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20 April 2007

Chairperson,
Honourable Members,

It is with pleasure that I present to this Honourable House the Budget of my Department for the financial year 2007/08. This is the second occasion I have risen to outline the Budget of the Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism but the first time I was at a disadvantage. I had been less than two months in office and was able to make little personal input to a Budget which had been prepared without my participation. I am glad to say that since then I have had the opportunity to observe and understand the workings of the department, to read the reports, to meet and interact with stakeholders, to gather information first hand and get a very good idea of the direction in which the department needs to be steered.

This Budget has my personal input and will, I believe, provide a clear idea of the direction in which we intend moving. Chairperson, I see Arts, Culture and Tourism as an important vehicle for progress toward achievement of the national objectives of economic upliftment and redistribution, as contained in the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (AsgiSA) and Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa) programmes and consistently expressed in State of the Nation and State of the Province Addresses. I believe Arts, Culture and Tourism provide the opportunity for significant numbers of people to make their way out of conditions of social and economic deprivation that were inherited from an unjust past.

There are, of course, other facets to the Portfolio. We seek to support and stimulate all the artistic and cultural strands that contribute to KwaZulu-Natal's rich diversity and make it an attractive and interesting place for tourists to visit. Support and stimulation create cross-cultural awareness and understanding, which are the basis of a sound and healthy society. Past marginalisation of indigenous arts and culture, at the same time, is corrected through stimulation of indigenous genres.

There is also, of course, the aesthetic, uplifting side of Arts and Culture; the music, dance and artwork that put human beings on a higher and more meaningful plane of existence; that make us what we are as a people. We must never lose sight of that, nor the department's role in supporting and developing the different artistic and cultural traditions.

However, in recent years the potential economic dimension of Arts and Culture has come increasingly to the fore. Arts and Culture offer opportunities to crafters, musicians, dancers, painters and sculptors, to mention but a few, to sell their work or their talent to entertain in the provincial, national and international markets. I see it as the role of this department to discover, develop and promote such talent and to provide opportunities to facilitate the development of business and marketing skills and to steer practitioners toward the markets. Arts and Culture is promoted for its own intrinsic worth but also as a means to economic advancement.

Chairperson, Tourism similarly provides opportunities for the historically disadvantaged. KwaZulu-Natal already has a highly developed Tourism industry based on our natural assets, that is, mountains, beaches, wilderness as well as history and the growing attraction of our cultural diversity. We dominate the domestic tourism market and we are also making significant gains in the international one as well.

It is important that this established sector should continue to grow because growth not only provides employment opportunities for the historically disadvantaged; it provides opportunities for implementation of the National Black Economic Empowerment Charter in Tourism, to which my department and I are wholly committed. The achievement of Black Economic Empowerment would be difficult in a shrinking market. Also, a growing market provides all kinds of opportunities for emerging tourism entrepreneurs, bed and breakfast operators and others, who my department is wholly committed to supporting. Chairperson, to encapsulate what I have said above, I see Arts, Culture and Tourism as the vehicle to uplift people's lives, to achieve social cohesion, moral regeneration and national unity and to achieve a cascading economic growth.

Besides what I have outlined above there is a wide range of activities the department is engaged in. A Directorate of Language Services sees to, among other things, the implementation of the Provincial Language Policy in terms of the Constitution. A Directorate of Archives Services preserves the past without which we cannot understand the present or plan properly for the future and sees to it that the present is properly recorded. A Directorate of Library Services provides public libraries right across the province, which is not just a significant aid to learning but are social and economic nodes as well.

The department is also directly responsible for two Public Entities: the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority, which is the marketing and promotions arm and has training and development functions as well. The Natal Sharks Board which is charged with ensuring safety of our beaches and without them there would hardly be a Tourism Industry. The other business entities are the Playhouse Company, the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Art Centres. They all have an equal responsibility to promote arts and culture.

The department has been too thin on the ground hence the decision to embark on a campaign of a series of Izimbizo to market itself and tell the people of KwaZulu-Natal what we do, what services we offer and what opportunities are available in the department. Chairperson, Honourable Members, I move now to the detail regarding each programme.

