National Council of Provinces - 20 May 2010
THURSDAY, 20 MAY 2010 __
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
____
The Council met at 14:00.
The House Chairperson (Mr R J Tau) took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS – see col 000.
NOTICES OF MOTION
Mr Z MLENZANA: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that I will move:
That the Council –
1) notes with interest that the coming by-election in Ward 44,
Gugulethu, in the Western Cape is a mere test of strength between
the ANC and the DA;
2) further notes that Cope has taken a decision not to participate in
these by-elections, despite calls from the ruling party that Cope
should participate so as to split votes, which would give the
ruling party space to win; and
3) therefore hopes that the best party wins and acknowledges that Cope
will not persuade its members and supporters towards either side.
Qhude maniniki, zindala zombini, zoqhudelana, thina siyiCope sodl’ efileyo. [Go ahead and fight to the death. We as Cope will celebrate with whoever wins.][Interjections.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): Order, order, hon members!
Mrs E C VAN LINGEN: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that I will move:
That the Council –
1) notes that the department of transport in the Eastern Cape has
fallen behind in the apartheid dispensation with road maintenance,
especially in the Ciskei and Transkei;
2) further notes that all rural economic development projects are
doomed if the road links are not maintained and social, health and
police services will not be provided to rural communities and
education would also be adversely affected due to road conditions;
and
3) calls on the Minister to review the equitable share model for
transport for the province and to adjust the current formula of the
equitable share for roads to address the conservative estimate of
maintenance backlogs of R18 billion.
SIX-YEAR-OLD GIRL LOCKED AWAY FOR OVER THREE YEARS
(Draft Resolution)
Ms M P THEMBA: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
1) notes with absolute shock and dismay reports of a six-year-old girl
who was tied up and locked away for over three years;
2) further notes that both parents of the girl have since been
arrested and that she was taken into protective custody by social
welfare;
3) takes this opportunity to express its profound appreciation to the
community for reporting this blatant violation and abuse of such a
young life, who is most likely going to suffer lifelong trauma and
scars and calls on parents to ensure that they seek help for
children who suffer from any mental or physical disabilities rather
than locking them behind closed doors; and
4) calls on the departments responsible for social welfare and
development and the rights of children to launch robust campaigns
that will educate our people about assistance available for
children with disabilities and those needing physiological
assistance.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
MBULAENI MULAUDZI’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL VICTORY IN IAAF WORLD CHALLENGE
(Draft Resolution)
Mr W F FABER: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
1) notes that Mbulaeni Mulaudzi secured his first international
victory of the season at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Daegu,
South Korea on Wednesday, where he won the men’s two-lap 800 metres
race in 1:45:01; and
2) conveys the message that South Africa is very proud of him and we
hope that ASA invests more in such talented athletes, with more
support, especially towards the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
UNIT FOR MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT TB PATIENTS TO BE BUILT
(Draft Resolution)
Ms M W MAKGATE: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
1) notes that the Department of Health has budgeted R14 million to
build a 40-bed multidrug-resistant, MDR, unit for TB patients and
establish a comprehensive support system that will ensure the
support of community-based management of the spread of multidrug-
resistant TB; and
2) takes this opportunity to welcome the province’s commitment to
improving the province’s TB cure rate and encourages communities
not to default on their medication until the completion of their
treatment period.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
ANC TO LAUNCH IMVUSELELO CAMPAIGN AT NATIONAL RALLY
(Draft Resolution)
Mr B L MASHILE: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council –
1) notes that the ANC will launch the Imvuselelo campaign at a
national ANC rally at KaMhlushwa Stadium in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga
this coming Sunday, 23 May 2010, under the theme “Building and
consolidating the unity of the Movement towards 2012”;
2) further notes that President Jacob Zuma will be the main speaker
during the rally where he will also welcome new and former members
of the ANC; and
3) takes this opportunity to call on all the people of Mpumalanga and
surrounding areas to join the ANC as it prepares for its 100-year
celebration since its establishment in 1912.
[Interjections.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): In the light of the objection, the motion may not be proceeded with. The motion without notice will become a notice of motion and will be printed in the next Order Paper.
CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT
(Draft Resolution)
The ACTING CHIEF WHIP OF THE COUNCIL (Mr S S Mazosiwe): Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council –
1) notes that a leading economist of the International Monetary Fund
or IMF, Abebe Selassie, has described South Africa as “a classic
case of a country building buffers in the good times and using
those buffers when the crisis hits”, predicting three per cent
growth in the country’s economy this year;
2) takes this opportunity to welcome this important recognition by the
IMF of the ANC government’s good leadership during the recent
global financial crisis; and
3) acknowledges that this is yet another confirmation that the country
has, for the past 16 years of constitutional democratic rule, been
in capable hands under the ANC.
[Interjections.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): In the light of the objection, the motion may not be proceeded with. The motion without notice will become a notice of motion and will be printed in the next Order Paper.
NEWLY APPOINTED ADMINISTRATOR OF NALA MUNICIPALITY UNDERMINING NCOP
RESOLUTION
(Draft Resolution)
Mr D V BLOEM: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council –
1) notes that the newly appointed administrator of Nala Municipality
in the Free State is undermining a resolution by this Council,
namely -
a) that he immediately review the appointment of a very
controversial municipal manager, who was also the Chief
Financial Officer, CFO of this municipality; and
b) that serious allegations of corruption and fraud are being
investigated against him; and
2) calls on Minister Shiceka to immediately act against the
administrator and remove the Nala Municipality manager immediately.
[Interjections.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): In light of the objection, the motion may not be proceeded with. The motion without notice will become a notice of motion and will be printed in the next Order Paper. Order, hon members!
FARMS PURCHASED THROUGH LAND BANK NOT PRODUCTIVE AND EMERGING FARMERS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE
Mr D A WORTH: Chairperson, I move without notice: That the Council –
1) notes that in a reply to a written question, the Minister of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries stated that there are 98 farms
purchased through the Land Bank in the Free State province alone,
which are not productive;
2) acknowledges that this shocking state of affairs must be rectified
to ensure food security for South Africa’s growing population; and
3) calls for technical support and training to be given to assist
emerging farmers who are eager and serious about farming and do not
merely wish to possess ground.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): Is there any objection to the motion? Can you lift up your hand, hon member, so that I can see you?
In light of the objection, the motion may not be proceeded with. The motion without notice will become a notice of motion and will be printed in the next Order Paper.
READINESS OF DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS TO DEAL WITH INFLUX OF SOCCER FANS
(Draft Resolution)
Ms B V MNCUBE: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
1) notes the declaration of readiness by the Department of Home
Affairs to issue free visas to thousands of soccer fans expected to
visit the country next month for the 2010 Fifa World Cup that kicks
off on 11 June 2010;
2) further notes that the Department of Home Affairs has already
issued 3 500 work permits to Fifa employees, delegations and teams;
3) acknowledges that the department has also placed airline liaison
officers at various airports to help clear passengers and enable
the police to screen visitors long before they arrive; and
4) takes this opportunity to congratulate the Department of Home
Affairs and all the outstanding compatriots who are working
tirelessly to make sure that our nation is ready. Feel it, it is
here! Ke nako!
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution. POWER SUPPLY TO CHRIS HANI BARAGWANATH HOSPITAL IN SOWETO DISRUPTED
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M W MAKHUBELA: Chairperson, I move without notice: That the Council -
1) notes with dismay that the power supply to Chris Hani Baragwanath
Hospital in Soweto has been disrupted for two days because of cable
theft;
2) further notes that the problem of cable theft is a perennial
problem with very serious consequences for our institutions and our
economy; and
3) urges government to forbid any trade in any cables and to
effectively police both the buyers as well as the suppliers so that
transgressors can be brought to book.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
DEATH OF SIX BABIES AT CHARLOTTE MAXEKE JOHANNESBURG ACADEMIC HOSPITAL
(Draft Resolution)
Mr S D MONTSITSI: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council –
1) notes the passing on of the six babies at Charlotte Maxeke Academic
Hospital in Johannesburg, Gauteng on Tuesday, 17 May 2010;
2) supports the initiatives taken by the office of the MEC, Ms Qedani
Mahlangu, to investigate this unfortunate incident; and
3) conveys its condolences to members of the families.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
MAYOR OF MOPANI IN LIMPOPO GIVES SCHOOL UNIFORMS TO POOR LEARNERS
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M H MOKGOBI: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council –
1) notes the show of goodwill and gesture of humanity displayed by the
district executive of the Mopani District Municipality in Limpopo,
mayor Joshua Matlou, who handed school uniforms to 220 poor pupils
from 11 schools in the Mopani district;
2) further notes that the majority of the learners were from poor and
unemployed households and some from child-headed households; and
3) takes this opportunity to extend its profound appreciation to the
district mayor for his gesture of goodwill and commitment to
increase the municipality’s annual bursary scheme from R500 000 to
R1 million in the next financial year.
[Interjections.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): In the light of the objection the motion may not be proceeded with. Therefore the motion without notice will become a notice of motion.
SEARCH FOR FISHERMEN
(Draft Resolution)
Mnr C J DE BEER: Voorsitter, ek doen die volgende voorstel sonder kennisgewing:
Dat die Raad — 1) kennis neem dat agb Sylvia Lucas – LUR vir Omgewingsake en Natuurbewaring in die Noord-Kaap – die polisie van Hondeklipbaai, die watereenheid van die polisie in Upington, sowel as die maritieme-eenheid in Kaapstad, sedert gistermiddag betrokke was by ’n soektog wat geloods is na vissermanne wat 15 km die see ingevaar het nadat die wind hulle daar ingedryf het;
2) kennis neem dat hulle ’n uur gelede, 26 km suid van Hondeklipbaai,
gevind is;
3) sy dank uitspreek teenoor die rolspelers wat gehelp het om hierdie
mense aan wal te bring. (Translation of Afrikaans draft resolution follows.)
[Mr C J DE BEER: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council –
1) notes that the hon Sylvia Lucas, MEC for environmental affairs and
tourism in the Northern Cape, the police of Hondeklip Bay, the
water unit of the police in Upington, as well as Cape Town’s
maritime unit have been involved in a search for fishermen which
was launched yesterday afternoon, after a wind had pushed them some
15 km out into the ocean;
2) further notes that one hour ago they were found, 26 km south of
Hondeklip Bay; and
3) expresses its gratitude to the role-players for assisting in
bringing these people back to shore.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
STUDENT MIDWIFE ASSISTS COMMUTER WITH BIRTH OF HER CHILD
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M J R DE VILLIERS: Chairperson, I hereby move without notice:
That the Council -
1) notes the brave and quick thinking of Susan Hendricks, a student
midwifery nurse when she helped a woman, Nopinki Ntshono, with her
sudden labour of her child in a Bellville taxi rank;
2) further notes that she immediately assured the dignity and privacy
of the woman from the peeping eyes of the bystanding commuters by
asking other women to form a circle around her;
3) acknowledges that Nopinki Ntshono successfully delivered her baby
and could then go to a hospital for further medical assistance; and
4) recognises the brave and unconditional service of Susan Hendricks
who saved the lives of the mother and child and thanks her very
much for this deed.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
MALADMINISTRATION IN ANC CAUCUS
(Draft Resolution)
Mr O DE BEER: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council –
1) notes with immense concern and total dissatisfaction that there are
numerous rumblings within the ANC caucus stemming from unilateral
action of the leadership of the Whippery, enormous amounts of money
unaccounted for from the caucus fund, and secretaries who were
unceremoniously and unexpectedly fired from their jobs;
2) further notes that the report on the monies gone missing has not
been dealt with transparently and that no statement of
clarification has been made as ought to have happened in a
constitutional democracy; and
3) therefore challenges the government not to try and bury any
maladministration, fraud or crime perpetrated by its leaders, but
in the spirit of the Constitution to deal with the issues frankly,
openly and ethically to keep the trust of South Africa.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): Thank you very much, hon member. Is there any objection to the motion? In the light of the objection, the motion may not be proceeded with. The motion without notice will become a notice of motion. Thank you very much, hon members.
APPROPRIATION BILL
(Policy debate)
Vote No 19-Sport and Recreation:
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Chairperson, molweni maMpondo [greetings to you, Mpondos], Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation director-general, members of this august Council, MECs from the various provinces, hon members, when we are not here, Gert and I always skinder [gossip] about the NCOP.
What we say is that it always exhibits the fact that members of this House are direct representatives from the provinces. Debates here are always marked by empirical evidence that is always evinced during those debates. I am absolutely thrilled to have been scheduled on a date when I could personally be here again.
South Africa and the world will never forget their exhilaration when on 15 May 2004 the Fifa President, Mr Blatter, announced that South Africa would be hosting the World Cup in 2010. However, immediately after that exhilaration, South Africa was inundated by a chorus of cynics and malcontents, from within South Africa as well as abroad, who already prognosticated the fact that the World Cup was not likely to take place in South Africa.
The Plan B prophets of doom and securocrats, who appointed themselves as experts on our expertise on security matters, had started the lobbying from Australia in the south, right up to Canada in the north, and across to the USA and Western Europe. They were trying to lobby other countries to take over the hosting of this very important event.
Of course, they all failed because, on the basis of scientific and empirical evidence, Fifa was not convinced. Furthermore, other nations that have always been on our side refused to be lobbied into these negative initiatives.
The question in 2010, just three weeks before the biggest event in the world takes place, is: Which buzz is bigger - the buzz of 15 May 2004, or the one of May 2010? Which one is of a better quality? I leave that to the members to ponder on the basis of empirical evidence.
