BUDGET SPEECH BY MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION, REV. M STOFILE, TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY VOTE 20
15 June 2004
CONSOLIDATING AND DELIVERING ON THE PEOPLE'S CONTRACT FOR A BETTER SOUTH AFRICA
Madam Speaker,
Cabinet Colleagues,
Honourable Members
It is an honour for me to deliver my maiden budget address to this august house just over a month after having been appointed to the position in Cabinet. In that short space of time, the Deputy Minister (whose tenure in the position has been even shorter than mine,) and I have spent a lot of time orientating ourselves to the new environment and have started to make the strategic adjustments to the course in which sport and recreation is heading in our country. The past few weeks have been heady, to say the least. We have, however, taken up the challenge with the enthusiasm that a dynamic area such as sport and recreation deserves and as a team - the Deputy Minister and I, the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation, the Standing Committee on Education and Recreation, the evolving Ministry of Sport and Recreation and the Department with its associated Public Entities - will soon be moulded into a well-oiled machine that will take sport to new heights in our country.
Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the great strides made by our predecessors, Ministers Steve Tshwete and Ngconde Balfour in moving our sport towards the goal of our dreams. Let us also take time to acknowledge the leadership and sacrifices of those who contributed to the defining and protecting of that goal. Great sportspersons like Sewsunker Sewgulum (Papwa), M N Pather, Hassan Howa, A R Abass, Eric Majola, Duncan Pikoli, Errol Vawda, Don Kalie, Denis Brutus, Sam Ramsamy, Denis, Sipho and Victor Siwisa, Tertius Sondlo, Misses Penduka, Ntlabati and Roberts. The list is very long. These sons and daughters of South Africa chose the difficult but noble path of struggle, which brought our country where it is today. We are proud custodians of that tradition.
Sport is a very important part of society. It is also a very important barometer of how a particular society is organised. For that reason, our country too has a responsibility to use sport to assist our people move in a particular direction; the direction of a deracialised South Africa which is sensitive to gender issues; A South Africa that is also biased in favour of the poor and those at risk, children, youth, women, the aged and people with disabilities. The dignity of these people must be restored. Their freedom to have access to a better life must be protected. We believe that Sport can play a big role towards these goals of Vision 2014.
Sport is a powerful transformative force. It only depends on the agenda of those in charge for it to fulfil this potential. Under Apartheid it was divisive and was used as a tool of domination and subjugation. During our democratic era, sport has started to make a substantive contribution to nation-building and reconciliation. Let us take this opportunity to congratulate the leaders of the Soccer World Cup Bid 2010. Both the organisers under the Bid Chairperson Mr Irvin Khoza and his CEO Mr Danny Jordaan, as well as the presenters under the leadership of our President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, they all did us proud. Spurred by this spirit of motivation we have seen great performances by our national teams. This includes the female Springboks in their two Tests against Wales. To all of them and the organisers of the Olympic Flame Relay in Cape Town: Well Done!!
The challenge that faces our Department is how to build on these successes and use them to build a united, patriotic and motivated nation. We are challenged to inculcate a spirit of non-racialism among players, administrators and federations. Yes, we are challenged to level the proverbial playing fields in the accessibility of sport and recreation opportunities, facilities and amenities as well as resources (human, skills and financial), to all our people without discrimination. We are challenged to make South Africa a playing nation and subsequently a healthy nation, a responsible and tolerant nation.
MASS PARTICIPATION AND SCHOOL SPORT
In our view the starting place to achieve this is to get the basics right. Community clubs must be revived and our children in township and village schools must be assisted to do sport. There is no short cut to this.
School sport is a crucial lever in empowering young people towards healthy and active but disciplined lifestyles. Sport promotes the motor skills of learners, promotes team-work and leadership skills. Schools Sport is the nursery for participants in senior competitions.
