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"THE ROLE OF SPORT AND RECREATION IN BUILDING A NATION UNITED IN ACTION FOR CHANGE"

Chairperson,

It is indeed an honour to address this august House in this my second budget speech as Minister of Sport and Recreation. Much has happened over the past year and it gives me great pleasure in presenting to you today our vision and plans for the year that lies ahead. I remember the enthusiastic contribution of the MEC responsible for sport from the Northern Cape, Brian Hermanus, to this debate last year. It is hard to believe that he is no longer with us, nor is Mr. Elvis Nkwenyane, the Head of Department of the Mpumalanga Department responsible for sport and recreation. I wish to make use of this opportunity to pay tribute to those two colleagues, both died tragically in the course of performing their duties. While their contributions to the development of sport and recreation, especially amongst disadvantaged communities will be sorely missed, I believe that the standards that they have set will serve as inspiration to their successors.

Chairperson, my address here today, as was the case in the National Assembly not too long ago, relate primarily to sport's contribution to the policy thrusts identified by the President during his speech at the opening of parliament in February of this year, and especially his reference to "Building a Nation United in Action for Change". In this regard, I shall be focusing on the role of sport and recreation in addressing this objective. I am sure that none of us here today would dispute the potential of sport in nation building. The fact that the rugby test on June 16 between the Springboks and the French National Team at Ellis Park will constitute part of the Youth Day celebrations, is a clear example of the potential role that sport can play in promoting change in pursuit of a better South Africa for all. SAFA will also host a match in Durban on 17 June as part of the Youth Day celebrations and the players will be visiting Umlazi as part of the event the following day. I would like to congratulate both SARFU and SAFA on these initiatives with regard to Youth Day and I urge our rugby and soccer loving public to support these ventures. I would also like to urge the Provincial Departments to support the many sports initiatives that will form part of the Youth Day celebrations on and around 16 June, if they are not already doing so.

Allow me to say, unequivocally, Chairperson, that I shall be relentless in the coming year to ensure that sport does serve as a catalyst of change in our country. I shall challenge any sports federation that undermines my efforts in this regard, uncompromisingly. You will recall that at one stage sport was one of the leading protagonists in this country for change. We have, unfortunately, lost that advantage and I would like to commit myself here today to turning that trend around. During the course of 2000, several of the major sports federations set targets for achieving representivity in their representative teams. I shall be examining their performances shortly. New targets will have to be set to ensure that we proceed progressively and rapidly toward our goal of total representivity in line with the demographics of the country. I am totally committed to this objective. I shall be engaging all the National Federations, big and small, with a view to measuring their performance and to extract from them new commitments for the year ahead. I will request all of them to set targets to which I shall hold them accountable and use any means at my disposal to ensure compliance. I am aware that in some instances, especially the smaller federations have been getting away with murder. Transformation in sport involves more than just the attainment of unity. We have now passed that stage. It involves a paradigm shift in which non-racialism, democracy and representivity become fundamental principles that inform all our practice. I will no longer tolerate a situation in which conformity to the minimum representivity conditions become the norm. Again, I want to reiterate the fact that the practice of replacing a black player in a team by another black player to meet the minimum requirements cannot continue as a representative team. It must comprise more than three black players.

Very often, the national federation blame their provincial affiliates for the lack of representivity at the national level. I am of the opinion, therefore, that the Provincial Departments will have to get involved in the debate to ensure that changes are implemented. I shall be hosting a conference on transformation in sport later this year and will spell out my intentions in this regard at that forum. I gave notice of this at the recent General Assembly of the Sports Commission and received large-scale support for that initiative. I want to urge provinces to participate in that forum and to use the resolutions that we take there as a basis for tackling the problems in their backyards.

I want to issue a stern warning against the practice in certain federations, and they know who they are, that use the principle of democracy simplistically to exclude blacks from positions in their management structures. Democracy, in the South African sports context, is more than a simple numbers game. It is obvious that in terms of membership and number of clubs, whites will dominate, given our history. When numbers are used to vote predominantly white executive committees with a sprinkling of token black faces only in the top structures into power, we have lost the spirit not only of transformation in South Africa, but also of reconciliation and non-racism. It is a façade that I will challenge vigorously. I am aware that the problem may be more extreme in the provinces and will, therefore, elicit your support in rooting out this evil at the basic levels.