One thing is for sure, hosting the 2010 World Cup infused our people with invigorated enthusiasm for their nationhood. It has also unleashed a kind of energy we have not seen before – that of wanting to be part of the building of that nationhood. We have seen the fulfilment of what our leaders have said – the 21st century will, indeed, unfold as the African century.
The Fifa World Cup presents us with the golden opportunity - and I have said this before - of hosting this prestigious event. This golden opportunity is not likely to be repeated during the lifetime of any of us in this Chamber. It presents us with an opportunity to market ourselves as a people, a country, a continent and as legitimate members of the international family of nations.
It presents us with an opportunity to remove Afro-pessimism and replace it with confidence in ourselves as a people and in our country as a possible place for investment. It presents us with an opportunity to broaden tourism opportunities and also to strengthen the preference of those who want to build the economy of the world through us. The South African economy and tourism are already recipients of this great initiative.
In 2009, when we went for the Confederations Cup, many cynics were already pontificating on what should be done to avert a crisis. But by the time they left our shores they were all looking forward to the World Cup in
- The reason is that the Confederations Cup opened a window of what we can be as a nation. The Confederations Cup also showcased what this nonracial nation that we have been speaking about can really do for the rest of the world.
The President attested to what the 2010 World Cup does for the government and the people and South Africa. He mentioned the hard work that we had to endure; the fruits that are now visible in the form of the beautiful stadia that everybody sees at home and on international television networks, the beautiful roads and the transport systems that have been refurbished or introduced to provide a better mode of transport for our communities.
The President also alluded to the upgrading of airports and airstrips, communication systems and a whole range of infrastructure. We can also allude to the local turfs that we have cultivated and continue to cultivate, as well as the various initiatives that we will refer to just now. The 2010 World Cup has also introduced our children to other people; the culture and language of other people; and the flags and the national anthems of South Africa and those of other countries of the world. Indeed, it has inculcated a spirit of internationalism and nonracialism. It has also done much to banish xenophobic attitudes. I will not mention the cynics that accompanied us all these seven years; I think that is common knowledge.
I would now like to get to what we are doing as a department, over and above the co-ordination of all the initiatives of preparing for the 2010 World Cup. Our people must just open their hearts and hands, take out their pots and plates, and get ready to welcome the world. Our people can do this either with a “smiley” [a cooked sheep’s head] here or a hushpuppy [trotters] there, boerewors or the skilpadjies [liver wrapped in fat] of the Northern Cape, and so on. All of those dishes will excite our visitors because they don’t have them in their countries.
Our fundamental responsibility continues to be part of the national agenda of reconstruction and development – an agenda which seeks to attain a transformed South Africa. This would be a South Africa that has been articulated by most of us in our dreams and currently in our programme.
I have said before that there is not one South African that I know of who is opposed to the agenda of transforming South Africa into a nonracial, democratic, nonsexist, prosperous and peaceful country. Not one of us has ever articulated opposition to this agenda. Even with regard to those who are sometimes labelled as right-wing, when it comes to the nature of the society that we want to establish, they don’t disagree on this issue. What we disagree on is, of course, the modus operandi. How do we get there? How do we achieve this nonracist and democratic South Africa?
As the ANC, we have consistently said that it is not going to happen of its own volition. It has to be assisted through the intervention of the state, hence we came up with the concept of a developmental state.
Chairperson, I am sure that when you read your newspapers this morning you would have been surprised and encouraged to see that Chancellor Merkel of the German Republic is reported to have announced yesterday that Germany is sick and tired of being pontificated to by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, which has been giving us the impression for all these years that market forces will intervene in these things and that they can correct themselves. Merkel says Germany will regulate the economy because market forces driven by profit motives are not able to effect changes; they are not able to introduce sustainable communities.
I am excited that such a strong leader from Western Europe is reiterating what we have been saying for so many years, and nobody would listen to us. We have to intervene because it is not by accident that many parts of our country continue to be deprived of certain amenities and facilities, and you will hear more about this today. Everybody would have seen this, especially the hon members coming from the provinces.
This is not by accident. It is a direct product and legacy of a number of Acts. One of them that I always refer to is the separate amenities Act, which was based on the Group Areas Act which, in turn, was based on the Population Registration Act, and so on. These disparities are the product of a deliberate programme of distorted planning and distorted access to resources. It is common knowledge that our communities continue to be in that distorted order even today.
It is also common knowledge, as Chancellor Merkel would agree, that unless we deracialise and regulate the ownership of the means of production or the ownership of the economy, it is not going to happen overnight. We have to make sure that in education, health, housing, etc, money is made available.
However, we also have to make sure that, in terms of sports facilities and amenities, there is a special dedicated fund to do that or it’s not going to happen. We do not have the bank account that the Ford Motor Company had to build the Ford stadium in New Brighton. We don’t have the bank account which General Motors, Mercedes Benz and all these private sector companies had to build the facilities that we have, albeit in a distorted way.
Facilities that are located in a distorted way were not necessarily built by government, even under the old order. They were built by the so-called patriotic businesspeople. So we must make a call to the patriotic businesspeople of the current juncture to make a contribution in this respect.
We are not complaining as if nothing is being done in this respect. A number of partners have been able to assist us to make do with the small budget that we get from Parliament in terms of building facilities, something which Gert will be elaborating on just now. We make do by stretching the little bit that we have together with other state departments like, for example, Health, Education, Social Development, Correctional Services, and so on. We must continue to lobby for more assistance.
In the past five years we have been reporting on the growth of the mass participation programme. We are satisfied that participation of our people in sport has improved. This is not my view, but that of the researchers of both the Centre for Information Systems Research, CISR, as well as the University of Pretoria. It has improved precisely because of our efforts in mass participation.
With regard to that, however, we have had to deal with the issue of developing that to a higher level because they can’t just remain at a recreational level. Our people must also be part and parcel of the elite performance in all spheres of sport. Our strategy, which was announced in May 2004, is that we should start with school sport. Thereafter we have to go to community sport and rebuild the clubs with the basis being the schoolkids, who will go across to community sport.
I’m glad that hon MEC Kgothule from the Free State is here to hear what I have to say. I dub him “the gold medallist” in the delivery of our programmes in the development of sport. [Applause.] I know that his neighbour from Gauteng will contest the fact that they were the first province to have the co-ordinating sports structure launched by me. That is true; however, Free State will also say that we allowed them to be the first even though we were ready ahead of them. So Gauteng leads and others must just follow.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to go to Gauteng to launch - the first in the country – a school sports co-ordinating structure. I don’t know how many people were there, but I know how enthusiastic and excited those people were. Again, MEC Kgothule, our congratulations to you and to Premier Ace Magashule for identifying you as MEC.
Communities in the Northern Cape continue to be plagued by the distances between places. One has to spend the whole day travelling from Kimberley to Upington. When one gets to Upington, one has to struggle to go back to Okiep and so on. But, nonetheless, they are doing a sterling job in terms of mobilisation and organisation. I have no doubt in my mind that the next school sports structure that we will put in place – no, it will not be the Western Cape – will be in the Northern Cape.
We want to make a call and a plea to all members of this august House to please go and help with the establishment of these structures. They are not going to be established by ghosts; they are going to be established by us in our communities and constituencies.
Our partners are also found outside state departments. They include the local authorities, international bodies like the European Union, UK Sport and the UN. Again, the Deputy Minister will talk about that.
All these partners have been able to release some funds for us to build facilities in areas like Ikhwezi in Jansenville, at Qunu in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality, Batho location in Mangaung Local Municipality, Winterveld in the City of Tshwane, Melville in KwaDukuza Local Municipality, Gamanamela in Polokwane Local Municipality, and Lekgalong village in Rustenburg Local Municipality. With the little that we have, we are making a difference in those communities who never had much development.
In Vhembe we have just opened the largest indoor sports facility which will focus on boxing and related activities. This facility is rated as the largest south of the Sahara. It is a very important facility for that community and we have no doubt that it is going to produce more champions than old man Baloyi is already producing.
We have 11 students who are studying for qualifications in physical education and sport administration in Cuba. They come from all nine provinces. We can only make a call to the provinces to make use of them when they graduate. Some of them will graduate this June. I know MEC Kgothule will definitely make use of them to assist in the implementation of the physical education programme that we introduced in 2005. This programme is not taking place in 2010 because nobody will do it. But this time there will some people to do it.
We have always reported in this House that we are meeting a brick wall with respect to accessing the municipal infrastructure grant, MIG. These provinces and the local authorities are stealing that grant. All of them will agree - they steal that grant. When there is pressure to pave the streets, human-resource-related issues, or electricity problems they go for the MIG. However, I can announce that, at least from the side of the National Lottery, we now have a Minister and a national chairperson who seem to be in tandem with us in trying to use those funds for national development strategies.
The MIG is an embarrassment because if one compares it with the Building for Sport and Recreation project, which was terminated in 2004, one will see that over four years we had built over 364 facilities. During the years of the MIG, we have only built 155 facilities.
We are agitating and lobbying for this august House to stand with us in insisting that the MIG be reverted to a poverty alleviation grant, just as the Building for Sport and Recreation grant was. We were able to manage the Building for Sport and Recreation project grant according to our prerogatives.
Our concern is also that sports facilities are not going to be sustainable without provinces and local municipalities budgeting for their maintenance when they are fully constructed. Even though we have the plans for everybody for whom we are building a facility, we also do need the provinces to make follow-ups on this.
In the field of sport and science, we must accede to the fact that gone are the days when you and I ran on the road, pulling a tractor tyre with two boulders in our hands, trying to be fit so that we could perform better. Today our children need proper scientific support and advice. To this end, we are strengthening that advisory service. We are not going to give those scientific support services but we will co-ordinate the scientists and institutions that have them for the purpose of providing those resources to our children. We pay the money, they provide the expertise.
To this end, we also pay for the Commonwealth Games. I heard somebody in the motions talking about the Commonwealth Games in India; we paid for that. We paid for the preparation, conditioning, transport and everything related to those games. All federations are recipients of that grant.
Chairperson, I have to report on Caster Semenya. I know you agree. Caster Semenya has been a model of what science can do in the field of sport. Instead of people talking in general terms, specialists say what needs to be done. I am glad to report that the third world war that we declared has been won. I know people don’t think there was a war. There has been a war for the last five months and we won 99% of the issues that we went to war for.
The last battle, which I have no doubt will be won in the next three weeks, is the announcement that Caster will go back to the track. [Applause.] Scientists in South Africa and abroad agree on what should be done and they will make an announcement in due course. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Mr S D MONTSITSI: Chairperson, I have a question. I am sure the Minister would like to take a question.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: No, I will not allow a question. Hon Minister, you can take your seat. Hon member, you can see the Minister privately and ask your question. [Applause.]
Ms M W MAKGATE: Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members in the House …
… a kwa tshimilogong ke tlhalose gore go na le dikgang tse Tona a di gatisitseng tse a di buileng mme jaaka modulasetilo wa komiti ke tlile go di gatelela le go feta. [… let me start by explaining that there are issues that the Minister spoke about and emphasised, and as the chairperson of the committee I’m going to overemphasise them.]
Today the Department of Sport and Recreation presents its Budget Vote, 22 days before the actual commencement of the first Fifa World Cup tournament on the African continent. It is time to welcome the world, time to do the Diski, time to fly the South African flag and blow vuvuzelas. Indeed, as Sepp Blatter, President of Fifa, said:
Plan A is South Africa; Plan B is South Africa and Plan C is South Africa.
Media suggestions were floating around that some countries were literally already standing by to take over this responsibility from us, since they were certain that we would fail to do the things Fifa required of us to ensure that the 2010 Soccer World Cup would take place in our country.
Certain desperate people went as far as to suggest a close proximity and correlation between the death of the AWB leader and the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. This reminded me of a similar technique used in the pre-1994 era, when the same AWB leader was given the freedom of Schweizer-Reneke by the AWB, and Comrade Joe Modise was given the freedom of Ipelegeng on 7 August 1993.
All the armed forces were deployed and the media galvanised by the anticipation of bloodshed, but this anticipation was unsuccessful, futile and worthless. These events confirmed that South Africans are peace-loving people.
Although South Africa has successfully hosted a number of events like the Rugby World Cup in 1995; the African Cup of Nations in 1996; the All Africa Games in 1999; and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, to mention but a few, the Fifa Soccer World Cup 2010 is clearly different. One needs to take domestic and international attention and interest into consideration.
More extensively, on the legacy issue it is worth noting that the economic legacy, according to the research by Grant Thornton, is that the 2010 Fifa World Cup will contribute R55,7 billion to the South African economy, generate about 450 000 jobs and contribute R19,3 billion in tax income to the government. There are also firm estimates that about 483 000 tourists will spend around R8,5 billion during their stay in South Africa.
The African economy in general will surely change in a more positive direction. It will display the continent’s positive values, and the world media will relay these values to the entire world in a way that will surely attract foreign investors to our continent.
Regarding mass participation, I’m happy that the Minister talked about this, but the time has arrived for all of us to scrutinise the impact and link of sports development, not only from a school sport and professional leagues perspective, but also from that of the broader principle agenda of transformation. This should occur through assessing the impact of programmes such as mass participation and sport support services.
We cannot shy away from asking the following: How is school sport linked to mass participation? What is this programme producing in terms of national goals? How is mass participation linked to rural activities? How is mass participation linked to high performance? How is mass participation linked to the production of professional players? Why do we struggle to replace players like Bryan Habana, Makhaya Ntini and Benni McCarthy on our national teams?
I’m raising these questions because the mass participation programme conditional grant allocation has increased at an annual rate of 45,1% between 2006-07 and 2009-10. This programme is the major consumer of the department’s budget.
