kuba buhlungu kakhulu xa ubabona bezenzela ibhola ngamalaphu kuba befuna ukudlala.

Mphathiswa, imidlalo efana nogqaphu, nopuca zizinto esikhule zidlalwa nezifuna ukuqiniswa kakhulu nazo. Andingeke ndilale kakuhle xa ndingaphindanga ndithi kwisebe lakho, namabala egalufu makubekho indlela yokuba abantwana bethu bakwazi ukufikelela kuwo. Okwangoku asengena oongxowa-nkulu bodwa. Izikolo ezininzi ezingenamabala ebhola mazijongwe nazo ukuze zixhamle kwezi nkqubo zikarhulumente. I-UDM iyaluxhasa olu Hlahlo-lwabiwo-mali. Enkosi. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)

[Chairperson, rugby is not being promoted enough in rural areas or in the villages. I am from Pondoland, and service delivery is very slow down there. I do not know, Minister, or Deputy Minister, whether our bad luck stems from the fact that we are people who eat pork and traditional food, hence good things take too long to reach us. There are many children with skills that need to be developed in rural areas. It is very painful when you see them fashioning a ball out of cloth, because they want something to play with.

Minister, activities such as skipping and a game called puca, that we grew up playing, also need to be promoted. I will not have done my job if I do not put it to your department, again, that golf courses should also be made accessible to our children. At the moment, they are exclusively used by capitalists. Attention should also be paid to schools that have no playing fields, in order for them to benefit from government programmes. The UDM supports the budget. Thank you.]

Mr P M JACOBS (Western Cape): Chairperson, Deputy Minister, hon members, the Council, I’m pleased to participate in this debate, in support of this Budget Vote.

Sport and Recreation plays an important role in our country and endeavours to achieve the key strategic objectives of bringing a better life to all our people and creating a society that is nonracial, nonsexist, united and prosperous.

The role that Sport and Recreation plays to bring about social cohesion is well spoken of, and our attempts to build this society are there for for all to witness.

However, the importance of Sport and Recreation to bring about prosperity and economic development is at times not properly articulated. The contribution that major sporting events make to tourism and economic development can be illustrated by the organisation of the hosting of the upcoming Tri-Nations Rugby tournament between South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The estimated revenue generated from ticket sales, entertainment, accommodation, transport and small businesses is over R70 million. The challenge we face is to ensure that this revenue and economic impact is felt by the broadest possible section of our community, particularly the previously disadvantaged, to fight poverty and create employment.

The hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup must ensure that we deal with this very important challenge.

Yesterday, 11 June 2007, marked three years to the official opening ceremony of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. In acknowledgement of this very important day, we hosted a 2010 conference to take stock of what we have achieved thus far and what critical challenges we need to address to ensure that we host a better World Cup.

The conference was informed by Tumi Makgabo of the Local Organising Committee, LOC, that already more that R3,2 billion in revenue from broadcasting and sponsorship deals had been received from only 10 of the 18 sponsors involved in the event. This clearly illustrates the economic impact that sport and recreation has on our society.

Our assessment indicates that we are on the correct path to ensure that we will be ready to make our contribution to the hosting of this great event. I want to agree with the Minister that the construction of the match venue, Green Point Stadium, is more than a month ahead of schedule and that it will be completed in time.

Notwithstanding the current legal challenges we are faced with, we are confident that together with the City of Cape Town we have done everything possible in terms of alternative sites and concluded that the stadium will be located in Green Point. And, Green Point Stadium will be the only stadium to host the Cape Town leg of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Good lessons to learn! That is the type of message we communicate during election campaigns. Some of us were forced and dragged to be part of the process, crying. We are extremely grateful for the conditional grants we received from the Department of Sport and Recreation. The grants we receive for both school sport and the Siyadlala MPPs contribute towards building both human and social capital. It is also contributing towards reviving sport and recreation in all our communities, particularly our rural communities.