My Department will also host a colloquium at the World Anti-Racism Conference later this year in Durban, at which the question of racism in sport will receive prominence. We are hoping to involve some of the world's leading protagonists of non-racism in sport and our programme will feature a soccer match between a European U/23 team and a South African U/23 team under the banner of "Red-carding Racism in Sport". I trust that I will enjoy your support in these endeavours. I would like to express my thanks, in anticipation, to the KwaZulu-Natal Province for their promised support in this project, and urge other provinces to send delegates to attend the event as well. Allow me to say in this regard, Chairperson and Honourable Members that the incident involving the nine rugby players in the Northern Province does not do sport in general, and rugby in particular, any good. I trust that justice will be done in this case and that this sad episode in our country's history will inspire all of us to rid our society of the scourge of racism.

I have recently appointed a ministerial task team to advise me on ways and means to improve the performances of our athletes and teams in international sports competitions. I am convinced that we can do much better if we pool our scarce resources to prepare our athletes for participation in international competitions. It makes no sense for me to have separate structures preparing the same athletes that participate in different international competitions. Such a practice, while being economically unsound, also sows confusion amongst our athletes. We can ill afford the luxury of this level of fragmentation. The degree of consensus that has emerged in the preliminary report of the Task Team against such fragmentation bodes well for the preparation of our sports teams in future and I look forward to receiving the final report of the Task Team. In this context, I would like to applaud the efforts of Dr. Joe Phaahla and the members of the task team for the sterling work that they are doing. Dr. Phaahla will be visiting all of the provinces during the month of June to inform all stakeholders of the progress of the team to date, and to solicit their inputs on the matter.

The initial reflections of the task team on how to divide the scarce pool of resources available for sport and recreation are encouraging indeed. I can only concur that government and the private sector will have to work together if we are going to make any headway in international sport. Moreover, we will have to be sober in considering the manner in which we divide the relatively small resource pool between the many, potential claimants for support. In particular, we will have to review the process of allocating resources to ensure that these are done in a way that prevents federations from double dipping because our funding systems at national and provincial level do not correlate with each other. I am aware that that is the case presently, but I am encouraged by the initiative at the level of the Technical Intergovernmental Committee (TIC) to produce a co-ordinated funding policy. Changes will also include a shift to an outcomes and performance-based approach as opposed to a compliance one. This is clearly in line with the direction which government has taken in respect of resource allocation. In future, therefore, potential clients will have to indicate what they are hoping to achieve with the government subsidy, and show how that relates to government priorities

Allow me Honourable Members, to express my concern about the slow rate of progress in promoting a more equitable dispensation for women in sport in our country. Despite various efforts, we have not had the rate of success we envisaged in addressing this very urgent matter. For me, changes in this crucial sphere must be prioritised and I shall be focusing attention on the matter during this financial year. Again, provinces have a critical role to play. I am aware of women in sport initiatives that are still surviving in some of the provinces. I would like to encourage all provinces to address the matter that has to be tackled at the grassroots level.

I am of the opinion that Sport and Recreation has been extremely fortunate over the past year to the extent that we have been provided with resources that we could only have dreamt of before. The access that we have been afforded to "Poverty Relief, Infrastructure Creation and Job Summit" funds has positioned us amongst major role players in the public sector to tackle the crucial issue of poverty. In our quest to access these resources, we have argued that the building of sport and recreation facilities in disadvantaged communities can contribute to temporary and permanent job creation, income generation and, hence, poverty relief. We are committed to making a success of this project over the next three years with a view to securing these funds as part of our baseline budget beyond 2004, to facilitate delivery in an area in which there is also a huge backlog in our country. We shall be contributing to the resolution of the twin problems, therefore, of poverty as well as the shortage of sports facilities that exists in disadvantaged communities. We have been granted R40 million in the first year of the project, R 96 million in the second, and R129 million in the third year, provided we are successful in each of the three years. I am committed to ensuring that success. Of course, facility creation is a function of the provincial and local tiers of government. We have merely secured the funds from National Treasury and are dependent on you to deliver the facilities and to maintain them. We have, therefore, tried to cement a tripartite bond between my Department, Sport and Recreation South Africa, the Sports Commission, and the Provincial Departments responsible for sport and recreation. I am of the opinion that co-operation between these structures will provide the best potential for success in this project. I, therefore, appeal to you to ensure that this project succeeds. If anything, it is the one area in which the NCOP must play a significant role to ensure success. We have worked hard to secure these resources and cannot permit that it slips between our fingers by not delivering on our objectives.