The municipal infrastructure grant, MIG, is a consolidated grant mechanism incorporating various programmes which were managed by different departments and was targeted at the provision of municipal infrastructure. The primary aim of the MIG is purely to provide basic infrastructure for the poor and to all South Africans.
The introduction of the MIG in 2004 saw a sharp decline in the number of sport and recreation facilities implemented, compared to the period of the Building for Sport and Recreation Programme, BSRP.
In 2004-05, for example, under the Building for Sport and Recreation Programme, compared to the MIG, the following facilities were built: In 2003-04, the BSRP had 114 facilities and the MIG 0 facilities; in 2004-05, the BSRP had 109 and the MIG 0 facilities. Based on the above information, it can be deduced that sport and recreation is not well catered for through the MIG.
The MIG funds for public municipal infrastructure, which includes, amongst other things, public transport such as bus shelters, children’s facilities, cemeteries and local sport and recreation facilities are not adequate to address all these needs. However, the manner in which it is used prompts us to suggest that it be retrieved from the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
There are further constraints due to the fact that in terms of MIG policy, MIG funds can only be used for basic levels of service whilst most municipalities, except for some metropolitan and larger municipalities, do not have funds for intermediate and higher-level services, which are necessary for the development of sport.
The MIG funds are also only for services to the poor. Areas which are classified as not poor, but which may not have access to sport and recreation facilities have to source alternative funding. This funding is currently nonexistent, except in some metropolitan municipalities and provincial departments that receive allocations for sport and recreation facilities from their provincial treasuries. It is therefore evident that the sport and recreation facilities backlog, which is estimated at R14 billion, will not be met unless a different approach is employed in this country.
Mind you, the facilities co-ordination programme receives an allocation of R6,6 million. According to the annual report, some of the money in this programme is used for the compensation of departmental employees and other personnel-related costs. This obviously indicates the long way we still have to go if we are to make significant changes in the provision of basic facilities for our children.
So, as members of this Council, it remains crucial that when we embark on our oversight role we consider the following: firstly, make practical follow-ups on the unsatisfactory revelations shared by the committee of public accounts in the annual report; secondly, conduct oversight on basic facilities built and upgraded to have first-hand evidence on public spending; thirdly, monitor the success and weaknesses of mass participation; and lastly, elaborate on an integrated and comprehensive antipoverty strategy, which addresses sections of the population most affected by the scourge of poverty such as youth, women, children, people living in informal settlements and people with disabilities. Ke Nako. [Now is the time.] Thank you. Ayoba!
Mr W F FABER: Chair, Minister, Deputy Minister, MEC Williams of the Northern Cape, and hon members, it is indeed a pleasure to announce that tomorrow we will be counting down the 21 days before the kickoff between South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and Mexico.
All the stadiums are ready and waiting for the biggest event ever held in this beautiful country of ours. I am sure that it is going to be a unique and spectacular event that the world has never seen before or expected from Africa, and in particular South Africa.
It is also a pleasure for Kimberley and its people to be able to host the Uruguayan soccer team; and we thank you, Minister, as well as our MEC, that you assisted us with that.
In die jaar dat Suid-Afrika die grootste skouspel ter wêreld, die Sokkerwêreldbekertoernooi, aanbied, is dit egter teleurstellend dat die departement wat ten nouste hierby betrokke is ’n gekwalifiseerde ouditverslag gekry het. Ons pluk nou die vrugte van die aanstel van persone wat nie bekwaam genoeg was vir hul poste nie.
Ek hoop dat die huidige direkteur-generaal, mnr Petersen, nie dieselfde fout sal maak as sy voorganger nie. Ek vertrou dat die nuwe aanstellings wat deur hom gemaak is, die gevolg sal hê dat die departement op die vorige gekwalifiseerde ouditverslag sal verbeter. Hoor jy, Freddie?
Die DA kan u verseker dat waar die DA in die Wes-Kaap regeer, hy hom nie sal skuldig maak aan wanpraktyke wat tot ’n gekwalifiseerde ouditverslag sal lei nie. Freddie, jy moet mooi luister. Na 2014 se nasionale verkiesing, sal die Noord-Kaap provinsie, waar die DA dan ook sal regeer, hom by die Wes-Kaap aansluit om goeie bestuurspraktyke te bevorder. [Tussenwerpsels.]
Voorsitter, een van die grootste tragedies wat hom ook hierdie afgelope jaar in sport afgespeel het, is die Caster Semenya-fiasko. Op ’n hartelose en onverantwoordelike wyse is een van ons mees belowende atlete se lewe, sowel as haar sportloopbaan, verwoes. Die optrede van mnr Chuene, die oud- president van Atletiek Suid-Afrika, ASA, en sy mede-raadslede was onaanvaarbaar.
Die DA is verlig dat die regering van hom en sy trawante ontslae geraak het, en dit na vele vrae aan die Minister deur die DA en druk van die publiek. Wanpraktyke in ASA vier ongelukkig steeds hoogty, en die DA is ook dan verheug dat die Suid-Afrikaanse Sportkonfederasie en Olimpiese Komitee, SASKOK, nou besluit het om die bedrywighede van ASA te ondersoek.
Die begroting is heelwat kleiner as vir die vorige boekjaar met ’n bedrag van R1 245 miljoen teenoor die vorige jaar se R2 872 miljoen. Hiervan gaan R558 miljoen vir die Fifa Wêreldbekersokkertoernooi. Van dit wat oorbly, neem administrasie R88 miljoen. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[In the year that South Africa is hosting the most spectacular event in the world, the Fifa Soccer World Cup, it is rather disappointing that the department which is so closely involved in this received a qualified audit report. We are now bearing the consequences for employing individuals who were not competent enough for their positions. I hope that the current director-general, Mr Petersen, will not make the same mistake as his predecessor. I trust that the new appointments that have been made by him will result in the department improving on the previous qualified audit report. Did you hear, Freddie?
The DA can assure you that wherever the DA is governing in the Western Cape, it will not be guilty of corrupt practices that would lead to a qualified audit report. Freddie, you should pay attention. After the 2014 national election the Northern Cape province, which the DA will be governing by that time, will join with the Western Cape in the promotion of good governance. [Interjections.]
Chairperson, one of the biggest tragedies that also took place this past year in sport is the Caster Semenya fiasco. In a heartless and irresponsible manner the life of one of our most promising athletes, as well as her sporting career, were destroyed. The conduct of Mr Chuene, the former president of Athletics South Africa, ASA, and his fellow board members was unacceptable.
The DA is relieved that the government got rid of him and his henchmen, and this after numerous questions to the Minister by the DA and pressure from the public. Corrupt practices in ASA are unfortunately still rampant and the DA is therefore pleased that the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, Sascoc, has now decided to investigate the activities of ASA. The budget is considerably less than that of the previous financial year, with an amount of R1 245 million as opposed to the R2 872 million the previous year. Of this R558 million will be for the Fifa Soccer World Cup. Of that which is left, R88 million is taken up by administration.]
Contrary to what is done in a country like Australia to become a top sporting nation, very little effort in terms of assistance is being put into sport to get ultimate achievements from our athletes. This is evident from the amount for sport support services, which has decreased by R21 million.
Of the R102,1 million, R28,7 million goes to loveLife, which doesn’t contribute to the success of our country’s sporting achievements, as it is more geared towards social services. I am very concerned about the lack of accountability that also plagues loveLife. This is also a Department of Social Development programme.
Die bedrag van R28,7 miljoen is meer as wat al die sportfederasies gesamentlik kry, naamlik maar R27,6 miljoen. Ek beveel aan dat die loveLife- program uitgeskakel en die fondse vir ander programme aangewend word. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[The amount of R28,7 million is more than that jointly received by all the sports federations, namely just R27,6 million. I would suggest that the loveLife programme be phased out and the funds be allocated to other programmes.]
This will ensure that the objectives for sport support services can be met. We are nearing the 2010 Commonwealth Games where we want our teams to win medals. In the 2012 Olympic Games, we want our athletes to perform, but little is being done to prepare them thoroughly. Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the National Lottery’s R6 billion that has still gone unspent. It is unacceptable that sport projects around the country suffer because of a lack of funds when such large amounts go unallocated.
The DA would like to see a portion of these funds ploughed into creating opportunities for talented sportsmen and women to thrive. We believe that the best way to do this is through the establishment of a South African sporting academy that would develop a national programme of action across as many sporting codes as possible; identify and recruit those with genuine sporting potential; pursue a programme of excellence in developing talent and, thus, assist the next generation of sportsmen and women to compete at the highest level; and finally place South Africa on par with the superpowers of the sporting world.
South Africa is a nation of sport lovers. As citizens, we deserve more for our sporting institutions. I hope that the department takes this criticism to heart and has the courage and, especially, the political will to make the necessary policy changes. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr D B FELDMAN: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, MECs, and hon members, our new stadiums are a source of pride. Will they become a source of grief tomorrow? That is the R1 billion question.
I therefore want to ask whether the department has a properly envisioned strategy plan to keep the stadiums viable for the future. Two months ago, speaking in London, Mr Danny Jordaan said:
We need to make the stadiums viable. The central issue is whether rugby will move to the new stadiums. I think it will. Their stadiums were built in the 1950s.
Is this wishful thinking or a done deal? What if rugby does not move to the new stadiums; what will happen then? Is there a Plan B and a Plan C? A particular concern to all of us is Mbombela Stadium with a capacity of 64 000 seats. How will this stadium be kept viable after the Fifa Soccer World Cup?
I now come to the question of ownership of Bafana Bafana rights. According to the media, things are hidden behind opaque shareholding structures comprising shelf companies, complicated indirect stakes and confidential licensing agreements. The pointed question to the Minister is whether Mr Smidt had indeed acquired a 49,9% stake in Slam Holdings, which controls the Bafana Bafana trademark, through a series of secretive deals. We would also like to know whether Smidt and Kaizer and Bobby Motaung are going to rake in millions out of the secret deals.
In terms of school sport, many youngsters in our country are already caught up in the football fever. Is the Department of Sport and Recreation co- operating with the Department of Basic Education to ensure that all schools have coaching manuals and DVDs to encourage learners not only to take up sport but to master the basics early in life?
The ideal, however, is to appoint coaches. In the absence of coaches, printed and audiovisual coaching materials should be available to schools so that all educators can play a role in teaching learners the essentials.
This brings me to the second point, which concerns sports grounds. Many schools do not have a surface suitable for playing sport. In South Africa, with an increasing number of children becoming obese, it is vitally important for sport to be taken up by children everywhere in the country. It is far better to invest in healthy children than in health per se.
We all know that the coming of the Fifa Soccer World Cup concentrates our minds on football. What is now going to happen after the games are played and the event moves on? How is the interest in sport going to be kept red hot? Is the government viewing the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup as an event or a process? If it is viewing it as a process, how will this process unfold?
Sport science and coaching are pivotal to our country’s future. Whilst there are many overseas-trained coaches willing to conduct clinics, we do not have any suitable venues. Talented young people will therefore not be able to develop their potential. There is much that needs to be done. Now that the Fifa Soccer World Cup will soon be behind us, let us concentrate on stepping back and filling in the gaps. I thank you.
Mr I JENNER (Western Cape): Chairperson, Minister of Sport and Recreation, MECs, members of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to address you today, and I am thankful for this opportunity.
The vision of my department is one of a social, cohesive, active and creative Western Cape. There are many factors which mitigate against us achieving this vision, but there are many factors which assist us. Today, I want to talk about some of the progress we have made in this regard.
Social cohesion is a measure of the extent to which people live together harmoniously, feel a sense of belonging and ownership as citizens and participate in the civic and social life of their communities.
As practitioners of sport and recreation, it is our challenge to try meeting these conditions and make our people feel that they are meaningful contributors to our society.
Research suggests that the advent of technology, the high penetration rate of television and other electronic communications forms and a worldwide emphasis on high-performance sports have all contributed to a shift by citizens of the Western Cape from being active participants in sport and recreation to being consumers of sport and recreation.
The decline in the economy has also impacted on the ability of citizens to participate in sport and recreational activities. In addition, a decreased emphasis on school sport, a lack of adequate opportunities to engage in sport, the advent of professional sport and the crowding out of amateur sport have all conspired to making our task even more challenging.
These factors have resulted in the decline of participation rates in the fields of sport and recreation. The socioeconomic implications of these shifts are important since it means that more effort and more emphasis has to be put into improving healthy lifestyles whilst at the same time involving youth in social life, including sports and recreational activities.
The challenge for the government is to build a socially cohesive Western Cape community by creating opportunities for all to unite and fully participate in society at large. Sport is a tool that can be used to assist in building this united and cohesive Western Cape community.
We have determined the following main indicators for measuring progress made by the department of cultural affairs and sport, DCAS, in providing opportunities for social cohesion: the increase in the number of participants in sport and recreation; the increase in the number of beneficiaries of the services of DCAS; and the increase in the number of learners participating in school sport. We have a plan to achieve these outcomes. I want to share some of them with you today.
We believe that excellence in sport and culture arises where talent meets opportunity and is nurtured, supported and sustained. We believe that talent is evenly spread across all communities, but that opportunities, facilities, structures and support are unevenly distributed. We know that our past inequalities and resource allocation live on in our current circumstances, and that these inequalities limit our talent pool dramatically. Therefore, we commit ourselves to creating conditions for talent to emerge from across all communities in an equitable manner and to be nurtured and supported so that excellence can flourish.