Our primary aim is to use these programmes to divert our youth from social ills such as drug abuse, gangsterism and crime and to live a healthy lifestyle. Let me take this opportunity to support the call by hon member Tolo, to delink the sports facilities from the MIG funding.

Violence and bad behaviour have become a very serious problem in sport. This resulted in the tragic and untimely death of a young and promising rugby player, Riaan Loots.

To address this problem the province will launch a campaign that will identify the root causes of this problem and begin to deal with it decisively. The Riaan Loots Violence-free Sports Campaign is aimed at the eradication of violence on the field of play.

The campaign must result in a drastic change in the behaviour and attitude of our spectators and players alike and eradicate violence on the field of play completely. We have consulted with the Loots family and the Boland Rugby Union and want to thank them for their endorsement of the campaign.

We remain committed to ensuring that sport and recreation play a meaningful role towards the achievement of the strategic goals we have alluded to earlier. The Western Cape supports the Budget Vote. Thank you.

Mr M A SULLIMAN: Thank you, House Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister. Today I would like to take the opportunity to speak about some issues that have made headlines in Sport and Recreation since we met last year to discuss the department’s Budget Vote. I want to talk first about the matter of transformation in sport.

At the finals of the Rugby World Cup in 1995, former President Nelson Mandela made a speech, which focused on the fact that we must use sport to unify our country. Indeed, this has been echoed by many other leaders since. The question, however, remains: How far are we really? What progress, if any, did we make over the last decade?

The Minister of Labour in his department’s Budget Vote debate in the NA last year spoke of affirmative action. The hon Minister said that he wanted to use the Afrikaans term, by saying “regstellende aksie”. Ons maak net reg. [Affirmative action. We are only putting matters right.]

If one looks at the same issue in sport, I want to ask our Minister: Wanneer gaan ons regmaak in sport? [When are we going to put matters right in sport?]

While many talented young black players are left sitting on the sideline at stadiums, sports journalists wrote sterling reviews of a player like Kabamba Floors. Jake White decided to overlook him. A very good rugby player like Gcobani Bobo finally became the captain of our national seven’s team. It’s just a pity that this team is regarded as a developmental team. How long do our black players have to be in a developmental team before they can ascend to a national team?

I don’t even want to talk about our cricket team, the Proteas. I am sure that South African cricket supporters are not really angry because the team has lost. They are angry because we lost due to an extremely dismal performance by players who were supposed to carry out the aspirations of our nation.

Hon Minister, I would like to know why some black players must be given only two matches to prove themselves, while a white player can make all the mistakes that he wants to make, with full impunity and keeps his place in the team. Roger Telemachus became the most highly paid water caddy when he was relegated to this duty during the recent Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. Loots Bosman remarked to a radio station after the return of the team that he never dreamt that he would get a free Caribbean holiday and also get paid to go on the holiday.

What an insult when Proteas Captain Graham Smith told reporters at the O R Tambo International Airport that the team just needed a good spinner. Wasn’t that why they picked Robin Petersen? Just because he wasn’t as economical in the two matches as we had hoped, does that mean he was utterly useless? Why then are other white players with more desperate performances allowed to remain in the team?

I know we are not gathered here today to discuss the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill but please allow me to tell the hon Minister that we are in agreement regarding the importance of the aim of that particular Bill. In the words of the hon Komphela, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Sport in the NA:

It will indeed be a sad day when this institution finds it necessary to impose such sanctions on our sporting federations but we also find it absolutely necessary to do so for transformation can no longer be made a fool of.

The sports tourism project launched at the SA Tourism Indaba in Durban last year was driven by the main aim to exploit the substantial benefits that the tourism industry presents for job creation in our country. It combines a Veza route finder tool developed by the CSIR with sports information, enabling users to plan attendance at sports events, including venues, booking of accommodation and selecting restaurants and other tourist attractions in the vicinity of the venue or elsewhere in the country.