Chairperson, Honourable Members, last year I spoke about my intention to bring sport and recreation into the mainstream of government efforts aimed at working for change in the country. I believe that our "Building for Sport and Recreation" project is aimed at doing exactly that in the context of our stated intention of integrated planning and delivery. Ours will be a concerted effort along with those of our sister departments to prioritise the poor and disadvantaged, and to contribute to rural development and urban renewal. We shall be building and upgrading sport and recreation facilities in each of the provinces using labour intensive methods in which we will engage local communities. In the first year of the project, we shall have reached 33% of the poverty nodes identified for urgent intervention by the President, and cover all 100% of them over the ensuing two years. I would like to urge Members of the House to become involved in these projects in their constituencies to ensure that our investments are sound and that the communities and especially the rural women involved will indeed benefit. Moreover, our people must take ownership of the facilities to guard against them being vandalized. We are also planning to have the facilities appropriately named after veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle as sports' contribution to symbolic reparation for the suffering of our people under that order.

Chairperson, in his response to the debate on his State of the Nation Address, the President mandated the Departments responsible for sport and recreation, education, arts and culture, and the Youth Commission, to design programmes that will engage the youth constructively. We have risen to that challenge and, as Sport and Recreation; we have developed a comprehensive programme that should provide many opportunities on an ongoing basis for participation in constructive activities. We shall be involved side by side with the Youth Commission, as part of this initiative, in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Soweto uprising with a substantial sports programme that, as I have intimated earlier, will culminate in the rugby test between South Africa and France on June 16 at Ellis Park. In our broader programme, we have engaged the United School Sports Association of South Africa substantially and have ensured, through this initiative, that we also address the problem of HIV/AIDS through their "Love-Life Games". This programme will be implemented throughout the country, from the local through to the regional, provincial and national levels. Again, this is one area that co-operation between the three tiers of government is vitally important for success. I am happy to report that there is close co-operation between my Department and the Gauteng Department responsible for sport and recreation. I would like to urge that similar levels of co-operation be encouraged with other provinces as well.

In latter regard too, Chairperson, Honourable Members, you will agree with me that the school sport issue has remained unresolved for too long. My Colleague, the Minister of Education and I, have come to an agreement that we shall assume joint responsibility for school sport and physical education. The Department of Education will assume responsibility for the curricular aspects of physical education and school sport including inter-school sport at the local and, maybe, at the regional level, while Sport and Recreation will assume responsibility for representative school sport at the provincial, national and international levels. Of course, provincial departments will have to assume responsibility for the participation of their representative teams up to national level, while SRSA and the SASC will have to play a role at the international level. We are still grappling with the problem of resourcing this important venture and will have to be innovative in finding solutions to this problem. I intend calling a national school sports indaba later this year in which all stakeholders will have the opportunity to deliberate on a way forward. I call on the Provinces, USSASA, teacher unions, sports coaches, SASSU and even parents to assist me in making this indaba a success and to participate in it vigorously.

Chairperson, Honourable Members, the past few months have been historical for the sports movement. We have witnessed the dissolution of the National Sports Council and the handing over of the baton, which they carried so successfully along with their predecessors, SACOS, the pioneers of non-racial sport, to the South African Sports Commission. This also implied the end of the road for the provincial affiliates of the NSC. This event certainly marked the end of an era in our sports history and we need to pay homage to all those stalwarts, both in SACOS and the NSC, who sacrificed so much to ensure that non-racial sport prevailed, and that it made the contribution that it did to the liberation of our people from the shackles of apartheid. I shall not even attempt to single out individuals who played a significant role in the struggle, for that list is too long, and I am fearful of leaving out people who contributed to this team effort. The dissolution of the NSC poses interesting challenges for the provinces in terms of establishing civil society structures to replace the "provincial NSCs". I am aware of the efforts in some provinces to establish Sports Councils. This might be a possible option. I will engage with the MECs in Minmec later this year to try to find a common solution to the matter.