According to the current statistical analysis, 36,1% of the population of the Western Cape can be classified as youths. It is this area of the population that needs to be targeted to ensure a healthy lifestyle, social cohesion and the building of a responsible society which is productive, active, goal-directed and has a sense of belonging.
Therefore, the nucleus of our efforts will be engaging the youth in meaningful sport and cultural activities. The DCAS has developed an idiomatic saying, “A child in sport is a child out of court” – and I noted yesterday that the Northern Cape is following us!
Whilst we believe that our first objective should be to get our people to participate in sport, be it as athletes, coaches or administrators, we also believe that having our youth involved in some kind of meaningful activity will give direction to their lives, whether such activity is physical or not.
This view has seen us also engage in strategic activities which boost our spectator numbers in sports: the promotion of fan clubs and fan support; making provision for nonphysical sport and recreational games, for example mind games, war games, board games, etc. In particular, we will use the following programmes, projects and activities to help us achieve more outcomes and achieve social cohesion.
With regard to sport development, we will use the Siyadlala programme; the mass participation programme, MPP; Club Development Sport and Recreation 2010; the Social Legacy programme; and school sport.
With regard to events, we will use sports event to ensure demographic, regional and language integration and to build a shared appreciation for the things that bind us together as a nation and as a society.
In combating substance abuse, we will utilise school sport and sport programmes to raise awareness of the dangers of substance abuse, messaging around social inclusion.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Minister Stofile and his department for the R40 million funding which was made available via the sport conditional grant. We could not have executed these programmes to the extent that we have without that assistance. We thank you, Reverend.
The 2010 Fifa World Cup is a mere 21 days away, and the Western Cape is working hard to ensure that all our citizens do touch the World Cup. We are aware that eight games will take place at the Cape Town Stadium. People from the City of Cape Town will view these events either from inside the stadium, at the fan fest at the Grand Parade or from four other public viewing areas dotted around the metro.
Our focus as a province has been on the peri-urban and rural areas and consequently we have provided five public viewing areas, one in each district of our province. In the Western Cape, we call them “fan jols”. These are places where our people can watch soccer, have a good time and feel the spirit of the World Cup. These five fan jols will be held in the towns of George, Beaufort West, Worcester, Bredasdorp and Vredenburg.
We will use our local football ambassadors to entertain and teach kids the skills of football during these fan jols. Our province will also display and host three teams, namely Japan, Denmark and France, who have chosen to base themselves in the Eden district of our province.
If you manage to visit this area, you can feel the excitement of the World Cup with flags, street banners, vuvuzelas and kuduzelas being the order of the day.
My department has entered into a partnership with the South African Football Association, Safa, and the Dutch coaching programme called “Stars in their Eyes”. This programme has trained 40 coaches and they have ploughed what they have learnt back into the sport of football.
My department also ran volunteer training, referee, and sport administration courses, all of which have seen the sport of football being put on the map. These activities have built, and continue to build, sport and football as well as developing our young people in general, and deepening democracy in particular.
More importantly, all of these actions and activities have assisted our people to touch the World Cup, and will help us to achieve our vision of a socially cohesive, active and creative Western Cape. I am confident that with your assistance and our effort, we will bear fruits.
In conclusion, I want to take this opportunity to wish our team, Bafana Bafana, all the best for this Cup. The nation’s hope, dreams and aspirations are riding on them. May they achieve the highest possible success. Qala, gqiba qhubeka [Start, finish and keep going]. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mof M L MOSHODI: Ha ke nke monyetla ona ho dumedisa Motsamaisi wa Dipuisano, ke dumedise Letona le Motlatsa Letona, Matona ohle, ka ho qolleha ntate Kgothule ho tswa mane porofensing ya Foreisetata, ke dumedise maloko a rona a hlomphehang a Palamente. Ke tlotla ho nna ho nka karolo Ditekanyetsong tsena tsa lefapha. Maemo ao batjha ba naha ya rona ba Maaforika ba iphumanang ba le ho ona, a ntse a hlobaetsa ha o a bapisa le a merabe e meng. Moo eleng tokelo merabeng e meng, ho batjha ba rona ba Aforika ke monyetla oo ba e so kang ba o fihlella hohang. Ditekanyetso tsena di tlamehile ho qala tumellanong ya rona hore ngwana e mong le e mong o tswalwa a na le bokgoni ba ntho efe kapa efe ka boemo bo hodimo. Ha feela a ka fuwa monyetla wa ho ipabola le ho fumana kwetliso e nepahetseng.
Re utlwisisa maemo ao re tswang ho ona a kgethollo le kgatello moo Maaforika re neng re sa fumantshwe monyetla wa ho bontsha bokgoni ba rona ka lebaka la maano a kgethollo a mmuso o fetileng. Leha re ke ke ra lebala bohloko ba moo re tswang teng, empa boikarabelo ha jwale bo mmusong wa ANC, ho lokisa moo kgethollo e sentseng teng.
Ngwana e mong le e mong a kgothalletswe ho nka karolo dipapading hobane ho molemong wa bana ho etsa jwalo, le hore dipapading tsa matjhaba ba tla phahamisa lebitso la naha ebe tlotla e kgolo ho rona. Ditekanyetso tsena di tlamehile ho hlokomela ka ho qolleha bohlokwa ba ho bokella batho ba tswang merabeng e fapaneng mmoho, mme ka lebaka la dipapadi merabe e fapaneng e kgona ho ithabisa mmoho.
Monyetla o moholo o tlamehile ho lebiswa dikolong moo bana ba bangata ba dilemong tse tlase ba leng teng. Dikolo di tlamehile ho ahelwa mabala a boikwetliso le boithapollo, mme mesuwe e lokela ho fuwa kwetliso ya maemo a hodimo e tla ba fa tsebo e tjhatsi ya ho hlwaya le ho kwetlisa bana ba nang le thahasello. Mefuta e fapaneng ya dipapadi e tlamehile ho rutwa bana ba sa le dilemong tse tlase hore ha ba ntse ba hola, ba bontshe bokgoni le boiphihlelo dipapading tseo ba di rutuweng. Mabala ana a boikwetliso a tlamehile ho ba teng le dibakeng tsa mahae hore le bona, ba se ke ba lebalwa. Bana ba sa itekanelang le bona ba tlamehile ho fuwa monyetla wa ho nka karolo.
Ditjhankane tsa rona di tletse bana ba banyane mme ba fetohile mashodu hobane ho se letho leo ba le etsang le ba tswelang molemo. Mananeo a tlhabollo ditjhankaneng a tlamehile ho kenyelletsa kwetliso le thuto ya dipapadi. Sena, se etswe e le hore ba tloswe mekgweng e mebe e sa lokang, ba tsebe ho iphedisa ka dipapadi. Ntle le dipapadi tse kotsi bakeng sa bona tse jwaloka, ho sesa, kolofo, kerikete, ditebele, karate le tse ding.
Ho bohlokwa hore ditekanyetso tsena di kenyelletse dipapadi tsa setso. Setso sa rona se ruile dipapadi tse ngata tse thabisang, tse ka thusang bana ba rona ho ba ntsha mekgweng ya boshodu le ho ba tataisa ba sa le dilemong tse tlase, jwaloka morabaraba, kgati, diketo, molamu, dibeke, tshipo, ho tsoma, mokgibo le tse ding. Ke tse ding tsa dipapadi tse ngata tsa setso tseo re ka di bontshang baeti ba tlileng ho tshehetsa mohope wa lefatshe.
Naha ya rona e bile le monyetla wa ho tshwara dipapadi tsa matjhaba e leng rakebi, kerikete, mohope wa kolofo ya basadi, mohope wa kopanelo wa dinaha tsa Aforika le mohope wa Fifa wa lefatshe. Re thoholetsa mmuso wa rona ka dithuso tsa ditjhelete tse entseng hore ho ahwe mabala a bolo le ho lokisa a mang a ntseng a le teng, ho lokiswa le ho ahwa botjha ha boemafofane le mebila. Tse ding tsa dintho le ha re eso ka re di fihlella, re tshepa hore re tla di fihlella.
Re kopa sepolesa ho fana ka tshireletso e nepahetseng ho baeti ba rona. Ho kwalla ditlokotsebe tse tla beng di hweba ka batho, dithethefatsi le dintho tsohle tse sa lokang tseo e leng tlolo ya molao. Re tshepa hore re tla ithuta dintho tse ngata mohopeng ona wa lefatshe mme ho baahi ba naha ena re re: “Tshireletso ya baeti ke boikarabelo ba rona baahi, ka tshebedisanommoho le sepolesa”.
Re leboha le bahlophisi ba mohope ona hore o tle mona naheng ya rona re sa ntse re phela, mme re re: “E utlwe, e mona”.
Ha ke tla dihela dikgala, Motsamaisi wa Dipuisano, ho Bafana Bafana ke re, le lwane ya sedula matswapong, le lwane kgakgaulane molamu wa tshepe. Re tlo le tshehetsa ho fihlela motsotsong wa ho qetela. Ya kgaola ya ya. ANC e tshehetsa Ditekanyetso tsena. Ke a leboha Motsamaisi wa Dipuisano. [Mahofi.] (Translation of Sesotho speech follows.)
[Ms M L MOSHODI: Let me take this opportunity to warmly greet the hon Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister, all the delegates, especially hon Kgothule from the Free State province, and Members of Parliament. It is a great honour for me to take part in the Budget Vote debate of this department.
The situations in which our African youth find themselves are still a cause for concern when they are compared to their counterparts from other races. That which was a right for other races is a privilege for our African youth, a privilege that they have not achieved yet. This Budget Vote should complement the view that every child has the ability to be anything extraordinary in life if they are given the opportunity and necessary guidance to prove themselves.
We understand the conditions we have gone through of discrimination and oppression where we as Africans were not given the opportunity to show our capabilities because of the apartheid government. It is presently the responsibility of the ANC government to repair the damage caused by apartheid, although we won’t forget the pain of where we come from.
Every child must be encouraged to take part in sport because it is to their advantage to do so, and they would be promoting the country in international sport and this would then be an honour for us. This budget must address specifically the importance of bringing people of different races together and allowing people to celebrate because of sport. Many opportunities must be created in schools where a lot of young people remain. Sport and recreational facilities must be built at schools and teachers must be given adequate training of a high standard to enable them to identify learners who have potential. Learners must be taught different types of sport while they are still young so that they can show their ability in sport as they grow up. These training facilities must be made available in rural areas so that the people there are not forgotten. Disabled children must also be given the opportunity to take part.
Our prisons are full of young children who have become criminals because there is nothing they can do that is beneficial to them. Correctional programmes in prisons must include training and sport education. This must be done to keep them out of trouble and to teach them to make a living out of sport, with the exception of dangerous sports such as swimming, golf, cricket, boxing, karate and others.
It is important for this budget to include cultural activities. Our culture has a number of entertaining sports, which can help keep our children away from criminal activities and guide them from a young age, such as morabaraba [African board game], skipping, diketo [game played by putting stones in a hole], stick fighting, dibeke [game played with tins and a ball], tshipo [jumping kangaroo game], hunting, mokgibo [Basotho women dancing on their knees] and others. These are just some of our many cultural sports that we can show visitors who come to support the World Cup.
Our country has had the opportunity to host international sports events with regard to rugby, cricket, women’s golf, the African Confederation Cup and the Fifa World Cup. We commend our government for making budget allocations that enabled the construction and renovation of soccer stadiums, airports and roads. Even if we have not been able to achieve some of the things yet, we trust that we will.
We plead with the police to provide the necessary safety for our visitors. They should arrest those involved with human trafficking, drugs and everything that is illegal. We hope that we will learn a lot from the World Cup and we say to the citizens of this country, “The safety of our visitors is the responsibility of us all, in co-operation with the police”.
We also thank the organisers of this World Cup for bringing it to our country while we are still alive, and we say: “Feel it, it is here”.
In conclusion, Chairperson, I would like to say to Bafana Bafana, they must go and fight these battles, they must fight until the very end. We will support them until the last minute. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]] The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Chairperson of the NCOP, hon members, hon MECs, and hon Minister Mfundisi, before I go to my prepared speech, I would like to draw the attention of hon members to something. What we say here is recorded by Hansard for coming generations to read.
I’ve been listening to hon member Feldman from Cope. I can understand, when following the media, that he is a bit confused and can’t cope with the figures, facts and audits. However, I want to tell him that we didn’t build a 64 000-seater in Mbombela; it was a 48 000-seater. But when I read the newspapers, I can understand why he is confused; he can’t cope with that. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Deputy Minister, will you take a question?
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: If I have time at the end, with pleasure.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: He will not take a question now, but he will take a question at the end, if he still has time.
Mr D B FELDMAN: I will wait. Thank you very much.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: In 2009, there was also a 21–day period. The 21 days we had was to ensure as a country that we were ready to host the IPL cricket tournament. It took place amidst our election campaign, while India had their election, which they claimed posed a security threat. We know today that we successfully hosted that event in 21 days, and we had no incidents whatsoever.
Today, we are 21 days from the opening of the World Cup and our country is abuzz with excitement. Our media has dedicated programmes and space to showcase the build-up to the tournament. The private sector is fully behind all campaigns such as Football Friday, Fly the Flag, and the 2010 Countdown programme. We see South Africans united in hosting the best ever Fifa World Cup. In fact, we are united in our diversity.
We have no doubt that the socioeconomic impact of the Fifa 2010 World Cup will be felt long after the event. During the construction phase of our preparations, we were clear as government that low-income households should benefit from the infrastructure development programme.
We now know that more than 100 000 workers have been employed either directly or indirectly through the 2010 construction programme. We also know that many workers moved from being unskilled to semiskilled, and from being semiskilled to skilled. We now know that more women have entered the construction industry.