Voorsitter, ons waardeer die poging van die RGN, en hul innovasie het regtig gemaak dat Suid-Afrika baie ver kon kom in wetenskaplike uitvindings. Maar Minister, ek het twee moontlike probleemareas: Ons moet verder kyk as net die Veza-produk en begin om meer vindingryk te wees. Daar is baie geleenthede om sport en toerisme te kombineer en sodoende werk te skep. Miskien moet ons ’n ministeriële of interdepartementele taakspan saamstel om hierdie moontlikhede te verken.

Ons moet van die begin af seker maak dat ons nie te veel druk plaas op die 2010-Sokkerwêreldbeker nie. Ons moet nooit vergeet dat dit ’n Fifa- geleentheid is nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[Chairperson, we appreciate the efforts of the CSIR and their innovation has really enabled South Africa to make huge advances in the field of scientific inventions. However, Minister, I have two possible problem areas: We have to look further than just the Veza product and start being more resourceful. There are many opportunities to combine sport and tourism and, in so doing, create jobs. Perhaps we should get a ministerial or interdepartmental task team together to explore these possibilities.

We should, from the outset, ensure that we do not exert too much pressure on the 2010 Soccer World Cup. We should never forget that it is a Fifa occasion.]

I know that we have had a couple of problems with our major sporting codes with regard to poor performance, but we have to salute Bafana Bafana’s coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. It seems that his turnaround strategy is bearing fruit with our national soccer squad already having qualified for the African Cup of Nations. The Springboks have seemingly also shaken off the ills that have plagued them for some time now and they are also well on their way to the IRB Rugby World Cup in France later this year.

We would have failed in our duty if we did not recount the successes of our smaller sporting codes. In the last year Athletics SA and Swimming SA returned from the Commonwealth Games with 38 medals, including 12 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze – the best ever performance by a South African team.

Although I have a lot of appreciation for heroes like Roland Schoeman, Ryk Neethling and Gerhard Zandberg, we should not forget that others also made our country proud. Here, I would like to salute people like Bongani Mwelase, gold welterweight boxing; champion; Geraldine Pillay, silver in the 100m sprint; Jackson Chauke, silver in flyweight boxing, Khotso Mokoena, a silver in the triple jump; Troyden Prinsloo who got a bronze in 1 500m freestyle swimming – and others who have had great achievements.

I think the Minister mentioned the role of our sports departments in our respective provinces. I may be mistaken, but it looks like after the budget processes in the provinces, the left-over money goes to sport in our provinces. It looks as if it is the stepchild of the provinces. Maybe, hon Deputy Minister, at your next MinMec meeting with all the MECs, you need to put that on the agenda to be discussed and debated. There is a need for that. [Interjections.]

I really have to mention two extraordinary athletes, Natalie du Toit and Oscar Pistorius. They are two athletes who, despite their disabilities, are breaking records – even their own - every time they participate in their respective codes.

Pistorius was recently denied entry to a certain event, because of his disability. Two weeks later he broke the record achieved at the competition he was denied entry to. Indeed, a feat.

Natalie du Toit is currently rated as the fastest swimmer in the world. She also just completed the annual Robben Island Competition by swimming from Blouberg to Robben Island and back. These athletes should be held up as sterling examples for other people with physical disabilities. You can have a great achievement despite your handicap. Pistorius received national orders from President Thabo Mbeki last year when he was inducted into the Order of Ikhamanga for all his achievements and commitment.

Cassius Baloyi knocked Manuel Medina out in the eleventh round of the International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Organisation Junior Lightweight unification match, thereby claiming both titles.

In August 2006 the Cape Town-based cycling team CSC/CVT’s Abdelbasset Hannachi became the Arabian national road champion after winning the elite and under-23 elite races.

In August last year South Africa won the annual tri-nations canoeing competition in Australia, claiming both the male and female first places; a month later Shaun Rubenstein became the canoeing world champion when he won the men’s K1 World Championship race on the Dordogne River in Tremolat in France.

Who will forget how Giniel de Villiers took second place overall in last year’s Dakar rally. We can truly be proud of this South African.

