Department of Arts and Culture 2014 Strategic Plan: Analysis by Committee Staff & briefing by Department, with Minister and Deputy Minister in attendance

Meeting report

Introduction by the Chairperson
The Chairperson thanked the staff for making documents available. She noted that the previous Committee had laid a good foundation. Responses by the Department had been good. Portfolio Committee recommendations were taken seriously. The Role of the Portfolio Committee was to hold the Department accountable through oversight, in terms of the budget. But the PC could also advise. The PC could provide the Department with an objective view from the outside. The Department were to be taken out of their work environment to see what they were doing in objective terms. Arts and Culture was a crucial department. It had to be central, because it conformed to government priorities. It had various roles linked to education, nation building and fighting crime.

Briefing by the Committee Secretary on the processing of the budget vote
Ms Ajabulile Mtyia, Committee Secretary, noted that a department’s executive authority was responsible for tabling strategic plans and/or annual performance plans before Parliament, after the tabling of the national budget. The tabling was announced in the publication Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports, commonly known as the ATC. After tabling, the Speaker of the National Assembly referred the plans to the relevant committees for report. Reporting had to take place before the debate on a vote, and had to be published in the ATC.

Budget debates took place in the Extended Public Committees (EPCs). A portfolio committee had to develop a programme for considering and reporting on the budget vote and strategic and/or annual performance plans referred to it. The process could  include public participation, but had to include parliamentary research; political overview; briefings by accounting officers; scrutiny of tabled documents; committee deliberations, and the drafting and adoption of a committee report that contained a recommendation to the National Assembly as to whether the budget could be approved or not. 

Ms Mtiya noted that the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and its entities would be melted down for the purposes of the budget vote. Recommendations by Members would be worked in. The date for the ATC report was the following Thursday or Friday. The budget vote would take place on 17 July at 14h00.

Discussion
Mr J Mahlangu (ANC) moved that the agenda be formally adopted before the budget process was dealt with further.

The Chairperson asked about the unfolding of the process in the Extended Public Committee (EPC). She asked if the Minister presented the budget.

The Secretary replied that the Committee Chairperson would present an ATC’d report. The Annual Performance Plan (APP) would already be tabled. The Minister would not be present.

Mr Mahlangu saidit was taken for granted that the Chairperson presided over the meeting, and was responsible to present it to the House. He asked if the Chairperson had to read the whole ATC’d report.

Mr Mxolisi Dlamuka, Content Adviser, replied that the EPCs were like mini National Assemblies. The House Chair delegated Chairpersons to the EPCs. The Minister tabled the budget vote to the National Assembly. The report was adopted in the Portfolio Committee after debate by Members. Sometimes Portfolio Committees adopted a budget, but in the House they would speak for their party. Generally the ANC would support a budget, while opposition parties sometimes supported the budget and sometimes not. Deliberations in the EPC was similar to that in the full House. Normally the House Chair and Whip negotiated the programme. It was more of a speech session.

Ms N Bilankulu (ANC) asked if the budget was debated in the EPC.

The Content Adviser replied that parties identified debaters. The Whip and the Chair coordinated debate. The Minister and Deputy Minister, ANC Members and others would speak. Three or four speeches would be delivered. Study groups deliberated. The Whip issued guidelines. It was the responsibility of the National Assembly.

Sector analysis by the Content Adviser
Mr Mxolisi Dlamuka noted that China had become the largest player in the film industry. South Africa could do well to develop creative industries. Creative industries and heritage sites employed 100000 people. Museums contributed R2 billion to the Gross Domestic Product. The arts and cultural heritage sector was being transformed. There was a struggle to shift from the Apartheid geopolitical system. National and provincial governments had Constitutional competencies. The aim was to further social cohesion and dialogues. The use of official languages was promoted. There were nine national museums, managed by a single board. There were legacy projects like the Nelson Mandela and Robben Island museums. A challenge was that the North Cape and the Free were historically not seen as metropolised. Another was that there was no legislation tailor made for theatres. New legislation was on the way.