With the games being hosted in 10 venues, we were able to spread the benefit of this investment, reaching far and wide across society. It is to this end that the African Six Pack project requires strong support from all corners of our country and the rest of the African continent.
Each of the six African countries that participate in the tournament must treat each of the stadia as their home ground and feel at home. As South Africans, we must provide home-crowd support to our brothers and sisters in our quest to restore the dignity of our continent’s people.
It is in this context that we have to caution those who are using the World Cup as a bargaining stick for benefits and service delivery. The vision should not be, “What is in it for me?”. The attitude should rather be, “What is in it for our country and our continent, and what are the long- term prospects and benefits to us as Africans?” Ke Nako is not to introduce challenges. Ke Nako [Now is the time] is to celebrate Africa’s humanity, it is to live the spirit of ubuntu for a better future for all.
Sport at the elite level, as well as at community level, is increasingly being used in a wide variety of ways to promote social cohesion, to prevent conflict, and to enhance peace within and among nations. In this regard, the UN General Assembly has adopted a series of resolutions on sport and development for peace. Although sport alone cannot prevent conflict or build peace, it can contribute to broader, more comprehensive efforts in a number of important ways. Sports equipment provides a positive and accessible alternative to the guns of internal conflict. As a strategic initiative, our department will carefully look at ways and means to use sport and recreation as a tool in promoting development and peace.
Our work with the UN goes beyond the programme of sport for peace and development. One other initiative in which we are working with them is the One Goal for co-operation on the Establishment of an African Fund for Education. The UN, through its office for drug control, Unicef and the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, has also been working closely with the office for sexual offences under the National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, on issues of human trafficking. This includes the Red Card campaign, which is aimed at discouraging foreign visitors from getting involved in activities that may get them into trouble when visiting the country.
In line with the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, the UN involved eight African artists, such as Hugh Masekela, to write a song entitled 8 Goals for Africa, authored and recorded by the eight artists. They each sing about a specific goal. We launched this project on 14 May in Alexandra. We did this mindful of the fact that the Fifa World Cup presents us with an ideal forum to globally renew our commitment to the MDGs. For the benefit of members, the song can be downloaded free from the website up to the end of the World Cup.
We are grateful for the support we are receiving from our partners, who give generously to enable us to better the lives of our people. The existing relationship between our department and German Technical Co- operation, GTZ, has been a good catalyst that has encouraged the EU to support our development programmes. Amongst the areas of agreement is capacity-building, developing a toolkit for sport as a catalyst for development and peace, and as skills in project management.
We have recently signed the implementation agreement on the Youth Development Through Sport programme with the GTZ. The project is in line with our mass participation programme and supports three of our key strategic objectives: to contribute to a healthy nation by increasing the number of participants; to raise the profile of sport and recreation through addressing issues of national importance; and to contribute to making the 2010 Fifa World Cup the best ever.
The programme will take physical activity to poor, disadvantaged communities across South Africa and will help to promote both ownership of and leadership in beneficiary communities. The empowering of youth in rural areas will, without doubt, contribute positively towards the improvement of school sport, which is in most cases still being dominated by urban schools. Another partner with whom we directly impact on grass-roots sport through the Youth Development against Violence through Sport programme, is KfW, the German development bank. The overall objective of this programme is to use sport, specifically football, as a catalyst for transmitting life skills to children and youth in order to reduce violence and social ills. Children get off the streets, learn about rules and fair play and practice conflict resolution without violence.
Within the framework of the programme, it is envisaged to construct or rehabilitate over 100 kick-abouts - modified small-sized pitches that could be used for various codes - and full-sized pitches, as well as to provide basic football equipment to children in townships and poor rural areas of our country. At the request of the municipalities and communities, the kick- abouts and pitches can also be designed as multipurpose sites for various sporting codes.
In addition, the concept of the programme foresees the involvement of NGOs and other development partners to provide training and educational activities for the children who participate in the programmes. The training will cover, among other things, life skills, specifically with regard to violence prevention and conflict resolution, and also HIV and Aids.
The Minister spoke about and named the seven areas that will benefit from fast-tracking the erection of some of these facilities. We will see that this is done before the kick-off of the World Cup.
Let me to inform the House that we have also conducted a legacy audit of whatever we will have after the World Cup. This audit should be completed by the end of August this year and will inform us on the broad spectrum of all the initiatives taken so that we, as a country, can be informed and, as a department, be able to direct what we want to leverage for a better legacy for our people.
The hon Minister also referred to our agreement with Cuba, where we have students graduating. May I urge the provincial departments to ensure that we employ these students when they come home on leave and ensure we employ them once they have graduated.
The Minister also deliberated on lottery funds. Let me stress that we are absolutely excited that the National Lotteries Board, the Minister and the chairperson there share our vision. Therefore, in this regard, we must also support them as they try to bring the Lotteries Act onto the right track. We must encourage them to introduce required amendments so that the sport distribution agency of the Lotteries Act falls under Sport and Recreation South Africa, SRSA, where we believe it rightly belongs.
We unpacked the municipal infrastructure grant, MIG. Our fight to access the sport and recreation portion of MIG seems far from over. The stark reality presented by the delivery records of our Building for Sport and Recreation Programme, BSRP, which was our programme in the department, in comparison to those of the consolidated MIG, motivates us to continue the debate which will see SRSA receiving our share of the MIG funds.
For the record, since the inception of the MIG in 2005 until the end of March 2010 - I’m talking five financial years - a total of 155 sport and recreation facilities were completed, compared to 364 projects implemented over only four years under our BSRP.
This, in essence, means that the MIG projects over five financial years represent only 43% of what we did in four years with our BSRP. We are not willing to give up this fight, even if it makes us a lot of enemies.
Our concern is also that sport and recreation facilities projects in the top-spending provinces are concentrated in the bigger municipalities. The cumulative amount committed to sport and recreation facilities projects from 2005 until the end of March 2010, is R2,6 billion. This relates to projects that are either completed, under construction, being designed, on tender or have been registered.
The highest share of this amount goes to Gauteng at 40%, and the lowest to the Northern Cape at 2%. KwaZulu-Natal, for example, spends R482 million on 105 projects while Gauteng spends more than double that amount on only 68 projects. The implication is that while some provinces are for wider reach and accessibility, others are for big projects such as stadia, which may not necessarily be easily accessible to grass-roots sport.
I want the hon Faber from the DA to listen now. The 2008-09 annual report shows a significant decline in the number of audit queries – in fact we only have one - and a reduction in qualified reports from three to one, compared to the previous financial year. In our determination to further improve the internal control environment, a risk management policy was approved. A risk committee became operational, introducing in the department a new vibrancy with regard to the identification, assessment and mitigation of identified risks.
We have come a long way since the staff of the department amalgamated with the staff of the SA Sports Commission and it is time that we examine how we are organised as a department. We are about to commence with the public participation process to review the White Paper. This must culminate in a national sports plan. All sectors must buy into the plan and commit to the strategic direction that will emerge from this process. To gear the department to respond to these developments, we have started a parallel process to develop a functional organisational structure.
We must admit that the previous structure did not sufficiently take into account the mandate and specific functions of the national department. We envisage that the process will be followed by job evaluation, competency assessment and, where needed, the retraining of staff. Let me assure staff that we do not anticipate that any staff member will become redundant. These processes are necessary to ensure better results and outcomes for our sport and recreation sector.
In conclusion, I wish to place on record the ground-breaking work done by Minister Stofile in international bodies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency, Wada. After five long years, during which he served as a board member, South Africa will now be succeeded for one year by Tunisia.
No doubt, we can be proud of the contributions and the role played by Minister Stofile at this level. We also know that he will use the extra time to take up responsibilities in the Southern African Development Community, SADC, and the African Union, AU. These are leadership roles we have to play for the benefit of our region and continent.
I wish to thank the following entities for their support and co-operation: the select committee, MECs, leaders in the sports movement, NGOs and the media. A big thank you also goes to our managers, staff and administrators, who are the foot soldiers and implementers. Working together, we can do more. Ke Nako! Let us celebrate Africa’s humanity. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms W G THUSI (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Ministers, my colleagues, MECs and hon members of the Council, thank you, Chairperson, for inviting us as KwaZulu-Natal to come and contribute to the budget debate.
I wish to start by thanking the Minister and congratulating him on the informative report he gave us this afternoon. I’m sure that the cynics know that South Africa is ready for 2010. Indeed, Minister, the provinces are ready. You have seen the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium and our beautiful King Shaka International Airport. We are really ready as KwaZulu-Natal.
The KwaZulu-Natal department of sport and recreation has placed a greater emphasis on sport development and recreation programmes in disadvantaged and rural communities, and on programmes aimed at creating more opportunities for the youth, women and people with disabilities.
Programmes are aimed at fostering strong partnerships between government departments, nongovernmental organisations, sports federations and community organisations. The department remains committed to supporting the development of a sustainable and diverse sport and recreation system in KwaZulu-Natal, one that encourages participation, develops talent, and contributes to the health and wellbeing of individuals and groups throughout the province.
The department is committed to the attainment of priorities outlined in the new government’s programme of action. In KwaZulu-Natal we have begun a process of co-ordination, joint planning and implementation initiatives with other provincial government departments.
The department is committed to the provincial flagship programme that is responsible for the co-ordination and integration of service delivery across the spheres of government and social partners. The campaign is aimed at profiling wards and then households and identifies their needs.
I will quickly inform the Council about the achievements of our department in 2009 and 2010 and what we are doing in this current financial year. The department created 1 770 jobs in the mass participation programme and targeted unemployed youth. The department’s development programme has focused on sustainable development and capacity-building programmes conducted with sports federations. The programme is aimed at increasing the skill levels of coaches, administrators, volunteers, technical officials and referees.
To date, the department has capacitated 4 069 individuals. In spite of its limited budget, the department of sport and recreation has delivered 22 sports facilities in 2009-10 to mostly disadvantaged communities in the deep rural areas.
The total investment in facilities over this period amounted to R22 million. Four sports facilities were renovated over this period with an additional two carried over to 2010-11. Combination courts were completed with 12 carried over and a total of 12 futsal courts with a budget spend of R1,6 million were completed.
The department will invest in 71 sports facilities in this financial year, ranging from the development, upgrade and repair of sports fields, combination courts, and futsal courts to kick-abouts, as well as legacy parks in disadvantaged and rural communities. The department has set aside R36 million from its facilities programme and a further R7,7 million from the Fifa 2010 World Cup budget towards the development of facilities, including combination courts providing for netball, basketball and volleyball.
In addition to the provision and development of facilities, we will be investing in the provision of gym equipment to four municipalities.
The sustainability of facilities that have been erected and developed at considerable cost has proven to be an insurmountable challenge for the department. The provision of maintenance equipment and maintenance support grants to identified municipalities is expected to go a long way towards eradicating these challenges and ensuring that communities make maximum use of these facilities.
The mass school sport programme was successfully delivered to 645 schools and focused on the promotion and development of sports amongst learners. A total of 262 338 learners benefited from this programme. The community mass participation programme seeks to address the modern daily ills facing communities and reduce the levels of poverty by employing youth aged 18 to 35 years. The number of activity hubs to implement this programme rose to 106 and were located in 61 local municipalities throughout KwaZulu-Natal. Over one million people in mostly rural communities were exposed to the programme.
A total of 40 new clubs were formed in the club development programme bringing to 169 the cumulative number of clubs formed. The club development programme focuses in the promotion and development of clubs in previously disadvantaged communities with priority given to rural areas.
In preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the department has invested heavily in the development of football in partnership with each of the 11 South African Football Association, Safa, regions. A total number of 7 000 players, out of an annual target of 5 000, have benefited from being involved in sustained leagues.
A total of 172 high-performance athletes, out of a target of 60, benefited from intensive coaching and specialised training programmes. A total of 120 Safa level-one coaches have been trained in the province with these coaches being identified by the Safa regions.
Successful mass mobilisation campaigns have been held in Marburg, Gamalakhe, Esikhawini, Ezakheni and at the Qokololo Stadium in Imbali. Mass mobilisation events in Nkandla and Enseleni, in partnership with Sport and Recreation South Africa, SRSA, also included a public viewing of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates; so, we are really taking the 2010 World Cup fever to the rural areas.
The department successfully hosted, on behalf of SRSA, the South African Schools Winter Games and the National Indigenous Games at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Recreation programmes targeting an active and healthy lifestyle have benefited more than 360 people across the province. Mostly rural communities were targeted.
In the mass participation programme, the following individual successes are worth a mention: A head teacher, three educators and 10 learners from Inyakanyaka High School, Nkandla, have been invited to the United Kingdom as part of a UK Link programme funded by St Mary’s School in Leeds.
Sihle Mngomezulu from the Manyiseni cluster has used his volunteer’s stipend to pay for his studies in sport management. He is in his third year of studies at Varsity College and we will definitely give him a post to work with us in the department.
Bongiwe Msomi, an MSP assistant from Emaxulwini Primary School in Mpumalanga, represented South Africa in the under-21 Netball World Cup in Iceland.
Nontobeko Mabizela from Inyanyezi special school represented South Africa in the International Cross-Country Championships in Hungary, where she won two silver medals and one bronze medal.
A success story in recreation worth mentioning is that of Nkululeko Kunene, who was identified in the Rural Horse Riding Programme as a horseman, pro- driver and farrier in harness racing. In partnership with the Harness Racing Association, the department succeeded in sending him to Sweden, where he trained and qualified with professional trainer Johan Nilsson. Now he is an accomplished driver and farrier, and his skills will be extremely valuable to both his community and the equine industry.