There are many reasons for the non-participation in sport by most school children. One key reason is the absence of a well-oiled machine to organise and manage school sport. Such a machine needs to be adequately backed by the state and needs to be accountable to all stake-holders. A rugby match between Afrikaans Seuns Hoër (Affies) and Pretoria Boys High two weekends ago is recorded to have attracted 17 000 spectators. The spectacle captured half of the front page of the Pretoria News the following Monday. Township and village schools do not get any coverage when they organise similar games.
The above discrimination or selective morality will only end when schools become catalysts of integration, especially through sport. They will also assist the media to be more equitable in these matters. We are strongly arguing here for a focussed attention on the schools and community clubs in building a broad base for talent scouting, developing and nurturing. This is the mass that will transform society and de-racialise it. We must go back to Wednesday afternoons as school sports days. But this cannot happen by chance.
The Department of Education and our Department are fine-tuning how this vision must be implemented. Our government also allocated money to the 9 Provinces through the Division of Revenue Act to kick-start mass participation in sport. We mean to build on this.
Madame Speaker, we are also encouraged to note that the leadership of the SANDF, SAPS and Correctional Services are also revamping organised sport and recreation programmes in their sectors. This will have a good spin off to the quality of athletes in our teams as it used to be the case before. But the contribution of this to NEPAD is already visible in Botswana, Burundi and elsewhere in Africa, all this because of our SANDF sports teams. The SANDF also has the scientists and professionals to assist with training where our federations like swimming need them. Our Department must have the financial resources to oil these budding partnerships. The maintenance of facilities could be looked after by us to facilitate an outreach programme of those endowed to those communities in need. This way our diverse situations can begin to contribute to a unity of purpose.
Our Department will also forge partnerships with other Departments other than Education. We have to discuss with Health how to build the bone and muscle structure of our children. We have to discuss with Labour the training needs of athletes with disabilities so that they can manufacture some of the tools used in sport. We must discuss with Trade and Industry the business opportunities the expansion of sport in Africa is creating. Above all, we have to discuss with Social Development how we can use Sport and Recreation to take young people off substance abuse.
It is our view that we should also assist in sensitising young people at school and in society about the dangers of substance abuse, HIV and AIDS as well as the dangers of doping. We have always said that sport cannot just focus on the person for the 90 minutes of football. It must build a rounded person. That is what we will strive for. The federations will benefit from this and South Africa will also benefit from this new citizen.
The Mass Participation programme will be launched at the end of July in Upington in the Northern Cape.
To achieve our goals we need a reasonable budget. Our government has done reasonably well to date if we compare the R30 million (more or less) of 1994 to the R286 million budgeted for this year. But the situation is bleak when we see that the budget will go down to R180 million next year. We accept the fact that the budget for Building for Sport and Recreation Programme will be part of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) of the Department of Provincial and Local Government. But what we are budgeted for in essence means that we are budgeting 40 cents per child per year for our 14 million children. This is not a good picture.
Our belief is that this gloomy situation can be mitigated by an adjustment in the other sources over which government has control. In this respect we will be approaching our colleague in DTI to consider increasing the allocation percentage for sport and recreation from the National Lottery income pool. When this happens, we will be able to achieve the outcomes we have set for ourselves.
On 15 May 2004, FIFA awarded South Africa the right to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup. This was a seminal decision for both FIFA, Africa and South Africa. The World Cup will come to Africa for the first time in FIFA's 100 years. The decision was a sweet cherry to our celebrations of 10 years of democracy. But we promised FIFA, our people and Africa a unique World Cup. A professionally-organised and people and Africa friendly World Cup. We must now deliver on these promises.
To this end our government will be fully involved in all facets of the organising. This is important to protect the integrity of our country and of Africa. It is important to carry with us the support of the private sector whose role is very critical for the event to succeed. We must be involved also for the protection of the interests of our people and our neighbours. Obviously SAFA will play a major role too. But we will all be a team just as we were in Zurich on 15 May and before. We are ready and willing. An Inter-Ministerial Committee will be appointed shortly to oversee the process. Our Deputy Minister will dwell on the impact of this World Cup to the economy.