Mr Dlamuka continued that the Department had received an unqualified audit opinion for the preceding five years. The previous Committee had urged the Department to aim for a clean audit. There was a R2.9 billion budget. No entity had received adverse audit reports. There was funding from the National Arts Council and provincial governments, and conditional grants for libraries. The Department had intervened to help with the spending of conditional grants. The government was a major funder. Performance indicators had to be customised for government priorities. A scientific funding formula was being developed. The flagship concept had to be extended to the provinces.

Mr Dlamuka concluded that creative industries were major employers. The arts and culture heritage attracted tourism, and fostered social dialogue. There was a need for focused development of creative industries to compete with economies of scale. Arts and cultural heritage sector had to develop new products, and had to inculcate shared values.

Discussion
Mr G Grootboom (DA) noted that museums were supported by provincial departments. He asked who was responsible for for smaller museums in towns like Calvinia. He asked about conditional grants.

Mr Dlamuka replied that museums other than national were a provincial legislative commitment. But only one province, the Eastern Cape, had developed legislation. The Northern Cape was still governed by the old museum ordinance. Provinces had to develop their own legislation.

Mr Mahlangu advised that the presentation be referred to when the Committee looked at the Strategic Plan.

Overview of the Department of Arts and Culture
Ms Fiona Clayton, Committee Researcher, saidcreative and cultural industries built small business and created jobs. The Department was mandated by sections 16, 30 and 32 of the Constitution, which dealt with rights to expression and information, and language and cultural rights. Job creation and human capital development; access to information; linguistic diversity and the development and protection of the arts and cultural heritage, were priorities. Governance and accountability policies were in line with the National Development Plan (NDP) and the White Paper on Arts and Cultural Heritage. A challenge was that the 1996 White Paper was outdated.

Ms Clayton saidsupport for creative industries had to be streamlined. South Africa had ratified international conventions of cultural heritage, especially a number of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisations (UNESCO) conventions, as well as the Charter for African Renaissance.
 
Discussion
The Chairperson saidoversight also had to assist to deliver what was needed. The Portfolio Committee represented the people, and listened to them. It would not do to have an “us and them” relationship. It was not so much about government as it was about the people. There was an opportunity to change the lives of people.

Political overview by the Minister of Arts and Culture
The Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa saidprogrammes for the following five years would focus on nation building and social cohesion. There was a collective heritage, but different backgrounds. New museums would henceforth strive for complete representation, and present the whole picture. The Voortrekker monument was only a partial reflection, for instance. The liberation struggle also had to be represented. The teaching of South African history had to depart from mere colonial history. The Department would work with Basic Education to develop national symbols and utilise national days. National days had to promote Constitutional values. Gender equality and non-racialism had to be promoted through community dialogue, although racism was no longer in the statute books. Arts and culture had to be used to ensure social progress as a nation. People had to understand where they came from. Social cohesion and job creation had to be promoted. The aim was to create 150000 jobs by 2016. The Mzansi Golden Economic Strategy was central. The economic potential of arts and culture had not yet been unpacked.

The Minister continued that UNESCO instruments would be used to understand the situation. Artists were being brought in to teach at schools. The portfolio did not just refer to entertainment. The question was why everybody was not yet on board for national days. Unity could not be forced. There had to be persuasion. The past could be healed through reconciliation. The question arose why there could not be an inclusive national monument. He cited the example of Kwame Nkrumah, who had first been buried at his village. It was later agreed that he was not a village man, but an international man, and his remains were currently in Akrah. A South African mood had to be discovered, and a distinctive South African culture.

Discussion
The Chairperson saidshe was encouraged. The Committee would have its own strategic planning session.

Mr Mahlangu expressed his appreciation. He congratulated the Minister and Deputy Minister on the direction of the Department. His personal interest had been aroused. He had started an organisation devoted to social cohesion the year before, and was passionate about it. There was a problem that only the Department of Arts and culture could solve, namely to trace South African heritage records. It was a painful exercise. Surnames like Van der Merwe were easy to trace. But he, as a Mahlangu, could not go beyond his grandfather. The ceiling was low, and there was only an oral record. That record would come to an end when the people who could transmit it passed away.