Chairperson, the above achievements just show that our minor sporting codes are not totally at a loss and are in the shadow of rugby, cricket and soccer. I think we can substantially increase the list of achievements, if we look at a way to seek better funding for these codes. These codes are also much further along in some regards, as far as transformation and development of black athletes are concerned, and are therefore worthy of ministerial intervention, if need be. With these few words, we in the ANC support this Vote. Enkosi. [Applause.]

Die ADJUNKMINISTER VAN SPORT EN ONTSPANNING: Agb Van Heerden, u praat van die Comrades-marathon en van twee ander marathons wat plaasgevind het. U sê dat die regering daarin ingemeng het. Ek wil vir u vra: U moet asseblief vir my bewyse bring en wys waar die Minister of Adjunkminister van Sport en Ontspanning hulle hieroor uitgespreek het. Dit is ’n saak wat objektief hanteer is deur Atletiek SA.

Hulle het, volgens my inligting, baie wyd gekonsulteer en die essensie van die argument wat hulle na vore gebring het – soos ek dit verstaan – is dat die jeug gesê het dat hulle ook aan die Comrades-marathon en ander marathons deelneem. Die Comrades begin vyfuur in die oggend en maak ongeveer vyfuur in die middag klaar. Dit weerhou die jeug daarvan om te gaan deelneem aan die feesdagvieringe van 16 Junie. Wil julle nie asseblief konsulteer en ook die kerkgemeenskap betrek nie, wat hulle inderdaad gedoen het?

Nou kom die agb lid en hy praat oor rugby en sokker. Ek het hulle ook die vraag gevra, en Atletiek SA se antwoord hierop was eenvoudig: Rugby is ’n 80-minute spel en sokker 90-minute en dit vind gewoonlik in die middag plaas. Niks weerhou die jeug daarvan om in die oggend te gaan deelneem aan hul aktiwiteite en dan in die middag te gaan deelneem aan die sokker of rugby nie.

Ek gee u die antwoord. Dis nie die ministerie wat dit uitgedink het nie. Dis nie ons wat die opdrag gegee het dat die Comrades geskuif moet word nie. Dit is ’n onafhanklike federasie, maar wat u vir my vra, is dit: Meng in en verander dit. U wil dit hê. Dis wat u vir my sê. U vra vir my om in te meng en dit te verander. Ons gaan nie inmeng nie. Los die onafhanklike federasie dat hy op sy eie pad aangaan. Ek sal u vir tee nooi, agb Van Heerden, en aan u die verskil tussen “interfere” en “intervention” verduidelik.

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: Is die agb Minister bereid om ’n vraag te beantwoord? (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Hon Van Heerden, you mentioned the Comrades Marathon and two other marathons that took place. You stated that the government had interfered. I want to ask you: You must please provide me with proof and point out where the Minister or the Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation pronounced themselves on this matter. It is a matter that was handled objectively by Athletics SA. They, according to my information, consulted widely and the essence of the argument that they brought to the fore – as I understood it – is that the youth stated that they also wanted to participate in the Comrades Marathon and other marathons. The Comrades starts at five o’ clock in the morning and ends at about five o’ clock in the afternoon. This prevents the youth from participating in the Youth Day celebrations of 16 June. Wouldn’t you please consult and also involve the church community? Indeed this was done.

And now the hon member comes along and talks about rugby and soccer. I have also asked them the question and the response from Athletics SA was simple: Rugby is an 80-minute game and soccer a 90-minute game and normally takes place in the afternoon. Nothing is stopping the youth from participating in the Youth Day activities in the morning and then participating in soccer and rugby in the afternoon.

I am giving you the answer. It is not the Ministry that thought out the answer. We did not give the instruction that the date of the Comrades should be moved. They are an independent federation, but what you are asking me, is this: Interfere and change it. You want that! That is what you are telling me! You are asking me to interfere and have it changed. We are not going to interfere! Leave the independent federation to follow their own path. I shall invite you for a cup of tea, hon Van Heerden, and explain the difference between “interfere” and “intervention”.

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: Is the hon Minister prepared to answer a question?]