Programme 1

In the past financial year I identified a need to meet challenges of delivery by aligning our Strategic Plan with national and provincial priorities. The department has embarked on a business re-engineering process which will look at organisation review with the aim of improving performance and service delivery.
At this juncture, I need to also indicate that the department has developed a Service Delivery Improvement Plan which has been accepted by the Department of Public Service and Administration as the best in the arts and culture sector and our Service Delivery Improvement Plan is going to be used as a benchmark throughout the country.

Finance

Last year we had to review the Supply Chain Management structure and also find skilled personnel and budget. I am happy to report that the structure has since been approved. A Manager's post has been filled; the incumbent has already assumed duties. We are now on the verge of finalising the implementation of the Supply Chain Management Framework. The component has also put in place measures to mitigate the risks identified in our finance systems:

* Programme and responsibility managers are required to maintain commitment registers and provide accurate and reliable projections of expenditure. The procurement section only processes requisitions that conform to the available budget and are part of the procurement plan of the Department.
* Apart from the said mentioned, programme managers will be regularly workshopped on procurement procedures.

Human Resources

Gender balance

Currently we stand at 42,1% women at senior management level, 41,9% at middle management and 45,5 % at junior management which is indeed an improvement on what we had last year.

Skills Development
During 2006 we were able to place 15 interns with the department and the target for 2007 is to place 23. The Skills Development Component works closely with Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) and intends, for the first time, to place 20 unemployed youth from historically disadvantaged communities throughout the province in the Arts and Culture Administration Learnership.

A minimal budget has been set aside to kick start a learnership programme in the Tourism sector. The employees of the department are continuously provided training through training interventions identified in the Department's Workplace Skills Plan.

Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET)

A total of five active officials within the department successfully completed the ABET programme and another six will enter this programme during this financial year. Chairperson, these are significant beginnings with a potential to secure life-long socio-economic benefits for the beneficiaries.

Office accommodation

We have managed to secure office accommodation for clusters; accommodation at head office still remains a challenge.

Legislation

The legislation which will receive priority this year will be the KwaZulu-Natal Archives Amendment Bill, 2007 and the Natal Sharks Board Ordinance Amendment Bill, 2007. We still have significant legislation that has to be reviewed.

Cultural Affairs

Arts and Culture has been identified as an integral part of Tourism in the Provincial Spatial Economic Development Strategy hence several programmes are being implemented to address this.
Development of Artists

The department has made great strides in the development of artists. As we speak we are in the process of recording groups where each group will receive 1 000 compact discs (CDs) and 500 cassettes. We intend assisting them with marketing and promotion of their work as part of the after care programme.

Skills Development programmes

The Arts and Culture component has planned a number of skills development programmes as a direct response to the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa.

The programmes encompass:

* training crafters in product development and design
* training artists in theatre, music, dance – as well as in the necessary business skills
* providing a learnership that offers training on the job;
* training in the manufacture of household products such as cosmetics bags for sale at flea markets and other outlets.

The department will launch Operation Qedindlala before the end of 2007. The campaign has unfolded province-wide where crafters are trained both in technical and business skills including beadwork, weaving, embroidery, fine arts, fabric painting, marketing, costing, and quality assurance. We also provide film and video training, including scriptwriting. This programme is in its early stages but has been received with enthusiasm by participants and several short films have already been made.

We are working in collaboration with the Department of Economic Development in making sure that the arts and culture communities organise themselves into formal organisations and co-operatives so that they can become viable and self sustainable businesses. The department acknowledges with appreciation R10 million made available by the MEC for Finance and Economic Development to establish a unique, commercially viable non profit making agency that will promote the local music industry and enable our musicians and later all artists to achieve their dreams, without leaving our province.

This will provide opportunities for musicians to record their music in the province and ensure that all profits generated will be for the musicians themselves. We are in discussion with Ithala to establish a provincial Arts Academy to train artists and give them access to a facility where they can record their work. The Academy will be named after the local jazz legend, the late Sipho Gumede. Mr. Gumede is a practical example of the KZN Alumni, for in spite of his international successes, he never abandoned his province.