Mr Mahlangu saidarchaeological research at universities was seldom devoted to tracing the origins of Africans. The untold truth of origins could be embedded under the soil. When there was resistance to mines in Mpumalanga, it was also because archaeological evidence would be destroyed. That emerged during public dialogue. The history of Africans had been told by the conquerors. There was an Anglo-Boer war museum at Witbank in Mpumalanga. A white friend could locate the name of a grandmother who had died in a concentration camp. But there were no African names. They had been part of a painful South African history. There were fights about South African place names. There were no streets named after blacks. It caused emotional distortion. The government had to restore indicators. There had to be public engagement.

The Chairperson assured the Minister and Deputy Minister that the Portfolio Committee had the passion to engage with that.

Mr Grootboom thanked the Minister. The question was how to get to the true South African heritage. History books were unkind to the indigenous people. Groups had to be brought together. There was a need to grow as a nation without obliterating individual contributions. He was not a Jan Smuts fan. The future and the past had to be brought together.

The Chairperson suggested that venues in Parliament be named after people who liberated the country. The agreement with Basic Education referred to, had to be made formal. There had to be planned interventions. Integration in schools could start with dialogue. Children had to learn their own language first.  Parents had to be sensitised to speak their first language at home. Many children could not speak their own language properly. Loss of language was loss of identity.

The Chairperson referred to the remains of cadres who died, that were scattered all over the world. A national policy was needed on that. There had to be a coming together as a nation. People had to communicate.

The Minister remarked that the passion of the Committee would be utilised for change. He agreed with Mr Mahlangu that history had to be corrected. The Anglo-Boer war was well known to have caused the death of 26000 Boer women and children in the concentration camps. But it was not only an Anglo-Boer war. It was a South African war. What happened to Africans in that war was never mentioned. The lives of all South Africans were important. There were only white names recorded of people who died in 1916. New museums and monuments had to be built. It had to be known why the Apartheid system was named a crime against humanity. The distorted historical view had to be corrected. The position of arts and culture depended on many players.

2014 Annual Performance Plan and budget estimates for the Department of Arts and Culture
Mr Sibusiso Xaba, Arts and Culture Director General, sketched the performance delivery environment. The Department developed the Mzansi Golden Economic (MGE) strategy during the 2009/14 term. It located the arts and culture sector at the centre of economic development and job creation. The result was more than 50000 work opportunities already created in the sector. The target was to create 120000 work opportunities by 2016. Towards human capital development, the Department planned to award 440 bursaries for heritage and language studies in 2014/15. The Department would work with the Department of Basic Education to place artists in schools to teach learners.

The DAC was committed to arts, culture and heritage development; social cohesion and nation building. Towards that end there was a review of the White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage. Arts and culture seasons with the United Kingdom, China and Angola were planned for the financial year.

Mr Xaba took the Committee through expenditure estimates, and the outcome of 14 Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) indicators related to fostering Constitutional values, and the promotion of equal opportunities, inclusion and redress.

2013/14 budget estimates and links to other plans were outlined. There were budget summary totals per financial year and per economic classification. 20% of DAC funds would be spent within the Department, and 80% outside.

Mr Xaba outlined 2014 ENE baseline reductions, and gave a summary of budget per programme and economic classification. The Programme of Heritage Promotion and Preservation had the largest budget at R2.1 billion.

The presentation concluded with allocations to arts and heritage institutions. 2014/15 key highlights listed were, among others, no additional funding allocated to the Department in the 2014/15 ENE; and cost containment measures to be implemented over the medium term.

Discussion
The Chairperson requested that discussion be deferred until after the lunch break and the morning session was adjourned.
After the break, the Chairperson thanked the department for a superb presentation and showed appreciation for the work and service to the people of South Africa. She then began a discussion about the presentation and allowed members of the committee to pose questions to the Department.

Mr M Rabotapi (DA) noted that many of South Africa’s museums are placed in urban areas where only those people living in cities and big towns could make use of them. He asked what the Department of Arts and Culture was doing in order to decentralise some of these museums from the cities and make them more accessible to people living in more rural areas and farm environments.
Mr Rabotapi also highlighted the significance which South Africa’s traditional and tribal chiefs play in our communities and more so in our history. He stated that they were a very important part of SA's heritage and he feared that perhaps their roles and their lives were not being adequately recorded in history. He wanted to know what efforts the Department was making to address this and ensure a more adequate representation of our tribal leaders in museums.