The focus areas for the 2010-11 mass school sport programme will target 645 schools. By the end of the year, this programme is expected to reach 250 learners. Some 95% of the learners are females and 1 200 of them are learners with disabilities. The success of the mass school sport programme, funded through the Division of Revenue, Dora, grant, has increased participation in sport and has developed sports champions.
Many learners from the schools in the programme are now representing their provinces in the schools national championship. This calls for stakeholders in sport to work together to intensify the development of sport at local delivery points such as schools, clubs and communities and sports academies and high-performance centres in the province to deliver support to learners who display talent. Hon Minister, we are busy holding talks with the department of education with regard to a co-ordination structure. We will take lessons from the Free State.
To address government’s call for creating healthy and sustainable communities, the department will focus on delivering on the Community Mass Participation and Recreation Programme. The department’s recreation programme with a budget of R8,7 million will be delivered in seven key ongoing recreation programmes.
Among other things, the key programmes are Recre-Hab, an active rehabilitation programme for prisoners and street children; active seniors delivering innovative programmes aimed at …Oh, my time has expired. Thank you.
I wish to say to Bafana Bafana that this is your opportunity; take it! [Applause.] [Time expired.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: I am sorry, hon MEC Thusi, we do it the nice way; we do not want to shout at you. Mr J J GUNDA: Chair, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon MECs and special greetings to our MEC from the Northern Cape, the hon Pauline Williams - welcome to the House. The Department of Sport and Recreation has received a qualified audit report for two consecutive years. We, in the ID, are hoping that 2010 will be different.
It is our belief that this department should use the opportunity of hosting a world-class sporting event like the 2010 Fifa World Cup to become a world- class department. If we have the ability to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup, then, surely, we can get an unqualified audit report.
Sport het die vermoë om ons kinders te help ontwikkel en om ’n toekoms vir hulle te kan bou. Dit maak ’n kind bewus dat omstandighede jou nie kan terughou om dit te kan bereik wat jy graag wil bereik nie. Sportgeriewe by ons voorheen benadeelde skole, is glad nie na wense nie en dit maak sommige kinders mismoedig. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Sport has the ability to help with the development of our children and to build a future for them. It makes children aware of not allowing conditions to prevent them from achieving what they really want to achieve. Sports facilities at our previously disadvantaged schools are not up to scratch and this makes some children discouraged.]
We, as the ID, are mindful that the 2010 Fifa World Cup has the ability to boost the department’s morale, which has suffered over the past few years. I would like to quote former Presidents. Firstly, let me quote the words of former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela:
The World Cup will help unify our people. If there is one thing on this planet that has the power to bind people together, it is soccer.
Let me quote the former President, Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki:
The Soccer World Cup in Africa reaffirms our common humanity and proves we all belong to one family.
I would like to repeat what I have said many times before: In a nation with the highest inequalities in the world, the real challenge will be to translate the billions we have spent on the 2010 Fifa World Cup into something tangible and sustainable for our people in the months and years after the final whistle has blown.
The ID also supports the portfolio committee’s decision to summon the department before each quarter to report back on the Division of Revenue Act grant-spending progress in the provinces.
I am happy to announce here today that there is no need for me to say anything negative about our team Bafana Bafana, who are putting in their best; the coach, whom we have come to accept; the Gautrain, which is basically ready; the vuvuzelas, which we are all going to blow very hard on 11 June; and the beautiful stadiums. The ID supports this Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms D Z RANTHO: Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, MECs, MPs, officials, and distinguished guests, let me start by saying …
… Mphathiswa, mna ndingowaseJansenville, uthe xa ukhankanya iJansenville apha ndaziva ndonwabile, kuba kusekhaya phaya. Ndiyavuya xa nithe nafikelela naphaya. [… Minister, I am originally from Jansenville. When you mentioned Jansenville here, I felt happy because that is my home. I am glad that you have even reached that part of the country.]
The ANC lives. The ANC leads. This Budget Vote could not have come at a better time than this one. The year 2010 has been an exciting year since its beginning. Everybody is looking forward to the World Cup, and we are all full of hope that this is going to be a good year for all of us. Feel it! It is here!
This year has kept us looking forward to the first World Cup ever held on African soil. Today we mark the 21st day until our dream comes true. We will be making history during our time as the ANC-led government. Our promise to the nation will be honoured. We also hope that Bafana Bafana will make us proud, and we wish them to win every match they play. But even if they do not win, we will still remain proud of them.
Nyawuza, Thahla, Ndayeni, Hlamba ngobubende, eMpuma Koloni … [Nyawuza, Thahla, Ndayeni, Hlamba ngobubende, (clan names) in the Eastern Cape …]
…we have produced many sportswomen and sportsmen, for example Makhaya Ntini, who is from the Eastern Cape. Recently we produced Andile Jali who has been selected to be part of the soccer national team. Our young generation will share experiences with other people from other countries. Our government takes decisive steps as we move forward.
Some of the government priorities are growth and transforming the economy to create decent jobs and sustainable livelihoods; strengthening the education, skills and human resource base; and building cohesive, caring, and sustainable communities. If we work together we can do this and more.
We, as the people of this continent, will be able to show the outside world our different cultures as Africans. South Africa is a diverse and democratic country. Our democracy has extended outside this country. This opportunity will uplift our economy, and, at the same time people will be left with good and unforgettable memories.
Playing sport is a healthy way of living. It has to be considered fairly because it is crosscutting. The health Minister will benefit as he has already said that he is trying to make sure that everybody lives a healthy life. The Minister of Social Development will also benefit because we will have fewer street kids, and this would benefit safety and education as well. The same applies to all other departments. We, as government, cannot let provinces underspend on sport because there is a lot that needs to be done in our provinces.
In our rural communities there are people known as sports veterans. They also need to be brought back as sports trainers, as they have the experience that we need. They also have the discipline that needs to be instilled in our professional players.
They can help guide our children in taking up sport as a profession, because some of our kids are not good academically, but can be good at sport. There are also codes of sport that the country should focus on. Those sporting codes are not regularly played in our country, such as baseball, basketball and others.
School sport is also slowly fading away in our provinces through the lack of resources in our schools. We need to revive the spirit of going to the playgrounds every Wednesday and Friday afternoons, and even on Saturdays. Seventy per cent of our grants need to be used to develop our youth so as to take them away from drugs and alcohol. Indigenous games should also be considered.
Men in our communities are misdirecting their energy, because they do not have anything to do after hours. I think that if we put more emphasis on sport, the rate of sexual offences would be reduced.
Tat’uThahla, iLusikisiki yenye yemimandla eyaziwayo ngokuxhatshazwa ngokwesondo, kodwa kwakhona ikwayingingqi enabadlali abaninzi nasele bebadala abanye babo, abangasetyenziswa ukuphuhlisa ulutsha kwezemidlalo kula ngingqi. [Thahla, Lusikisiki is one of the areas not only notorious for sexual abuse, but is also renowned for having many sporting personalities, some of whom have already retired and could still be utilised to develop youth in sport in that area.]
The programme of mass participation is also good, but is it really serving a purpose? I know we are creating jobs, but these jobs must be relevant to the economy of the country, because we have to create jobs and develop the economy at the same time, as our focus is to ensure the accessibility of sport to all.
Participation, development and excellence are key elements in building our nation. They engender unity, discipline and reconciliation amongst individuals and communities. They are also key elements to economic growth as they generate employment and alleviate poverty.
As I have already said, participating in sport is a healthy lifestyle. We therefore have to introduce it in our hospitals as well. People should not be lying on beds the whole day. There should be time reserved for sporting activities. We should help the Department of Health make sports grounds available in hospitals, especially in TB hospitals, even if this is for an indoor sport.
This government also needs to focus on developing women in sport. I salute the three black women who are mountain climbers here in Cape Town. Their skill and interest are very scarce within the black community. One of them also actually declared on national TV that she is HIV-positive.
Chairperson and hon Minister, it would be good to see fewer funerals and more sports activities during weekends in our communities. There are too many young people being buried. I would just be sorry for the funeral parlours, because this would mean less business for them! So, if we work together, we will have more ideas for developing our communities. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
ALLOCATION OF TIME TO SPECIAL DELEGATES
(Statement)
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hayi, bendisalinde ukuba bakubulise mama, nawe uhlale phantsi kakuhle. [Kwahlekwa.] [No, I was waiting for them to greet you, Madam, and please take your seat nicely. [Laughter.]]
Hon members, I just wanted to make one remark. I would like to plead with the provincial Whips that when special delegates come to the House, and I am insisting on this, they should be given an opportunity to say something about their provinces.
We must not lose sight of the fact that we are here to represent our provinces. Therefore, we would like to hear what the provinces are saying about some of the issues taking place there. I was very disappointed that an MEC from the Free State was not on the speakers’ list. There is another MEC from the Northern Cape over there, who is also not on the speakers’ list. I don’t know why.
I would like to ask the provincial Whips to notify the Chief Whip of the NCOP when our special delegates are coming, so that they can be allotted some time to speak to us. We are dying to listen to them and hear what is happening in their provinces. They cannot just talk to the Minister at the Minmec. They should talk to us too. That is very important to us.
Hon premiers, I am sorry that maybe you did not notify them that you were coming. But I am not sure. They were supposed to know that you were coming. They were supposed to get it directly from the Constitution House that monitors everybody who comes to the NCOP, so that you can be allocated the space to talk.
I am sorry that you were not on the list. I don’t know why it happened in that manner, but I would have loved to listen to both of you. Having said that, I am going to allow the Minister to come and respond to the debate. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Chairperson, I would like to reiterate what you have just said about the MECs. I have no doubt in my mind that listening to the provinces giving blow-by-blow reports of what is happening where they come from was very edifying for the hon members.
From our side, I can only indicate that we agree with them. We have been there and we saw what happened. We were part of those activities and they were not exaggerating. They were relating the realities of what was happening where they come from. I really congratulate them on the way in which they have done that.
Hon Thusi from KwaZulu-Natal has already warned the hon Kgothule from the Free State that she is about to depose him from the gold medal position; and I can believe that. That is one of the largest and most rustic provinces in this country. It doesn’t matter if you go to Mgababa or Mhlabuyalingana or Port Shepstone and Harding in the south, there is always a high level of sporting activity abuzz in those areas.
Hon MEC, I am just warning you. They just don’t have the requisite structures, and it was all Sumaya’s fault, but now we have relieved them of Sumaya. Thank you very much indeed.
I am going to explain three things that were raised during the debate. The first one, which was raised twice, was the audit queries on the Department of Sport and Recreation. Hon members must desist from the syndrome of “gogga maak bang” [the boogyman] rhetoric. We are not supposed to scare people with our words. The truth of that matter has been explained over and over again.
In 1996, the then National Sports Council, NSC, entered into an agreement with the then SA Rugby Football Union, Sarfu - and cricket - and it was agreed that they would pay dividends for using the logo that was owned by the NSC.
I accept that in our overenthusiasm, perhaps to get things done, we went around trying to collect the revenue. Since last year, I have raised it with the DG and now we have a report from Deloitte and Touche. And I am pleased that the DG agreed with me, that we can’t have two NGOs, the NSC and Saru entering into a contractual agreement and it becomes the issue of the department. What do we have to do with the NGOs’ agreements? And this is what we are being questioned about.
Now I’m asking: How are we going to report on those revenue streams when we do not even know how many jerseys, socks or whatever were sold? How do you quantify what you don’t know – a percentage of what?
I am pleased that the DG, in his overenthusiasm, again defied my instructions to cut this bushy tail off, and managed to get our money back from the service provider who was supposed to deliver it. But it is not as if there are some missing funds or that sort of thing; and this is the “gogga maak bang” [the boogyman] politics that I was talking about.
The second thing I want to explain is the matter of the loveLife money. That money is not from Sport and Recreation. There is a long history of a contractual agreement between the Department of Health, the custodian of the contract; the Treasury, the manager of the revenue flows; and a certain foundation in America, on a 50/50, dollar-for-pound basis, to subsidise certain programmes, specially HIV and Aids-related programmes.
We have nothing to do with that. It is an agreement between the government and America; and a number of departments, including ours, were compelled to contribute a certain percentage from their budget for that agreement to be fulfilled.
We cannot be accused of giving more money to loveLife than to sports programmes. We are simply complying with the contractual agreement. We are debating with the Minister of Health and the new Minister of Finance on how to get rid of that bushy tail, because we think that it is bushy and it is not delivering according to our national strategic plans.
Thirdly, I would like to explain that we agree, and we have said so many times, that there are no sports fields at some schools, and that will remain the case until the donkeys come home. Let’s use Lusikisiki as an example, seeing that hon Rantho mentioned something about Lusikisiki.
If you were to go there, you would find that the schools are built on top of the hills. Where are you going to build a sports field there? The same situation applies in northern KwaZulu-Natal and in a number of areas. Our strategy, therefore, is to build district facilities where the children can go down and participate where the services are available; and we have stated this before. We did not build those schools on top of the mountains
- and I do not want to go into that history.
We fully agree with the issue on the role of sport; that of keeping people out of mischief, and so on. As a matter of fact, it is an old thing that was already articulated by Augustus Caesar 20 years before Christ was born. It is not something new. It is a given fact. That is why we have all those different, huge facilities that were were created in Rome and Greece. We are saying we should also make this accessible to our children. As I have already indicated, we have strategies and tactics for how we are going to do it.