Art centres

The department continues to fund the following art centres: Indonsa Art Centre, Stable Theatre, Bat Centre, Jambo, Ekhaya, and Gobhela. In the last financial year we made a commitment to build at least one art centre per district. The Gateway Tourism Arts and Craft Centre being built in Umzimkhulu is a fulfilment of that commitment and we will find ways to replicate this throughout the province. Our discussions with Ithala include exploring renovating and refurbishing the already existing buildings and use them as art centres.

KZN Arts and Culture Council Grants

Grants have been given out benefiting artists and arts organisations from rural areas and the disabled sector.

Provincial Arts and Culture Festival

The department is hosting a Provincial Arts and Culture Festival which will be used as a springboard to expose our local artists to the national and international arena. We also support a series of other festivals running in the province.

Stakeholder Summits on Arts and Culture

The department intends to have summits and conferences targeting the non-performing arts and the performing arts sectors, where we want to engage all these stakeholders deal with expectations and agree on particular policies, processes and other aspects related to how the Department can better deliver services to these sectors.

Cultural Programmes

Social Cohesion

The department involves itself in programmes aimed at answering cultural needs and also fostering social cohesion. These include: Wildsfees, an Afrikaner cultural event involving traditional food, costume, music and dance, annual Deepavali Festival, Eastern Rendezvous. Other significant programmes pertain to moral regeneration and these we carry out in conjunction with the departments of Correctional Services and Health.

We will also be working in collaboration with the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, to use traditional structures to implement the programmes on social cohesion and moral regeneration, this relationship was initiated when we participated in the conference that was organised for Izinduna zezintombi nezinsizwa and Amagosa.

Provincial events

The component co-ordinates commemorations and events such as Freedom Day, the Royal Reed Dance, Heritage Day and the Festival of the First Fruits in order to enhance the richness of our heritage and pass it on to future generations.
Such events also have a significant input to the Tourism sector.

Language Services

The Directorate of Language Services conducted campaigns to promote equal use and recognition of the three official languages in the provincial government departments and municipalities. The purchase of the simultaneous interpreting devise will no doubt assist the Department in realising this objective.

The department hosted a number of significant events including International Mother Tongue Day on February 21 this year. This forged partnerships with the University of Zululand which resulted in the launching of the Language Research and Development Centre at the University on the same day. The partnership with Nasou via Africa culminated in the isiZulu Literature Writing Competition and publication of books.

We have formed Geographical Names District Committees in eight District Municipalities which is an implementation of section 2(2) of the South African Geographical Names Act, Act no 118 of 1998. We hope the summit on Geographical Naming being organised by the Department will help find solutions to fast-track this process.

The department continues to form the isiZulu term bank with letters A to E.
This year the component plans to review the Provincial Language Policy and to do the following in addition to that:
* conduct campaigns to encourage the culture of reading and writing especially among isiZulu-speaking communities and will do this in conjunction with the Library Services component
* hold creative writing workshops aimed at encouraging the formation of Reading and Writing Clubs
* hold a Literature Writing Competition
* enhance translation and interpreting services, including that of Sign Language.

Public Libraries

Library Development Programme

The department has completed new libraries at Ixopo, Jozini, Hlabisa, Nongoma and the extensions to the Msunduzi library for children. In this financial year R17,4 million has been made available for the building and upgrading of library facilities to improve access to services by all communities. This financial year will see the completion of new libraries at Impendle, Eastwood, Mtubatuba, KwaDukuza, Ndwedwe and Bulwer.

New libraries currently being constructed at Imbabazane and Msinga are expected to be at their final stages of completion by the end of the financial year while extensions for additional study space for learners will be completed at KwaMbonambi, Hilton and Osizweni Libraries. A new library will be built at Izinqoleni and plans are underway for Dinizulu and Malangeni.

Support services and provision of library material

The department provides support to 168 affiliated libraries. This includes training, reading promotion initiatives, a centralised information service and many other services which are provided to local authority administered libraries. In this year's budget, R22 million has been allocated to the purchasing of library material, an increase of eight percent on last year's budget. Emphasis is placed on material in support of education for learners, who utilise the public libraries extensively in their communities.