Ms V Mokgotsi (ANC) who had recently been working with the trade union COSATU, enquired about the kinds of jobs that were being created by the Department. She asked whether these jobs were temporary, permanent or outsourced. She required specific numbers and details.

In their presentation, the Department said they wanted to make schools fly the national flag on their premises in order to encourage nation pride and constitutional values. An amount of 25% of existing schools was proposed as a starting point.
Ms Mokgotsi asked if this included both public and private schools or was it only pertaining to public schools. She also asked why the department chose a compliance of 25%, as she believed that this was much too small.

Ms S Tsoleli (ANC) agreed that 25% was much too small to begin with. She advised the Arts and Culture Department that they development a relationship with the Education Department in this regard and make it known to them that the flying of the flag would be compulsory.

Ms Tsoleli then placed focus on the Cultural Centres around the country. Many Cultural Centres already exist but are not functional and in many cases, the Provincial Centres are more functional and better utilised than the National Centres. She made example of the Cultural Centres in the Free State where the National Centre is idle whilst the Provincial one is being used most of the time. She requested that the Department provide detailed reports on each of the Centres around the country before they can start making plans of building any more.

Ms Tsoleli then moved on to speak about the Libraries and Archives of the country and how Libraries are in different control, either Provincial, National of Municipal. She asked if the Conditional Grant which is being given to provincially controlled Libraries is also being given to those who are under the control of the Municipality so to ensure equality of resources.

Mr Mahlangu (ANC) asked the Department how they go about deciding which Cultural Centre to get involved with and when.

Mr Mahlangu made an example of a Cultural Centre in Mpumalanga called Motsabo Cultural Centre. Motsabo performed during the 2010 Soccer World Cup and has had numerous international performances. The centre had 150 000 youth employees, but unfortunately it burned down and was never rebuilt and all of those young people lost their jobs and thus their income. And the Department has not helped them. The market has since moved to Swaziland and that country is not generating all that income.
The department had promised to create 150 000 by 2016. Mr Mahlangu asked why 2016 as that date is not in line with the National Development Plan which spans a five year period to 2019? Why is the Department choosing to not conform with the National Development Plan?
Mr Mahlangu then questioned the sustainability of these jobs which the Department is promising to create and asked that they give a more concrete plan as to how they will be sustained and supported by other initiatives.

Mr Mahlangu spoke about South Africa’s youth lacking an ability of embrace their nationhood and lacking nation pride. He said the youth often does not have their nationality deeply entrenched in them. What initiatives is the Department coming up with to address this problem? He made use of China’s National Day as an example.

Mr Mahlangu commended the Department of their initiatives when it pertains to building and maintaining Libraries. However, he expressed the concern that provinces do not prioritise finishing projects on time and this needs to change as too much money is being placed there. Plans of building and location must be communicated better so they can be monitored.
There was a Film Industry Program which is run by the Department of Home Affairs. Mr Mahlangu noted that the Arts and Culture Department also have their own program. He then asked what the difference between the two was and what were the different mandates?

Germany had African Archives where items were brought into Germany from the continent of Africa. These items are off crucial importance and bare our continent’s history. But many African countries do not have these Archives. Mr Mahlangu asked what the Department is doing to bring these to South Africa so Africa can be able to tell its own story.

Ms Mokgotsi enquired about the Non-profit institutions. She asked why there has been a decrease in the budgets of Program 3 and Program 4  whilst there actually needs to be an improvement in service delivery in both of these programs.

[Name of official required]
An official from the Department clarified that the Film Industry Program within the Department of Home Affairs is responsible for regulating the type of material which is shown on television. That program is responsible for the age limit signs that appear at the corners of the screen during movies and television programs.
The Film Industry Program under The Department of Arts and Culture was aimed at enhancing and creating the Art that went onto the television.
Thus those two Programs, belonging to two different Departments, have completely different mandates and responsibilities.