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Chair, I am quite prepared, but it has to be an intelligent question. [Laughter.]

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: I will ask an intelligent question provided that the reply given by the hon Deputy Minister is also intelligent.

Agb mnr Oosthuizen, sou u bereid wees om in te meng of te “interfere” ten opsigte van die herstel van die vryheid van mense om hulle sportdae te reël soos hulle wil? Is u bereid om dit te doen?

Die ADJUNKMINISTER VAN SPORT EN ONTSPANNING: Ek het die vraag gehoor en ek sal u antwoord. Die vraag is, indien ek u reg verstaan, of ek bereid is om in te meng in ’n onafhanklike sportfederasie om ’n status quo wat u graag herstel wil hê, dienooreenkomstig te herstel? Die antwoord is kategories “nee”. Ek is nie bereid om ’n wet wat ek ondersteun te saboteer nie.

U is ’n advokaat van beroep. Gaan lees klousule 13 van die wet, waarin ons spesifiek belet word om in te meng in die kies van ’n sportspan. Hy belet ons om by die daaglikse bedrywighede van ’n sportfederasie in te meng. Trouens, ons mag ons nie uitspreek daaroor nie. Ek respekteer dit absoluut. Ek is dus nie bereid om in te meng, net om sekere groeperings tevrede te stel nie en daarmee ’n wet in die land te verbreek nie. Hoegenaamd nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[Hon Mr Oosthuizen, would you be prepared to interfere in respect of the restoration of the freedom of people to arrange their sports days as they please? Are you prepared to do that?

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: I have heard the question and will answer you. The question is, according to my understanding, whether I am prepared to interfere with an independent sports federation to have the status quo you so dearly wish to have restored, restored accordingly. The answer is categorically “no”. I am not prepared to sabotage an Act that I support.

You are an advocate by profession. Refer to clause 13 of the Act that specifically prevents us from interfering in the selection of a sports team. It prevents us from interfering with the day-to-day activities of a sports federation. In fact, we may not pronounce on the matter. I respect that absolutely. I am thus not prepared to interfere just to satisfy certain groupings and thereby break a law of the country. Absolutely not!]

The hon MEC of the Eastern Cape, thank you so much for a very good contribution. I would like to wish those children going to the Gymnastrada in Austria all the best. We are proud of the 571 that will be representing our country at that wonderful spectacle in Austria and we are looking forward to them coming back.

The hon member of the UDM: Thank you for your support for mass participation and school sport. May I just point out, hon member, that equipment will forever be a challenge in this country. We are a developmental state. We know the challenge we have. We will never have enough money. If, in my lifetime, we have enough money to address the lack of facilities and equipment for our children to make sure that they all start from the same starting line in this country, I will die a happy man. Then we would have truly transformed this country. I don’t foresee that we will have enough money for now.

The MEC from the Western Cape: Thank you so much for the positive sentiments about sports tourism. Hon member, we can never emphasise the importance of sports tourism and sustainable job creation enough. We should adopt an acronym that is used by a world organisation, and that is STEP: Sustainable tourism eradicating poverty. We would do well to heed that call and to be vigorous about it and not to apologise if we have to intervene to make sure that we reap the fruits and benefits of that.

Hon Sulliman from De Aar, thank you so much. I agree with you. Sport must be used to unite our people. I am on record personally for pronouncing in my budget speech in the NA on our cricket players that went to the West Indies. It is sad. I said it then and I am saying it here again. It is sad that some of our players were turned into spectators. It is very sad and I don’t think that is the way that one should deal with players, nor is that the way one should approach transformation and the whole topic of transformation.

I will refrain, because I am not prepared to contravene a Bill that has to be passed by this hon House. It was passed in the NA. I will not pronounce names or coaches or teams, except to say: The Bill that we are talking about became necessary because federations, 15 years after unification in sport, 13 years after democracy has dawned in our country, made it necessary for us to come and say: We will now have to intervene where necessary. [Interjections.]