Promotion of a reading culture

The Read and Grow campaign targeting children aged nine to fifteen has been launched and will be extended to other rural and township libraries.

Recapitalisation of Public Libraries

The department has received a conditional grant of R13,95 million from National Treasury which will be used to address relevancy of library collections by the provision of material in support of distance tertiary learners, the automation of public libraries with access to computers, IT training and internet access for the public.

Archives

As I mentioned earlier, the Archives Services play a vital role in the recording and preservation of our history. Archives are involved in a number of activities which include: an Oral History Programme where the experiences of senior citizens are recorded; maintenance of three repositories, Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Ulundi, which are available to the public for research purposes; and intensification of records management training for government bodies.

Through this component the province co-hosted the third Annual Oral history Conference and also launched Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) Manual in conjunction with the Human Rights Commission of South Africa.

Tourism

Tour guide training

The department is to pilot a programme to train youth as Tour Guides and about 20 to 30 candidates from historically disadvantaged backgrounds will be identified. Special priority will be given to females. The programme will be a partnership with Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. The department is also looking at the implementation of foreign language training for Tour Guides.

Chairperson and Honourable Members, I believe these are all practical, hands-on measures aimed at achieving our Black Economic Empowerment objectives.

Grading of establishments

In collaboration with its partners, the department is to assist tourism establishments owned by the Historically Disadvantaged in meeting the requirements of the Grading Council. This is also a part of Quality Assurance.
Umzimkhulu Craft Enterprise Programme sixteen groups of crafters in the recently incorporated rural district of Umzimkhulu have been identified and are undergoing training in craft skills as well as business and marketing skills.

They will receive capital in the form of craft material to start their businesses. Working with other public sector departments, these groups will be encouraged to form co-operatives so that they can link with national and international markets.

2010 World Cup

The department serves in the Political Oversight Committee on 2010. We have developed the tourism 2010 Organising Plan as well as Arts and Culture Plan which are aligned to the national plans.

Tourism Indaba

The province won the bid for hosting the Tourism Indaba for the next three years. This has huge spin-offs in the growth and development of the economy of the province. It also entrenches KwaZulu-Natal and Durban in particular as a natural venue for international events.

Conclusion

Chairperson, I hope I have succeeded in informing this Honourable House of the principles that underpin the administration and activities of this Department and of the direction we intend taking within national and provincial frameworks of Asgisa and Jipsa. I now have pleasure in moving the adoption of the 2007/08

Budget, as follows:

Tourism Policy

The department is in the process of developing a White Paper on the Provincial Tourism Policy in consultation with stakeholders and we hope to finalise the process before the end of the financial year.

Black Economic Empowerment (BEE)

We are in the process of forming a Provincial Tourism Black Economic Empowerment Charter Forum to vigorously drive BEE, taking input from provincial workshops involving the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, District Municipalities and the business sector. The intention is to have a structure that can provide support and advice to municipalities and other provincial associations so as to enable implementation of the Tourism Charter.

Tourism Career Support

In 2006 we awarded 26 Tourism bursaries to second and third-year students at tertiary institutions, all from historically disadvantaged communities. In 2007 we are in the process of awarding 40 bursaries: 14 matriculants who are first year Tourism students; and 26 second and third year students. The department will again be coordinating the Tourism Career Exhibition targeting learners at school and students from higher education institutions. The Exhibition provides invaluable networking opportunities to learners who seek a career in tourism.

Tourism Mentorship

The Mentorship Programme has been a success and fifteen new partnerships have been formed, this year. The programme allows emerging tourism entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. The department is also currently facilitating a Skills Training course for Bed and Breakfast owners and staff, in partnership with the International Hotel School and the Tourism Enterprise Programme. The programme aims to improve service standards in the tourism industry. On completion, participants will get accredited certification.

Programme 1: Administration R44,757 million
Programme 2: Cultural affairs R61,786 million
Programme 3: Libraries and Archives Services R91,488 million
Programme 4: Tourism Development R89,363 million
Grand total of all programmes R287,394 million

I thank you!

Issued by: Department of Arts Culture and Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
20 April 2007
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za)