The Department of Arts and Culture created jobs through infrastructure and those were temporary jobs. The DAC then creates permanent jobs through the maintenance and sustaining of the Institutions.
The Artists which were hired do not work nine to five jobs, either because they just did not want to or because their jobs did not entail that. The Mzantsi Golden Economy was a fragmented sector, with little unionisation.
The Department created economic opportunities, both permanent and temporary, where employee rights were sustained.

On the issue of Cultural Centres and Community Arts Centres, the problem was that there had not been a strong policy which outlined the roles and responsibilities of people within the centres. And as a result, centres were not very prominent in the cultural domain. This needed to be changed.

In terms of non-profit institutions, money was often a debated topic. The funding system was difficult and unfortunately the Department had to work with the budget which it was given. The Department did request more funds, but this was not always feasible.

Ms Mpume Dlali, Chief Financial Officer said in the National Treasury, spending had been greater than revenue and as a result, there was a deficit. Thus the department had to prioritise its spending with this smaller budget and the Department will not be receiving any more money from the treasury.

On organisational environment and posts, Treasury had said the Department was spending too much money on employee compensation and that it needed to cut down.
486 posts were filled and there are 42 vacancies (which is 8% of our total posts). The Department usually has a vacancy rate of less than 10% because of people retiring or being promoted.
There was an internship program that will be starting soon, which will make up 5% of the posts and bursaries will be awarded to some of the interns.
The Department would like to align its structures before it fills the rest of the vacant posts.

Another official of the Department spoke about how creating South Africa’s Heritage Landscape was an ongoing process which has been going on since 1994. It began with the building of five museums and overtime, the nation is gradually transforming.

There had been museums built in more rural areas but the Department must take caution that it does not isolate them too far from communities. There needs to be an audience.
The naming of streets and changes are initiated by communities. The department has created a structure to guide provinces and 1 125 names have been changed to date.

Mr Sibusiso Xaba, Director General agreed that the history of South Africa’s chiefs needs to be preserved. He made example of how the Department is already making strides in this regard with Chief Tswane and Chief Bhambatha. Mr Xaba then assured that The Department of Arts and Culture is working hand in hand with the Department of Traditional Affairs to address this issue. 
Mr Xaba then clarified that when the Department starting building the museums; it made a decision to start with the political heroes and heroines of the apartheid struggle. Only after than that, can the Department then move onto Chiefs of history.

All schools would be required to fly the national flag, both public and private schools. The Department agrees that 25% is a small number to begin with, and wished that it could be 50% as the honourable members of the committee have suggested, but unfortunately, the currently available resources do not allow for a bigger number.

Cultural Centres
The Department decided to get involved when it received a request from the province.
The Department will look into how it may assist the Cultural Centre that burnt down.

Building National Pride
Mr Xaba agreed that this was an important aspect and responsibility of the Department of Arts and Culture. The Department wanted to see national pride in children, and have every child know the Constitution and be able to proudly sing the National anthem.

Building of Libraries
The Department of Arts and Culture had always been using Public Works for the infrastructure, just like the other governmental departments. However, now the department was starting to look at other alternatives.
Public works did not prioritise DAC and thus the DAC saw it appropriate to seek alternatives such as the ITT.
Finances had moved from underspending provinces to overspending provinces, with the permission of the National Treasury.

Quality assurance lay with the Auditor General, but the department did give support where there are problems. The long term solution is to restore entities so that the DAC can have fewer and smaller entities with bigger impacts.

The Chairperson then gave further comments to the DAC after they had answered the questions posed to them by the honourable member of the committee.
The Chairperson emphasised on the importance of telling our own stories. As South Africans, we must be able to tell our own history and not have it told from another perspective except one that is South African as those who are not African have an incentive to tell it in a way that suits them. She made an example of how according to South Africans, in the 16 hundreds and the 17 hundreds, there were wars if Dispossession of land if South Africa and yet according to the Western World, there were wars of Resistance.

Allocation of resources
The Chairperson also emphasised that the committee feels as though the allocation of resources is skewed. The DAC is still funding the same institutions that already existed during apartheid and the committee feels that this is not fair.