We have to resist the course of interference from the opposition. [Interjections.] I never thought the day would come where in this august House, two opposition parties from diverse angles would call on me to interfere. I will not interfere. I will not interfere but we will intervene.

Lastly, hon Sulliman, I agree with you: The budget for sport and recreation is too small but the trend is growing. Since 2004, when the Minister of Sport, Mfundisi Stofile, and I were afforded the privilege of being redeployed to these positions, the budget for sport has started to grow and is still growing. When you look at the MTEF, we can only hope and trust that the provinces will heed our call.

I conclude by saying: Sport must foster social cohesion. The challenge to us all, irrespective of our political orientation, is to make every child in this country walk tall; to make every parent in this country proud; to make all of us as South Africans proud – united in our diversity. I thank you for a good debate. [Applause.]

Debate concluded.

The Council adjourned at 16:42. _______

            ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS


                        MONDAY, 11 JUNE 2007

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

The Speaker and the Chairperson

1. Classification of Bills by Joint Tagging Mechanism

(1)     The Joint Tagging Mechanism, in terms of Joint Rule 160(6),
     classified the following Bills as section 75 Bills:


     (a)     Co-operative Banks Bill [B 13 – 2007] (National Assembly –
         sec 75).


     (b)     Astronomy Geographic Advantage Bill [B 17 – 2007] (National
         Assembly – sec 75).

TABLINGS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson

 The Speaker and the Chairperson, on 30 May 2007, called a Joint
 Sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces,
 as follows:

               CALLING OF JOINT SITTING OF PARLIAMENT

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms B Mbete, and the Chairperson
of the National Council of Provinces, Mr M J Mahlangu, in terms of
Joint Rule 7 (2), have called a Joint Sitting of the Houses of
Parliament for Thursday, 14 June 2007 at 14:00 in order for His
Excellency, J Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo to
address the Joint Sitting.

_______________________                  ________________________
B MBETE, MP                              M J MAHLANGU, MP
SPEAKER OF THE                           CHAIRPERSON OF THE
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY                                             NATIONAL
                                               COUNCIL OF

                                                               PROVINCES


                        TUESDAY, 12 JUNE 2007

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

The Speaker and the Chairperson

1. Introduction of Bills Please note: The following item amends the entry “Introduction of Bills” (English text), published on page 1027 of the Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports of 7 June 2007:

 (1)    The Minister of Finance


      a) Taxation Laws Amendment Bill [B 18 – 2007].


     Introduction in the National Assembly (proposed sec 77) and
     referral to the Portfolio Committee on Finance of the National
     Assembly, as well as referral to the Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM)
     for classification in terms of Joint Rule 160, on 7 June 2007.


     In terms of Joint Rule 154 written views on the classification of
     the Bill may be submitted to the JTM within three parliamentary
     working days.


      b) Taxation Laws Second Amendment Bill [B 19 – 2007] [Explanatory
         summary of Bill and prior notice of its introduction published
         in Government Gazette No 29961 of 1 June 2007].


     Introduction in the National Assembly (proposed sec 75) and
     referral to the Portfolio Committee on Finance of the National
     Assembly, as well as referral to the Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM)
     for classification in terms of Joint Rule 160, on 7 June 2007.


     In terms of Joint Rule 154 written views on the classification of
     the Bill may be submitted to the JTM within three parliamentary
     working days. 2.    Translation of Bill submitted

Please note: The following item amends the entry “Translation of Bill
submitted”, published on page 1027 of the Announcements, Tablings and
Committee Reports of 7 June 2007:


 a) umThetho Oyilwayo Wenkampani Yeehambo Zomoya [Um 35B – 2006]
    (National Assembly –sec 75).

     This is the official translation into isiXhosa of the South
     African Airways Bill [B 35B – 2006] (National Assembly – sec 75).

1. Membership of Committees

 (a)    The following changes have been made to the membership of Joint
    Committees:

    Budget
    Appointed:       Stephens, Adv J J M

    Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women
    Appointed:     Vos, Ms S C (Alt); Zikalala, Ms C N Z