Lastly, I would like to talk about the indigenous games. By the way, all sports are indigenous games. Soccer is indigenous to England, kung fu to China, taekwondo to Korea, and so on. The problem here is the dominance of colonial powers over others. That’s why we are now pretending that soccer is indigenous to us; it is not.
Soccer only came here in the nineteenth century, just four years after it was introduced to Brazil. It was not indigenous to us, but to the English. We are promoting soccer as our own too, and at our peril - we should be promoting gqaphu [rope skipping], morabaraba and so on.
At first, the Afrikaners came here with their jukskei and we included it. Funny enough, the champion of the jukskei is not an Afrikaner, but an African lady from Mpumalanga. She beat all the boer boys and everybody else, and that’s a good thing! The Khoi and the Malay also want their own indigenous games. That is fine, but it cannot be managed now; it is getting bigger and bigger.
The countries south of the Sahara also want to participate in our indigenous games because they discovered that most of them were the same as theirs. North Korea invited us to Pyongyang to participate in their indigenous games because they were impressed by some of our activities. The things hon members have mentioned here are very important, and we are going to move that forward.
I want to end by saying that the role of mass participation is to mobilise the African communities, who were demobilised after 1976, back to sport. We have succeeded in doing that. We cannot just retain them at the mass mobilisation level, but we should move them up to the competitive, organised level. The route there should be through schools, communities and sports academies. That is exactly the route that we are now following and, indeed, we are succeeding. We don’t have enough money, but we are absolutely succeeding.
The last report was about Boxing South Africa. The much-awaited convention took place last month. It was a very good and well-attended convention and the debate was very good. One thing that came out of that was the fact that the boxing Act should be changed in order to allow us to do what Chancellor Merkel said we should; we should regulate even what is happening in sport, because sport is not a sacred cow in these matters.
We are looking at the possibility of regulating all the combat sports under one set of regulations. Boxing, karate, judo, taekwondo and kick-boxing fall under one family and we think they should be under one set of regulations.
I want to thank the members for their inputs. I also want to thank our staff. Cabinet has extended the DG’s term by another five years precisely because he did better than his predecessors. [Applause.] To assist him, we have stolen Ms Sumayya Khan from KwaZulu-Natal, so that they can be a successful team. We have a strong team and can assure South Africa that things are going to be different henceforth. Ke Nako. [Now is the time.] [Applause.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: The member is insisting that he would like to ask a question.
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: I am prepared to answer the question.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP Thank you very much. I ruled him out at the beginning, but being in my position I have to try and be as democratic as I should.
Mr S D MONTSITSI: Hon Minister, my question is very short. Four years ago both the NCOP and NA passed a budget, in particular dealing with the building of stadia and road infrastructure.
The principle then from the Ministry of Sport and Recreation was that there was going to be one member, two tickets. Unfortunately, now it seems as if that principle has been revised to be one member, one vuvuzela. [Laughter.] Therefore, I would like to know from the Minister if he would be able to revert to the former principle that the Ministry wanted to implement - of two tickets, one member. I thank you. [Laughter.]
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Chairperson, that was a nice question. It was not dissimilar from the questions our children ask during Christmas when you are going shopping. There was no such decision. It might be a principle in some heads, but there was certainly no such agreement.
As the department, with respect to all three spheres of government, we would like to see how best we can facilitate accessing the seating arrangements in the stadiums.
We are also encouraging members not just to focus on the opening and closing events, but to identify in their area which games they would like to watch. In KwaZulu-Natal all tickets are sold out. We don’t even have to look in that direction. In Rustenburg tickets are almost sold out. Through the Chief Whips, it will be helpful if members can indicate which games they are more interested in.
Tickets for the opening and the closing games were sold out long ago I am struggling to get former President Mandela and his wife a seat. Of course they will get one, but I just wanted to show you the extent of the problem. We are doing all we can because it is our money. The 2010 World Cup is different from the 2006 World Cup. The 2006 World Cup was funded by the Deutscher Fussball-Bund, the association of football in that country. With this one, the major funder is government. Therefore, we think we have a stake to share with them. Debate concluded.
CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS - OVERSIGHT VISIT TO UMHLABUYALINGANA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS - OVERSIGHT VISIT TO INDAKA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS - OVERSIGHT VISIT TO OKHAHLAMBA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS - DISSOLUTION OF NALEDI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY Mr M H MOKGOBI: Chairperson, I will read one statement for all the Orders. In an effort to make things happen where we live, Naledi local municipality was dissolved in terms of section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution with the implication that there are no public representatives or councillors as we speak.
The department has severally implemented section 154, that of provincial and national support. In spite of that, there were no improvements at all. Instead, there was a deepening of the crisis in that municipality. We had the situation of administrative incapacity, financial mismanagement, disclaimers and divisions amongst councillors and amongst officials.
There is also a sub judice factor which led to the murder of the mayor, who was buried just this Saturday; and the attempted murder of the municipal manager.
This has been brought to the attention of the provincial MEC, and they have been tasked with having the matter investigated by the Hawks. Precisely because of the serious nature of this matter, we hope we will receive a progress report in this regard.
Therefore, Chair, the committee recommends the approval of the dissolution of the municipality and that within three months there should be a municipal election in that area, as dictated by the law.
We would also want to see the situation being monitored regularly in order to avoid many political, legal and other financial factors that might hamper the dissolution of Naledi.
I now move on to the others. In the case of Umhlabuyalingana municipality, this is a section 139(1)(b) matter. It is not a dissolution but the assumption of executive authority as a result of the failure of the municipality to perform its executive duties.
Amongst other things, that municipality failed dismally in terms of all the council’s objectives of governance, service delivery and strategies. The council does not even know how to account for the smallest payment that has been made to it.
We are therefore saying, in the light of the observation by the committee, with regard to the manner in which the councillors there have accepted the situation, that they are ready. They say any form of assistance from national and provincial government will be accepted. They have accepted their mistakes.
That was the first time we saw leadership open up in that regard. So with that background, we are saying the Council must approve section 139(1)(b). The administrator there must fast-track the appointment of section 157 managers, even though we are running out of time.
Of course, there must be a quarterly report to this House, that the SA Local Government Association, Salga, should, indeed, do its work, by training councillors in that area, and not only councillors but the officials who lack capacity in that regard.
In terms of this other municipality, Indaka municipality, the situation is more or less similar. I am talking of municipalities in the hinterland, in the remote rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal. The situation is the same, though there is a special focus on supply chain management which has not been adhered to. The other issue is that it also suffers from disclaimers and the council does not have a turnaround strategy. Municipal governance is also a challenge in these municipalities.
What we observed, which we said would have to be investigated by the provincial legislature and the MEC, is that when we met the people, the stakeholders, everyone who stood up praised the mayor, and yes, there was a dissolution. It was as if it was a planned tactic - that when Parliament comes, everyone must stand up and praise the mayor, irrespective of the dissolution.
However, we were with the legislature, which will investigate why that type of communication occurred. We therefore recommend the approval of section 139(1)(b).
We also say the administrator there must fast-track the question of a labour-retention strategy. There must also be a quarterly report to this House. Salga must do its work in terms of capacity-building for both councillors and officials. We further say that the NCOP, after approving the report, must send it to stakeholders as the stakeholders there requested information on the decisions from the NCOP.
Follow-up meetings have to be held after completion of the dissolution in that area. Furthermore, the MEC for co-operative governance must monitor the situation thoroughly, and provide resources. In most cases, section 139(1)(b) is executed, but without resources in this regard.
So, we therefore call for the approval of the decisions on the three municipalities, in terms of section 139(1)(b); and that of Naledi, in terms of section 139(1)(c), with regard to dissolution. However, there are best practices that we have learned in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The manner in which the MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs consulted in this regard was best, precisely because all the people in each municipality were involved.
It is, therefore, an approval, not only by the leadership, but together with the community. The communities were involved and they approved the section 139(1)(b) decisions in almost all these three municipalities. We are saying this is one of the best practices that some of the provinces have to learn.
The other thing is the way in which the legislature of KwaZulu-Natal supported the committee. From day one, the chairperson of the co-operative governance portfolio committee in this regard was with the committee until the end and, therefore, they have all the facts that the people raised. Let me rest my case. So be it.
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Report on Oversight visit to Umhlabuyalingana Local Municipality be adopted.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
KwaZulu-Natal did not vote.
Report on Oversight visit to Umhlabuyalingana Local Municipality accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Question put: That the Report on Oversight visit to Indaka Local Municipality be adopted.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
KwaZulu-Natal did not vote.
Report on Oversight to Indaka Local Municipality accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Question put: That the Report on Oversight visit to Okhahlamba Local Municipality be adopted.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
KwaZulu-Natal did not vote.
Report on Oversight visit to Okhahlamba Local Municipality accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Question put: That the Report on Dissolution of Naledi, Local Municipality be adopted.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
KwaZulu-Natal did not vote.
Report on Dissolution of Naledi Local Municipality accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
The Council adjourned at 16:37. ____
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
TABLINGS National Council of Provinces
- The Chairperson
(a) Statement issued in terms of section 106(1)(b) of the Local
Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act No 32 of 2000), on
allegations of corruption and and irregular practices within
Umlalazi Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal.
Referred to the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and
Traditional Affairs for consideration.
(b) Statement issued in terms of section 106(1)(b) of the Local
Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act No 32 of 2000), on
allegations of maladministration, fraud, and corrupt practices
within Nongoma Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal.
Referred to the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and
Traditional Affairs for consideration.
(c) Progress Report on the Sundays River Valley Municipality
Turnaround Plan in the Eastern Cape , issued in terms of section
139(1)(b) of the Constitution, 1996.
Referred to the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and
Traditional Affairs for consideration and report.
COMMITTEE REPORTS National Council of Provinces
The report below replaces the REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON CO- OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS ON THE DISSOLUTION OF NALEDI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY, DATED 19 MAY 2010 published in the Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports of Wednesday, 19 May 2010
- REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS ON THE DISSOLUTION OF NALEDI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY – DATED 19 MAY 2010
1. Introduction and Background
1.1 The Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional
Affairs having considered the dissolution notice on the 14 May 2010
and report on the intervention notice invoked in terms of section
139 (1)(c) of the Constitution at Naledi Local Municipality by the
Free State Provincial Executive Council (PEC), reports as follows:
1.2 According to section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution, when a municipality cannot or does not fulfil an executive obligation in terms of the Constitution or legislation, the relevant provincial executive may intervene by taking any appropriate steps to ensure the fulfilment of that obligation, including dissolving the Municipal Council and appointing an Administrator until a newly elected Municipal Council has been declared elected.
1.3 The Constitution provides that the dissolution takes effect
unless the NCOP or the Minister set it aside. In other words, the
Constitution provides for a 14-day window period within which the
national Minister and the NCOP have the opportunity to set aside
the dissolution.
2. Problems Identified by the PEC at the Municipality
2.1 The rationale for the dissolution of Naledi Local Municipality
is based on the major problems identified by the PEC related to the
following:
2.1.1 Assassination of the Mayor on 3 May 2010.
2.1.2 Attempted murder of the Municipal Manager on 4 May 2010.
2.1.3 Division amongst Municipal Councillors and their inability
to convene Council meetings.
2.1.4 Most reports generated by the administration could not be
assessed and finalised by Council or signed off by the Mayor,
to enable the administration to function effectively.
2.1.5 The draft IDP, Budget and Turn-Around Strategy was not
effectively consulted on with the community, owing to the
Council’s poor public consultation processes.
2.1.6 The CFO and Manager for Technical Services were suspended
by the Municipal Manager without the ratification of the
Council.
2.1.7 Poor water management has led to the Municipality being
indebted to the Water Board.
2.1.8 The Municipality has received disclaimers for the past
three years from the Auditor-General.
3. Committee Observations and Opinion
3.1 The Committee has observed that the Provincial Department has in
the past years provided support to the Municipality in terms of
section 154(1) of the Constitution. Section 154 of the Act mandates
national and provincial government to support and strengthen the
capacity of municipalities to manage their own affairs, to exercise
their powers and to perform their functions. However, the Naledi
Local Municipality demonstrated its unwillingness to fulfil its
executive obligations owing to the administrative and financial
mismanagement, and current political instability which was
prevailing in the Municipality.
3.2 Based on the reasons for dissolution provided by the Free State
MEC for Co-operative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human
Settlements, Mr M Zwane, the Committee is of the opinion that the
dissolution of Naledi Local Municipal is warranted by the Municipal
Council’s conduct, which is the cause of the continued failure to
comply with an executive obligation.
3.3 Furthermore, the Committee is of the opinion that for the Free
State Provincial Executive to intervene at Naledi Local
Municipality, it is an integral part of the institutional framework
for developmental local government. It is a necessary corrective
measure when a municipality fails to govern and thus jeopardises
the enterprise of development. It is also an aspect of
intergovernmental relations and, as such, it must be exercised
within the spirit of co-operative government as outlined in Chapter
3 of the Constitution.
3.4 The Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional
Affairs, in co-operation with the relevant Portfolio Committee in
the Free State Provincial Legislature, would conduct an oversight
visit to interact with internal and external stakeholders of the
Naledi Local Municipality.
4. Recommendations
4.1 The Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional
Affairs recommends as follows:
1. The NCOP approves the intervention as issued by the Free
State Provincial Executive Council in terms of section 139
(1)(c) of the Constitution.
2. The Free State MEC for Co-operative Governance, Traditional
Affairs and Human Settlements should table progress reports
to the NCOP and the Provincial Legislature on the status of
by-elections to be held at Naledi Local Municipality.