Whilst on the 2010 World Cup, we must refer to bidding in general. While we are acutely aware of the extent to which hosting major international events is prestigious to federations and the country, we have to do it in a responsible way. We do not want to be seen to be gluttonous by other countries. We also do not want to offend African and other countries by being too robust in competing for such events.
To manage the situation, we are in the process of finalising our Bidding and Hosting Strategy for sport events. This will be part of the national strategy for hosting international events.
A NATIONAL SPORTS ACADEMY SYSTEM
When we host major events in our country we must ensure, also, that our own teams participating in them are competitive to maintain the interest of the paying public and to enhance the benefits that can accrue from them, as I have already alluded to.
I am aware of the levels of investments required to sustain competitive athletes and teams and am happy to announce that the government has made its first commitment to the establishment of a national sports academy system. Its R10 million investment during the current financial year will be utilised to assist in the preparation of our athletes who will participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Athens in August and September, respectively. After a tendering process the facilities and services of the Universities of Pretoria and Stellenbosch for the Olympic and Paralympic teams, respectively, were identified as sites for the academies and the first intake of elite athletes have reacted very positively to their experiences in the programmes.
Processes are currently in place to establish the permanent national academy in the form of a Public Private Partnership that will avoid the need for us to create new infrastructure for the purpose. The national academy will be linked, organically, to a system of provincial and regional academies that will work in tandem with sports federations from the club level upwards to ensure a comprehensive support base in the development pathway for identified athletes, to enable them to unlock their full potential.
THE RATIONALISATION OF THE GOVERNANCE SYSTEM FOR SPORT AND RECREATION IN SOUTH AFRICA
A national academy system constitutes an integral part of a successful sport and recreation system in which the interests of participants at all levels are catered for. It will never be realised, however, without an efficient and effective governance, management and administrative system. It is for this reason that we have decided to rationalise the governance structure for sport and recreation, in accordance with the recommendations of a Ministerial Task Team appointed last year. The proposals that have been approved by Cabinet, will see the establishment of only two macro-structures namely, a fully fledged government department and a non-governmental Sports Confederation, the latter comprising the National Olympic Committee of South Africa (NOCSA), parts of the South African Sports Commission (SASC), Disability Sport South Africa (DISSA), the South African Commonwealth Games Association (SACGA), the South African Student Sports Union (SASSU) and the United School Sports Association of South Africa (USSASA). I am convinced that the new arrangement that should be consummated by the end of this year, will eliminate the confusion, especially amongst athletes, of who to relate to and will certainly eliminate much of the administrative duplication and "turf wars" that prevail in sport and recreation currently. The National Federations will retain their responsibility for developing their sports through the entire development continuum and will work closely with government who will take greater responsibility for the mass participation base of the pyramid in the manner that I have alluded to earlier. The arrangements will enhance the potential for attracting sponsors for multi-sport events to the extent that the Sports Confederation will be able to offer them a package of products that will ensure maximum exposure on an ongoing basis rather than only once in four-year cycles, as is presently the case.
COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE
Rationalisation should, however, go hand in hand with an enhanced system of cooperative governance in sport between the state and civil society structures. Within such a system, however, it is imperative that we also enhance the system of cooperative governance within the government sector itself, among the three spheres of authority. It is inconceivable that our initiatives will bear fruit without that. To promote that cooperation, the Deputy Minister and I will shortly embark on a series of visits to provinces where we shall be urging our colleagues, the MECs responsible for sport and recreation, to commit themselves to such a system. We shall endeavour to enhance the effectiveness of the existing inter-governmental system structures that comprise the MINMEC and Technical Intergovernmental Committee (TIC) of officials toward this end and look for opportunities to expand them. We are considering a joint meeting comprising the leadership in sport and recreation in the national, provincial and local spheres of government to plan collectively for the next Medium Term Expenditure Framework cycle. There is an urgency to get the local sphere of government involved for they have jurisdiction over the sites where delivery in sport and recreation actually take place. I think that the Building for Sport and Recreation Programme (BSRP) provides a model for inter-governmental cooperation that should inspire us to pursue a similar course in all our other endeavours as well. The Mass Participation Project is a further development on this theme and sets the pace for further integrated planning and implementation of many other projects.