The meeting earlier this month of the South African Sports Commission's General Assembly, represents another significant milestone in our sports history and judging from the turnout and lively debate at that forum, I am convinced that we have a winning formula that will ensure that every sportsperson in our country has access to a structure through which to make his/her voice heard. Moreover, the General Assembly will serve as a watchdog that will ensure that the Sports Commission delivers on its mandate.

We have successfully launched the South African Indigenous Games at a captivating event at a most appropriate venue, the Basotho Cultural Village in QwaQwa in the Free State earlier this year, fulfilling a long held desire of the President to see these activities that were facing extinction, being revived. The indigenous games will not only involve more South Africans in wholesome physical activity, but also ensure that we preserve a very important part of our culture. The Eastern Cape Province has just launched their own chapter of Indigenous Games and I would like to encourage all other provinces that have not done so yet, to follow suit.

Our athletes have started their preparation for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester next year. Provincial academies and sports institutes have an important role to play in this project, and we urge that you provide them with encouragement.

The SASC is also hard at work preparing for the re-introduction of the South African Games, a competition that will slot into the four-year development cycle, which culminates in the Olympic Games. This correlates well with the proposal of the Ministerial Task Team for a developmental approach to international participation. The South African Games will be a culmination of local, regional and provincial games through which participants will have to progress. It will provide opportunities for a wider range of participants and create opportunities for identifying talent that has not been uncovered yet. Government and sports structures at the local and provincial levels have an important role to fulfil to ensure the success of this venture.

We have also witnessed the establishment of a Distribution Agency for allocating funds that have accrued from the National Lottery, to non-governmental agencies in sport and recreation. I would like to urge sports structures at all levels to access those funds to promote their activities, especially in the disadvantaged areas. The Distribution Agency has put out a call for proposals for the first allocation that has become available and has focused on the development of facilities, the supply of sport equipment and kit, and human resource development as priorities during the first round. Applications closed on 31 May but a further call will be put out as more funds become available. I have a concern about the capacity in sports clubs and associations in disadvantaged communities in particular, to develop and write proposals. That may result in us not achieving the desired outcomes. Moreover, should we not receive appropriate proposals, it may also suggest that sport and recreation is not in need of the funds. As you are all aware, that is not the case. I would, therefore, like to urge institutions such as the Sports Commission, Provincial sports academies and institutes and other agencies, to support our community sports and recreation structures to ensure that they are indeed able to benefit from the lottery to which they have contributed so loyally to. I am clear in my mind that the allocation of lottery funds cannot merely involve dishing out the resources to recipients. There must be accountability, failing which; we shall have made no headway in uplifting our communities. I shall be approaching my colleague in the Department of Trade and Industry to satisfy myself that sufficient controls are in place to ensure delivery to the communities that have been targeted in this project. Chairperson, Honourable Members, we have in the past complained about a shortage of funds in sport and recreation, not any more. The ball is now squarely in our court to prove that we are indeed able to use the resources that have been put at our disposal.

We have had an eventful sports year during 2000/2001. The highlight was most certainly the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games in which our teams competed. Our cricketers continue to enjoy success and the Sharks made it to the final of the Super 12 series. In latter regard, congratulations to KwaZulu-Natal Province and the other provincial unions that constitute the Sharks establishment. Bafana Bafana must be congratulated for their performances during the past year and allow me also to congratulate the Buccaneers for their success in what must surely have been one of the most closely contested and most exciting league competitions in the PSL in years!