3. The Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional
Affairs should approach the Hawks to pursue criminal
investigation in all cases of financial irregularities and
fraud in Naledi Local Municipality, as a matter of urgency,
and a report be forwarded to the NCOP in this regard.
Report to be considered.
The report below replaces the REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON CO- OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS ON OVERSIGHT VISIT TO TSWAING LOCAL MUNICIPALITY, DATED 19 MAY 2010 published in the Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports of Wednesday 19 May 2010
- REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS ON OVERSIGHT VISIT TO TSWAING LOCAL MUNICIPALITY – DATED 19 MAY 2010 1. Background and Overview
1.1 The Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional
Affairs having considered the request made by the National
Council of Provinces (NCOP) on the 10 March 2010, to consider
and report on the intervention notice invoked in terms of
section 139 (1)(b) of the Constitution at Tswaing Local
Municipality by the North-West Provincial Executive Council
(PEC), reports as follows:
1.2 In terms of section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution, when a
municipality cannot or does not fulfil an executive obligation
in terms of the Constitution or legislation, the relevant
provincial executive may intervene by taking any appropriate
steps to ensure the fulfilment of that obligation, including
assuming the responsibility for the relevant obligation in that
municipality.
1.3 In terms of the NCOP Rule 101, the Office of the Chairperson of
the NCOP referred the notice of intervention in the affairs of
Tswaing Local Municipality to the Select Committee of Co-
operative Governance and Traditional Affairs for consideration
and reporting. On 5 May 2010, the Committee took a decision
during its meeting to conduct an oversight visit to the above-
mentioned Municipality on 11 May 2010.
2. Oversight Purpose and Objectives
2.1 The objectives of the oversight visit was to determine whether
procedural requirements have been met and to verify whether the
PEC has used its discretion appropriately, before the Committee
can approve/disapprove the intervention. Through the
deliberation and interaction with internal and external
stakeholders, the Committee wanted to determine how the PEC was
intending to restore the fulfilment of the relevant obligations
and ensure fulfilment in the long-term. The aim was to ensure
intergovernmental checks and balances aimed at guarding the
integrity and efficiency of the intervention process.
3. Composition of the Delegation
3.1 The delegation of the Committee was composed of the following
Members of Parliament and Officials: Hon MH Mokgobi, Limpopo
(ANC); Hon AG Matila, Gauteng (ANC); Hon DV Bloem, Free State
(COPE); Mr TM Manele, Committee Secretary (Committee Section)
and Mr V Mfuniselwa, Administration Assistant (Committee
Section).
4. Introduction
4.1 On 18 March 2010, the Premier of North-West Province tabled a
notice of intervention in Tswaing Local Municipality to the
Office of the Chairperson of the NCOP. Subsequent to the
tabling, the notice was referred to the Select Committee on Co-
operative Governance and Traditional Affairs for consideration
and reporting in terms of Council Rule 101. In compliance with
the Council referral, the Committee resolved to undertake a fact-
finding visit to the Municipality on the 11 May 2010. In terms
of section 139 (2)(b)(ii) of the Constitution, the intervention
must end if the NCOP does not positively approve the
intervention within 180 days, in this case before the end of 10
September 2010, since the intervention began.
5. Problems Identified by the PEC at the Municipality
5.1 The main issues identified by the PEC for intervening in the
affairs of Tswaing Local Municipality related to the poor
management of the Municipality; poor water and sanitation
provision; poor standard of internal road infrastructure; uneven
provision of services to the communities and project delays
owing to prolonged procurement processes; and possible fraud
and corruption activities.
6. Oversight Visit to Tswaing Local Municipality
6.1 On 11 May 2010 the delegation of the Committee had interactive
and robust engagements with the internal and external
stakeholders of the Tswaing Local Municipality. The main internal
stakeholders the delegation interacted with in the Municipality
included the Speaker, Mayor, Ward Committee Members, Municipal
Councillors, Administrator and the South African Local Government
Association (SALGA). The main external stakeholders the
delegation interacted with included members of the community, and
business forums and non-governmental organizations.
6.2 For the purpose of this report, the submissions made by both
internal and external stakeholders are structured based on the
five key performance areas of the local government which are:
Municipal Transformation; Basic Service Delivery; Local Economic
Development; Municipal Financial Viability and Management, as
well as Good Governance and Public Participation.
(A) Municipal Transformation and Organisational Development
6.3 Municipal Council: The submissions made by the Mayor and the
Speaker specified that the Municipal Council supported the
placing of the Municipality under section 139 (1)(b) of the
Constitution, and the subsequent appointment of the
Administrator in fulfilling the executive functions of the
Municipality. The major progress reported by the Mayor prior to
the intervention and appointment of the Administrator included
the development of a draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP),
budget and municipal turn- around strategy to be considered and
adopted by the Municipal Council.
6.4 SALGA: The major municipal transformation and organisational
development concerns raised by SALGA affecting municipalities
generally and specifically the Tswaing Local Municipality,
related to the lack of capacity in the North-West Province to
monitor and support municipalities in terms of personnel,
funding, institutional knowledge and expertise.
6.5 Administrator: The Administrator reported on the absence of
discipline among municipal officials; performance management
system; lack of staff supervision; bloated organisational
structure, which was not aligned to the IDP; irregular
appointments of employees; problems with staff placements; 120
employees appointed within a period of six months, resulting in
a higher salary bill; poor record- management system; a high
level of employee absenteeism and lack of commitment from
section 57 managers.
6.6 Municipal Councillors: The concerns raised by some Municipal
Councillors related to low work ethics of the senior managers,
including the Municipal Manager; continual absence of the
Municipal Manager from work; head-hunting of unqualified senior
managers by the Municipal Manager; and the non- functionality of
the Local Labour Forum (LLF).
6.7 Organized Labour: Some of the major transformational and
organisational concerns highlighted by the representatives of
South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) related to the
lack of skills development programmes. SAMWU indicated that
there is a need to address good working relations among the
Office of the Mayor, Speaker and the Chief Whip, in order to
ensure that effective and efficient municipal transformation and
organisational development.
6.8 Administrator: Part of the turn-around plan reported by the
Administrator in assisting the Municipality to deal with the
challenges included the reviewing of all the existing policies,
development of new policies, reviving and training of the LLF,
development of a disciplinary and grievance procedure, training
of management and staff, and improving staff morale and
discipline by the end of September 2010.
(B) Basic Service Delivery
6.9 Administrator: The collapse of refuse collection, cleaning and
rehabilitation of streets, and provision of potable water and
sanitation were the main basic service delivery problems
reported. The Administrator indicated that the turn-around plan
would assist the Municipality to effectively and efficiently
deal with basic service delivery challenges, including improving
access to electricity and potable water, maintenance and
operation of infrastructure, ensuring solid waste disposal and
refuse removal, and resolving housing project challenges before
the end of September 2010.
6.10 Ward Committees: Concerns raised by members of the Ward
Committees were connected to the Municipal Manager’s failure to
deal with the service delivery problems, political interference
in administration, and the non-implementation of the IDP review.
6.11 Traditional Leaders: The challenges that needed to be addressed
according to the Traditional Leaders related to poor road
infrastructure, lack of street lightning, delays with regard to
the completion of the RDP houses, land occupation, and the need
to ensure that the terms of reference of the Administrator and
the application of section 139 (1)(b) of the Constitution were
clearly explained.
(C) Local Economic Development (LED)
6.12 Administrator: The Administrator tabled a plan to assist the
Municipality in dealing with economic development challenges.
This included the revival of the LED Forum and the promotion of
stakeholder engagement by the end of September 2010.
6.13 Community-Based Organisation: The Organization raised funding
challenges which relate to youth developmental programmes;
community-based youth projects, including co-ordination of
leanership programmes; lack of an intergovernmental approach,
especially with regard to the placement of community members who
had participated in the learnership programmes.
(D) Municipal Financial Viability and Management
6.14 Administrator: The major problems reported by the Administrator
included the salary bill of the Municipality which exceeded the
monthly income, general financial fraud and mismanagement, non-
payment of statutory deductions, poor management of municipal
assets, the disappearance of R90 000 without trace from the
municipal primary bank account, and the instituting of
disciplinary measures.
6.15 The turn-around plan was aimed at assisting the Municipality to
deal with the problems related to financial viability and
management, development of a fraud prevention strategy, robust
engagement with the Ratepayers Association, improvement of cash-
flow management, promotion of compliance with the Municipal
Finance Management Act (MFMA) and the financial regulations,
updating of asset register, and the completion and adoption of
the budget by the end of September 2010.
(E) Good Governance and Public Participation
6.16 SALGA: The representative of SALGA, who was also a Member of the
Intergovernmental Relations Forum, registered his
dissatisfaction which related to the absence of sound relations
within the Municipality. It was pointed out that political
infighting and divisions were rife within the Municipal Council,
and that there was also political–administrative conflict, as
well as failure to perform legislative functions. There was
also political interference in the administration.
6.17 Municipal Council: The Speaker of the Municipality raised
concerns with regard to the lack of resources and stipends for
Ward Committee Members to facilitate public participation, on
matters relating to governance.
6.18 Municipal Councillors: It was recorded that political
interference in administration; implementation of decisions by
the Mayor, without consultation with the Municipal Council, was
a major challenge in the Municipality. Furthermore, it was
identified that there was political infighting, non-tabling of
reports, and the lack of accountability to the Municipal Council
by the Municipal Manager and Section 57 Managers. In addition,
the Municipal Manager failed to co-ordinate the meetings of the
municipal portfolio committees.
6.19 Administrator: The Administrator aims to assist the Municipality
to deal with the problems related to good governance and public
participation, including the revitalization of Ward Committees;
the improvement of communication with the community; the
promoting of public meetings; the reviewing of delegation of
authority; the strengthening of political oversight on all
Municipal Council committees and administration; the creating of
stability within the Municipal Council; and the promoting of
good intergovernmental relations by the end of September 2010.
7. Committee Observations and Opinion
7.1 The delegation of the Committee has observed that, owing to the
failure of the Municipality to perform legislative and executive
obligations, service delivery in the communities had been
affected, and this resulted in poor provision of water and
sanitation services, poor standard of internal road
infrastructure, uneven provision of services to communities;
delays in the completion of LED projects, prolonged procurement
processes, and allegations of fraud and corruption.
7.2 Furthermore, the decision of the PEC to invoke section 139
(1)(b) of the Constitution and the subsequent appointment of the
Administrator on 10 May 2010, has resulted in the development of
a turn-around plan. This was aimed at assisting the Municipality
to deal with the challenges and stakeholders’ concerns related
to the IDP, budget formulation, organisational development,
financial management, good governance, public participation, LED
and service delivery.
7.3 In addition, the NCOP should note that Tswaing Local
Municipality has a bloated orgonogram of 19 section 57 managers,
as well as irregular promotions of about 120 workers to senior
management. It is also alleged that the Municipal Council has
one Gardener and one Cleaner.
8. Acknowledgement
8.1 Having conducted the oversight visit to the Municipality, the
Committee delegation wishes to extend words of appreciation to
all the internal and external stakeholders of the Municipality
for their robust engagements with the delegation of the
Committee on matters related to the placement of the
Municipality under section 139 (1)(b) of the Constitution and
the appointment of the Administrator.
9. Recommendations
9.1 Having conducted the oversight visit to Tswaing Local
Municipality and interacted with internal and external
stakeholders, the Select Committee on Co-operative Governance
and Traditional Affairs recommends as follows:
9.1.1 The NCOP approves the intervention as issued by the North-
West Provincial Executive Council in terms of section 139
(1)(b) of the Constitution.
9.1.2 The Administrator should fast-track the process of
reviewing and developing a database of qualifications of
all section 57 managers and table a report to the
Provincial Executive Council.
3. The Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional
Affairs should approach the Hawks to pursue criminal
investigation in all cases of financial irregularities
and fraud in Tswaing Local Municipality as a matter of
urgency, and a report be forwarded to the NCOP in this
regard.
9.1.4 The Administrator should ensure the proper functioning of
the Local Labour Forum and the co-ordination of
consultative meetings between the offices of the Mayor,
Speaker and the Chief Whip.
9.1.5 The Provincial Executive should provide quarterly reports
to the NCOP on the progress made in respect of service
delivery, financial viability and management,
transformation and organisational development, LED, and
good governance and public participation as contained in
the turn-around strategy tabled during the oversight
visit on 11 May 2010.
9.1.6 The Administrator should fast-track the process of
ensuring that all section 57 managers complete the
signing of their performance contracts, and further
ensure that those contracts are aligned with the key
performance areas of the Municipality.
9.1.7 The MEC for Developmental Local Government and Housing in
North-West Province should table quarterly progress
reports to the NCOP and the Provincial Legislature on the
status of the intervention in the Municipality, including
challenges encountered.
9.1.8 The South African Local Government Association, in co-
operation with the Local Government Sector Education and
Training Authority, should facilitate training and
capacity building for Municipal Councillors and
officials, in order to further deepen their understanding
of the legal framework and policies that govern the
activities of the Municipality.
9. The South African Municipal Workers Union and the
Independent Municipal Allied Trade Union should work co-
operatively with the Administrator in order to strengthen
personnel discipline that is aimed at promoting municipal
integrity.
10. The Provincial Executive should investigate and report to
the NCOP, why Tswaing Local Municipality is at grade six
level, which is inconsistent with the recommendations of
the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB).
11. The Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and
Traditional Affairs, in co-operation with the relevant
Portfolio Committee in the North-West Provincial
Legislature, would conduct a follow-up visit to the
Municipality three months after the intervention has
ended, in order to monitor the progress made in respect
of the intervention in the Municipality.
Report to be considered.