Integrated planning
The Chairperson saidthe government likes to work in silos and she said“People like their Kingdoms”. According to The Chairperson, this needs to stop and the departments needs to plan with integration otherwise they will not have the impact which they want to have. The government leads to be leaders in integration.

Libraries
The Chairperson cautioned the members to realise and also commended the DAC on the fact that South Africa now has Libraries in places which they would not have imagined many years ago. She placed emphasis on the fact that South Africa’s children need to have access to information, even if they live in far away and rural areas, they must have access from a young age and not only when they come to university.
She commends the DAC on the Library of the Blind. And she saidif ever any funding cuts are made, they must not be made in this particular library as it shows that the DAC and government care about the disabled.
The Chairperson then asked what the basis of the bursaries is.

The Chairperson then saidthe response on jobs which the DAC provided was not satisfactory and requested that the response needs to be more concrete so the committee can have a better understanding and so that when the committee has to answer to its constituencies, they have solid and satisfactory answers to give.

The Chairperson suggested that a policy for the payment (income) of artists be compiled by the DAC. She emphasised on the protection of the artists and spoke of the unjust income which different artists receive (or don’t receive). She had ordered the regulation of these incomes.

Mr Grootboom (DA) enquired about the bursaries which the DAC is awarding to some of its interns. He asked what type of disciplines the bursary covers. He also asked whether they will be sending any students to the new University in the Northern Cape which as a department that focuses on Heritage Studies.
Mr Grootboom further emphasised the importance of history being told by those who were affected the most. He then asked if the DAC has any research of the Koi-San art and its importance in indication their movement in South Africa.

Mr Sibusiso Xaba replied saying that there was research on Koi-San art. There is a project that is studying the Koi-San route so to recognise where they lived. This was in partnership with the Department of Traditional Affairs.

Mr Xaba also repeated the DAC’s Chief Financial Officer’s words in that the funding comes directly from Treasury. He added that the allocation of the funds also comes from Treasury.

The Chairperson replied that this is not fair. She said money cannot be doing to the same places, when others are struggling. The DAC needs to then speak to Treasury and make them aware of the issue.

The Chairperson then asked if all members of the committee are satisfied with the answers of their questions thus far and all said yes they were satisfied.

Mr Mahlangu asked who the Artists that are being deployed in schools are.

The DAC responded saying that there is a Arts Curriculum that being developed. The program is still small and we have a small number of Artists but it is growing.

The Chairperson asked if the artists are the ones who teach or is there a teacher present too? She then asked what type of art are the artists providing, is it dance, dramatic art, music, etc. She also asked at what level of education was this focused on? What is on early elementary education or did it go all the way up to high school education?

The Department responded saying that there is always a teacher there with the artist because artists are not necessarily educators too. The artists that are presented are providing four difference forms of art which are dance, music, visual art and dramatic arts and it is taught to children in the lower grades and the focus is on primary school, though it is being grown and expanded into high school as well.

The Chairperson then made a final comment to the DAC that they must ensure to get value for money as a lot of money is being pumped into this Ministry and thus they must ensure that where the money is being used, there is significant impact that is being made.

Robben Island Museum Annual Performance Plan Presentation and Discussion
Sibongiseni Mkhize, the Chief Executive Officer of the Robben Island Museum summarised that the Robben Island Museum had the obligation to comply with the World Heritage standards. He highlighted that the Museum raised and provided more that its constituencies give them. He went ahead to outline the RIM Annual Performance Plan and Action Plan

The Chairperson thanked the members of the Robben Island Museum for the presentation and commended them for their work. She then opened up the floor for questions of clarity and comments from the honourable members of the committee.

In the presentation, the CEO highlighted under Challenges that the Ferry which the Museum uses often makes things slightly difficult for them. The Chairperson then asked who owns the Ferry.
The Chairperson also asked how the Museum is working in integration with the Department of Tourism.

Mr Mkhize also mentioned in the presentation that there has been a lack of clarity in the relationship between Robben Island Museum and political prisoners. The Chairperson then asked what the management of the Museum has done to provide some clarity so to take away the confusion.