Our annual Presidential Sports Awards function was very special this year and for the first time, featured a more representative cross section of our sportspeople being acknowledged for their achievements in, and commitment to service in sport and recreation. We recognised a number of sportspeople who have never before been afforded the recognition that they deserve. We are in the process of revising the formats of the Presidential Sports Awards and hope to bring it in line with the various provincial sports awards ceremonies to engender a degree of harmony between the different ceremonies.

The year ahead holds many interesting challenges for us in sport and recreation. Later this year the world, "Sport for All" federation, TAFISA will be holding its international conference in Cape Town. The 2003 Cricket World Cup Organising Committee is hard at work to ensure that their event will be the biggest and most successful World Cup in the history of the sport ever. Through my Department, we have already facilitated meetings with appropriate stakeholders in this regard. I want to thank the provinces for the enthusiastic reception that they have afforded the organising committees that have visited them and I would like to encourage them to ensure that they derive maximum benefit from the games that will be taking place in their cities. I would, of course, urge the organising committee to give serious consideration to taking the games to disadvantaged communities like Chatsworth, Alice, Zwide and Galashewe.

As you know SAFA is, once again, gearing itself, to bid for the 2010 World Cup, to which I would like to add my unqualified support. I am confident that we will pull it off this time and that we will be able to run a successful tournament should we win the Bid. I would like to encourage the provinces and cities to lend the Bid Committee that will be established the same degree of support that they did during the last round, for which I want to commend them. The Boxing Bill has just been passed in the National Assembly as well as the NCOP and will be promulgated shortly. The 76 Bill will be introduced to Parliament shortly and will determine how boxing will be regulated in the provinces and how provincial boxing will relate to boxing at the national level. I am confident that the new dispensation will ensure that boxing in our country is put on a sound footing, and that we can close the door on all the problems that we have experienced in the sport in the past. I am looking at introducing the Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill into Parliament shortly. The Bill is aimed at consolidating the legislation for sport and recreation that will enable us to exploit the potential of the domain to impact positively toward creating a better life for all in South Africa.

I am also in the process of facilitating discussions between the three broadcasters with a view to finalising the question of televising events of national interest. This is an issue whose settlement is long overdue, but I am encouraged by the fact that the broadcasters are showing positive signs of cooperating. Indeed, I am rushing to a meeting in Johannesburg immediately after this speech to address a meeting of the three broadcasters.

In concluding, Chairperson and Honourable Members, I would like to convey a very special thanks to everybody in sports that has made the past year the success that it has been, and who will once again contribute to making the coming year successful. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Select Committee on Education and Recreation in the NCOP, and in particular, its Chairperson, Mr David Kgware, for his support and commitment. I would also like to thank the staff of the Ministry and the Department, the South African Sports Commission, the members of MINMEC and the TIC, the macro-bodies and their leadership, and everybody involved in the running of sport and recreation in South Africa from the grassroots level, to the very top.

We all know that sport and recreation will never be able to function without volunteers. 2001 is the "Year of the Volunteer" and I would, therefore, like to make use of this opportunity to acknowledge the role that volunteers play in bringing the joy of sport and recreation to all of us. We are truly grateful for the contribution that you make.

Lastly, Chairperson, I shall be failing in my duty if I do not convey the condolences of this House, once again, to the families of those loyal sports supporters who died so tragically at the Orlando Pirates - Kaiser Chiefs game at Ellis Park. Our thoughts remain with them and we trust that they will find comfort in the knowledge that we will do everything in our power to ensure that such a disaster never happens again. I would like to take this opportunity also to thank the President and Deputy-President, my colleagues and the officials in their departments, as well as Members of Parliament and the NCOP, the Gauteng Province in particular, as well as the Diplomatic Corps who rallied around us so speedily to ensure that the families and victims received the support necessary to lessen their pain and suffering. The incident left the entire nation traumatised but we remained strong during these times of potential weakness. The Commission of Inquiry led by the able Judge Ngoepe has started its work and I feel confident that his recommendations will contribute to making our stadiums safe havens to which our citizens will be attracted to support their clubs and their heroes. I would like to use this opportunity to request the Provinces to review safety and security aspects at all major sporting venues to ensure that they are safe.

Chairperson, Honourable Members, I thank you.

Issued by: Ministry of Sport and Recreation, 7 June 2001