TRANSFORMATION
This presentation cannot be complete if we say nothing about transformation in sport. We are fully aware that sport is a voluntary association and part of the organs of civil society. But even this characterisation of sport does not afford it immunity to change towards a non-racial and non-sexist dispensation. As such, government cannot fold their arms when things go against the grain of our strategic objectives and contrary to the spirit of our constitution. This is why we will guide and assist federations on policy-related issues, on issues that impact on change.
In this context we have already pronounced that we will not ask federations to go back to quotas. It is important to remember that the federations themselves used quotas as a tool to encourage respresentativity in our teams. The federations have since abandoned quotas. We are not going to revive them.
Nobody can deny that the intended development of black talent never really resulted from quotas. Black children from ex-model C schools had their talent developed and it blossomed. They were then window-shopped for the purpose of window-dressing Provincial and national teams. Their talent was relegated to a status of "a tolerated quota player. " This diminished the dignity and pride of talented black players. They continue to be seen as "outsiders" who must be subjected to paternalistic attitudes of racist relics.
Our focus will be to build the right attitude and skills from below. The dinosaurs at the professional and top levels will perish by attrition. We want to encourage South Africans and young players not to be derailed from nation-building and reconciliation by such racist pranks as the flags of apartheid South Africa that appeared in Bloemfontein last Saturday. They must not be fooled by leaflets of faceless ghosts that continue to rattle in the Apartheid cupboard with gaunt eyes from years of injustice. Our youth must side with the future, and the future is a united, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa. Our teams must build towards that now already.
By the same token, however, I want to caution against sport federations becoming vehicles for actualising personal interests and the power aspirations of a few individuals. Sport is a national asset and sport structures, therefore, belong to all the people and not to individuals or groups of individuals. To that extent, elected executives should ensure that principles of good governance persevere. I am aware that the Department is in the process of developing guidelines along the lines of, and based on the King II report on good corporate governance as they pertain to sport and recreation organisations. I have a particular concern about the tendency in some sports federations of appointing people into positions "for life" as it were. Renewal is good; it promotes innovation and the constant development and growth of the organisation, a pathway that we should constantly be pursuing. The Constitution of the organisation is critically important, and using it appropriately for the purpose of striving to achieve its aims and objectives, will avoid many of the apparent problems and conflicts that are bedevilling our structures. If the constitution is deficient, it should be amended to the satisfaction of the membership. It should, I think, also capture the spirit of the constitution of our country to ensure that our sports structures reflect the same ethos. Then government will govern and federations will administer their affairs.
LEGISLATION
Lastly, Madame Speaker, Honourable Members, I would like to give you notice of the legislation that we shall be prioritising during this year. In the light of the merger of the South African Sports Commission with the Department, the South African Sports Commission Repeal Bill will enjoy priority given the time-frames for the establishment of the new department. Secondly, a draft of the Safety at Sports Stadiums Bill, a sequel to the Ellis Park soccer tragedy, is just about ready to be presented to Cabinet. It will, I am sure, enjoy much attention as it focuses on accountability in ensuring safety at sport and recreation events. Various sets of regulations are expected to pass through Parliament during the course of the year as well.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, Madame Speaker, I wish to emphasise what we have been arguing throughout this input. Sport is always a reflection of the type of society a ruling class is trying to build. Our government is trying to build a united, non-racial and responsible society. We are trying to restore the dignity of all our people and infuse them with a spirit of caring and tolerance for others' differences. We hope to fast track the catch-up programmes for previously disadvantaged groups and communities. We are confident that there are many South Africans from all walks for life who are ready to enter into this contract with us. Now is the time.
We wish our teams to Athens well in August and in September. We congratulate all the federations that continue to make a difference in the performance of our youth. A word of appreciation to the sponsors without whom most events would never take place. And of course, good luck to the athletes themselves. Don't do Drugs!