Ms Tsoleli asked what the Museum did with the income which it generates. Did it give it to the National Treasury or did it go into the accounts of the Museum?

The Management of the Musuem mentioned that they often have a problem with waste disposal and thus Ms Tsoleli asked if Robben Island falls within the Cape Town Municipality of does it have a Municipality of its own.
She then requested that the management clarity what it is exactly that the employees are stealing as management stated that some of the Museums own employees are stealing from the Museums.

In their presentation, the management spoke about some of the employee problems and challenged which they have been facing in the recent past which included two strikes in one year. Ms Mokgotsi then clarified that the committee meeting is not a place for the management of the Museum to come and complain and give their grievances about how they are struggling to control their staff. The said the committee is unable to help them in this regard, instead they must be coming to Parliament to come and report back about how they have managed these challenges which they faced and how they are now moving forward. She said they need check their own disparities first before they come to the committee with their grievances.


Mr Mahlangu said he agreed with many of the statements which were made by the CEO during the presentation. He agreed that the history of South African people has not been captured properly and thus there is a need for more specialists who will dig in to study our history and bring to light things that have not yet been seen.
He said it was good that they have identified challenges and they can only hope that they can rise to the occasion.
Mr Mahlangu then said he somewhat agrees with the feelings of the political prisoners. He believes that they have a right to believe that the Museum “owes them something” as the Museum management mentioned in the presentation. But since the demands of these political prisoners cannot be met, it is advisable that the Museum at least ‘acknowledge’ their grievances.

Mr Mahlangu also expressed his concern with regards to the spending habits of the Museum. He reminded them that the law does not allow anyone to spend in access of more than 2% over their budget and Robben Island Museum has done this and this a problem. He expressed that this is unacceptable, however, he acknowledged that he does not have a good enough appreciation so to have a solution for this financial problem which they are facing.

Mr Mahlangu also spoke of how in some jurisdictions, it is possible to have situations where boards manage so much that they become full time employees, where they are meeting every day, staying in hotels and overburdening the system and thus a large percentage of the budget is consumed by board members. Mr Mahlangu asked the Museum Management so speak about how they are ensuring that this is not happening within their Museum.

The Management of the Robben Island Museum then gave responses to the Committee.
Mr Sibusiso Buthelezi, Chair of the Museum said the Ferry belonged to Robben Island Museum and it was purchased 10 years ago. He also said the Museum has two other historical Ferries which were both purchased 40 years ago and a Cargo boat which is also used as a Ferry.
He saidthe problem with the Ferry is in its architecture. The boat touches some of the elements on the sea bed and gets damaged, and so it has to be decommissioned from time to time and this costs a lot of money. The additional costs also come in in having to hire additional boats of Ferries during this time. A solution which has been proposed is to increase visitor numbers so to increase income.

Mr Mpume Dlali, the Chief Financial Officer of the Museum said he income of Robben Island Museum comes to the account of the Museum as the Museum falls under section 3 and so it has no obligation to deposit money to the National Treasury.
He also clarified that the Museum does not have a problem with over-expenditure, rather, what is reflected on the budget in the presentation is a deficit – which a technical accounting term.

In 1997, Robben Island stopped being a correctional service prison and became a tourist attraction. Thus Robben Island is a part of the Municipality of Cape Town, but has always been handled by Public Works and the Museum is dealing with a semi-emergency at the moment as Public Works is not performing their duties in this regard.

Mr Buthelezi said what was being stolen was money and reputation. He made the example that employees get bulk tickets and then sell them and the money goes into their own pockets, or the boats get unnecessarily decomposed so that other boats are hired and those people benefit and get money. He said sophisticated methods of stealing are being used.

Mr Buthelezi also clarified that the reason why the strike issue was mentioned was not to complain, it was rather to highlight the challenges , without background of the CEO, which the Museum has faced and overcame, and to make the committee aware of the disciplinary actions that the museum is currently experiencing.

40% of the Museum’s budget comes from DAC as a subsidy and the rest is from revenue generated from the Museum.
Mr Buthelezi highlighted that they have taken care so to separate the roles of Council and Executives and there is no incentive to deceive in this situation.

The CEO, Mr Mkhize further emphasised that he was not here to complain, but rather, he came here to reveal their situation and give the committee an appreciation and an understanding of where they come from.
And although the committee cannot give them money nor can they intervene for us in their employee disputes, the committee does have the power to hold people accountable and hold the Department accountable for not attending to them even after they have requested.

Mr Mkhize added that people also steal diesel. He said there seems to be a culture of ‘free for all’ and he is under the impression that the employees think that maybe the managers are also stealing from the Museum.

Mr Mkhize said they were a part of a Municipal Ward and they deserved those services. As a world Heritage Site, they cannot leave things unattended. When it’s time to account for all the bad things that happen on Robben Island Museum, the media will go to the management of Robben Island Museum and want answers from them.

The Chairperson then repeated her previous sentiments by saying that they organisations and government need to stop working in silos and must start working together. And she commends in Robben Island Museum for being able to recognise that.

Mr Dlali added that every year, they ask Treasury to retain surpluses and then when they have a deficit, they ask treasury to use the previous year’s surpluses to cover up the deficit.
He also clarified that the museum uses the accrual basis of accounting, which is different from other government department and thus they account for non-cash transactions such as depreciation.

Mr Sibusiso Xaba, Director General said they have been in discussion with the Department of Public Works, and they have confirmed that they will rectify the issue at the Robben Island.

The Chairperson made her closing comments by stating that the Museum was a treasure of the country and so the manner in which it handled itself must be in accordance. She said integration was very important, and that the Municipality and other Departments such as the Department of Tourism and the Department of Public Works had a role to play.

Artscape Annual Performance Plan Presentation and Discussion
The Artscape presented their Annual Performance Plan to the Committee.
Professor Nomvula Mthethwa, Deputy Chairperson of the Artscape introduced the team and gave an introduction for the presentation. She spoke about how we as the people of South Africa come from a political and social background of exclusivity. And unfortunately, the Arts were not left out of that exclusivity. She highlighted that transformation is the core of where the Artscape is and they put a large emphasis on Multi-cultural consciousness

Mr Michael Mas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Artscape did the presentation of the Annual Performance Plan and the CFO presented the Budget.
Please see the document called Artscape Annual Performance Plan for a detailed analysis of the Presentation. Everything which was spoken about during the meeting, can we found in the document of the presentation, in great detail.

The Chairperson of the Committee made a few remarks before she opened the floor to some questions.
The Chairperson re-iterated her previous statements about the importance of integration and how departments need to finds ways of working together. She highlighted that she believed that it is the Arts and Culture Department that can transform society in collaboration with other Departments.

Mr T Makondo (ANC) asked if the Artscape had any outreach into rural areas because to him it seemed as though Artscape had not gone into the rural areas to reach there and generate some interest.

My Grootboom asked if Artscape went beyond Cape Town and the Western Cape and did it reach other provinces?

Ms A Matshobeni (EFF) asked if the Artscape trained other young artists or did it only work with individuals that were already developed? She asked if the Artscape catered for those that lived in rural areas and had talent.

In response to the questions, Mr Mas said the Artscape did not get designated funding from government to put Art on the stage. The only got funding for infrastructure and this was holding them back in achieving some of its mandate.

The Chairperson replied that it was the Artscape’s responsibility to come up with productions and approach the departments for funding.

Mr Mas continued by saying that at the Artscape they are responsible for the Western Cape but they do have relationships with other organisations and Arts Houses such as the Port Elizabeth Opera House and the Artscape does assist them to quite a large extent.

Ms Marlene le Roux, Director of the Artscape, said the Artscape has taken young people and put them in a training program for young unemployed people to develop their talent. These young people now hold an NQF Level five certificate through the Artscape and they are now performing international, where-as just over a year ago, they could not read music.
The mandate of the Artscape is to look after the Western Cape, but they Artscape does take its performances all over the country.

The Chairperson made her closing remarks stating that Artscape Management had answered adequately. She also said the rest of the committee was very excited to be associated with the Artscape and she could say that “the Artscape was in shape”. She said the Artscape was a centre of excellence and other provinces could learn from them to a large extent.

The meeting was adjourned.